LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT IN WATERLOO REGION

Yesterday's Waterloo Region Record has two stories on the above topic. The one on the front page (which surprisingly I can't get a link to) is titled "Light rail transit speeds ahead". The one on the next page is titled "Politicians invoke railroad visions". For me the second story is the scary one.

Story number one is simply an update as to ongoing steps in the process. It includes land acquisition and a few surprises that have popped up. Also included are lawyers fees and various consultants required. Apparently senior governments are contributing $565 million while local taxpayers via tax increases are throwing $253 million into the pot. I'm sure the downsized, unemployed, involuntary partimers and fixed incomers are less than overjoyed at this prospect.

Story number two is interesting. The first three words may be less than subtle on the part of the Record. "Big dreaming politicians...". O.K. the fuller context is this: "Big dreaming politicians say trains are the way of the future and referred to everything from Canada's first railway to bullet trains in Japan to make their point Tuesday.". WELL! It gets even more pompous with "Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr said modern governments don't have the guts for the visionary infrastructure projects that built this country.". Further he referred to the trans Canada railroad when he said "That was nation building.". Well maybe it was but tacitly or subtly implying the same thing for the Region's LRT is pure hokum. Then Mayor Zehr suggested that "...the region's $818 million light rail plan has the same visionary feel.".

All of this is implying that Regional politicians have lots of guts and are far seeing visionaries. My experience has been that the shakier the logic, the greater the solution in search of a problem and the larger the millions being ponied up by the taxpayers; the greater the puffery and bullshit by the politicians. It's probably politically incorrect to suggest this but has anyone else noticed the statistically over representation by short statured males at the Regional Council Chambers? Is there a psychological phenomenon going on? I've always believed that career politicians have varying degrees of personality disorders (at a minimum). Could there be some attempt at overcompensation by short males who more than likely got picked on by cowardly bullies in public and high school? Just asking here! Regardless I don't think I'm the only one out there who sees some major aggrandizing going on at our expense. This community has serious poverty, homelessness, unemployment, health and environmental issues all of which could use and more importantly NEED those hundreds of millions of dollars. They won't get them possibly in order for a few politicians to leave a "legacy" project behind.