Maybe folks really don't want high speed rail

When the Bradenton Herald gave Tampa Bay Partnership CEO Stuart Rogel an opportunity to answer a few questions for a story about high speed rail, they got a digital earful.

Rogel explained why he felt rail projects are good for the economy and why businesses were generally supportive.

But of the 24 comments posted when Coffee Talk took a look, 22 took Rogel and rail supporters to task. Some examples:

• “Tampa Bay Partnership, look at the comments below, I see a bi-partisan agreement from both sides of the political fence coming together here to tell you. No high speed rail. We voted on it, it failed, now please go away!”

• “We can't even afford shelters for all the bus stops. Why not start off small, light rail within the county, oh I am sorry, we don't have the money for it!!!!!!!!”

• “What an embarrassing waste of money.”• “High speed rail is not financially sound when completed in other places in this country. This exercise is like a monkey getting shocked over and over.”

• “It's quite simple. We need to live within our means. Better yet, the government needs to live within our means.”
Coffee Talk wonders if high speed rail in Florida is getting all the same disconnects from the public that national health care in Washington has infamously garnered.