This NEW VIDEO is a must-watch and, more importantly, must share with your friends!
Our Island is Being Threatened by Special Interest Groups
FAST vs Rail
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This NEW VIDEO is a must-watch and, more importantly, must share with your friends!
© 2012 All Rights Reserved. Paid for by Cayetano for Mayor, PO Box 161060 Honolulu, HI 96816
I just hope people can see the truth in all this. Carlisle and Caldwell have already sold out. Ben isn’t perfect, but at least he’s has the courage and confidence to take on these special interest groups. The rail is really a transfer of wealth from the working people of Hawaii to big corporate interests.
The points Ben makes against rail seem sensible and backed by facts and figures. My questions are:
1. After Ben is elected Mayor, how will he and the City & County of Hon. deal with the lawsuits which will inevitably be filed for cancelling the contracts related to rail? Do you anticipate expensive and drawn-out litigation, which may sap the financial and personnel resources of the City?.
2. How much will it cost to dismantle the concrete pillars, stations, etc.?
3. Where will all the debris be dumped? How will we contend with the pollution created by tearing down the pillars, stations, etc.
3. What assurances does Ben have that the City Council and State Legislature will support and fund Bus Rapid Transit System and the creation of dedicated lanes on the streets and highways?
4. Will there be a lack of cooperation and even retribution on the part of politicians, power brokers, and special-interest groups to stymie any programs and policies of the Cayetano administration?
5. What effect will cancellation of the rail project have on Hawaii’s image in Washington, D.C., and the nation? Will this hamper future efforts to receive federal funding for Hawaii?
Hi, Lorena,
Here are my responses to your questions:
1. Canceling the contracts is not a problem, the city contracts have a termination by convenience clause. Unfortunately, the city will have to pay the contractors for the work already done. If there is litigation it will be how much should the city pay for work already done?
The question taxpayers should ask themselves is why — against FTA advice — did the City prematurely award rail contracts without a full funding agreement for the $1.5 billion from the federal government? As for sapping city resources, the subsidy for operating the rail system will increase from $140 million today for the bus system to $462 million for the rail system in 2030. The subsidy represents 70% of of the operating cost and is paid for by the general fund which includes the real property tax, the gas tax and the vehicle registration fees. The remaining 30% is paid for mainly by the bus/rail fares.
2. Not available. City has info.
3. The debris will be treated no different from debris from any construction project. Debris that can be recycled will be treated accordingly, trash will be burned and the ash dumped at the city landfill.
4. I have no assurance from the legislators. However, legislators know that bus rapid transit cost 1/5 the cost of rail, they also know that the deteriorating sewers and water systems affect every
House and Senate district on Oahu. I will propose that the legislature amend the rail tax law to allow the city and state to divide the proceeds and use them for their own respective purposes.
5. I expect no retribution from the legislature. Why should there be any? If I am elected, it will be a mandate from the voters that they want to cancel the rail project..
6. If anything, there is resentment among certain groups on the mainland that the only reason $1.5 billion may be granted to Honolulu is Inouye is the chairman of the appropriations committee. In this regard, all of the news coverage and commentaries about Honolulu’s proposed rail project I’ve read suggest or openly criticize it as a waste of money and a huge earmark from Senator Inouye.
I am voting for you JUST to stop Rail. As you state, our city’s infrastructure is poorly maintained. We need someone to properly allocate funds to the right accounts, for our safety and of course, enjoyment. I do not believe that Rail will solve traffic congestion, but only create another infrastructure to maintain.
Unlike the other Mayoral candidate who declared “war on potholes” years ago, I remember his battle only lasted a few months. I need a 4×4 just to drive my daily route from home and work! It’s embarrassing when guests, contractors, and visitors see our deteriorated streets, sewers, parks, etc.
How would Ben have been about the mass density of the Hoopili project and the destruction of our most productive farmland? Hoopili can still be stopped. Will Ben help shut that down. Are we supposed to let developers from Texas make their big bucks and split? The lots are so small ou can’t even plant your own mango tree. The lots should be one acre minimum like Pupukea .
Governor has testified AGAINST Ho`opili development.
Hi, Angela,
I testified at the LUC hearing against the reclassification of Ho’opili. There are only 4,500 acres of prime agricultural land on Oahu, the reclassification of Ho”opili and Koa Ridge will reduce that number in half.
Ben Cayetano
Ben Cayetano is beginning to swerve away from his original campaign stance with the subject of “Special Interest Groups”. Voters are fed rail propaganda continuously. It is this propaganda that can not be countered by swerving into the direction of “Special Interest Groups”. Cayetano needs to be focused upon the zeal that he exhibited when he stepped into the mayoral race months ago. With the primary nearing, and rail propaganda becoming more and more effective, Cayetano’s diverting from his original platform which counters rail propaganda is not good for the Cayetano candidacy.
Aloha, We supported Panos and unfortunately the citizenry was deceived and swayed by those with major special interest muscle. The negative ads have become increasingly annoying and of course filled with lies. We, the people need Ben who sees beyond the obvious and is the only one considering the logistics involved with the “rail debacle”.
I have seen fabullous highways in Phoenix recently with 2lane on-ramps that had red/green traffic flow control lights which totally provided a smooth merge. It was so well done, we cannot imagine why such innovative solutions are not used here. As Panos had said, the infrastructure, the buses, the traffic light sycronization , etc. need to be handled to ease traffic. The rail WILL NOT!
In addition , we will be mobilizing the gangs, the homeless, and those without cars…not to mention the concern for females being harrassed & molested in a trapped environment (I was a victum on a NY subway)… We are not maintaining our roads, the filth alongside the roads, the potholes EVERYWHERE, the absolutely disgusting and embarrassing public restrooms/beach parks (and we spend a fortune to get tourists here!!??) On a trip to Tokyo, we were just amazed at the cleanliness and modernization of these things. I digress, sorry. VOTE BEN!!! PLEASE!
With Aloha,
Kali
PS-How will everyone get to the train station? Where will they park their cars at the rail stations? How will folks get from their car to the actual train? When you get to your job, how will you actually get to your job? Walk, bus, ?? And all of this with your briefcases, purse, books, groceries, etc. etc. Just saying……
Will there be security at the parking lots or a lot of illegal entering of cars, and what about the mugging in the parking lots. Who will be the ones to use the elevator to the rail, or will that be abused and leave the handicapped out in the cold, also how long will the rail stop to let the handicapped rider to get on or off?
VOTE BEN and be safer
Hi I live in South Africa , and I got to hear about the rail that they are building through a friend of mine , Kali .
I would just like to say that the South African government did exactly the same thing here , for exactly the same reason . They spent billions on building it and it is very much a white elephant . A few people use it , but whenever we see the train running alongside the highway , it is empty .
They have hundreds of buses to take you from the station to your destination and those are always empty too . And who is fitting the bill for this white elephant ? The overburdened tax payers !
Thank you VERY MUCH Chantelle!
GOOD LUCK, BEN!! i voted absentee and already voted for YOU! You are the only one who makes SENSE re: the rail project and I have faith that you will find a more economic way to transport people, cut the bureaucracy in government!
IMUA CAYETANO! LET’S STOP RAIL NOW!!
I and other voters approved this measure and now you’re trying to tell me my vote doesn’t count
Nowhere in this video (or anywhere else in the campaign) is anyone saying your vote doesn’t count. Your vote counts every bit as much as those who voted against this measure.
One end of the rail route would be in the middle of a farm on the Ewa plain that is now growing fruits and vegetables that many of us consume. It’s prime agricultural land, which is scarce on Oahu. That land should remain in agriculture, but rail would encourage the urbanization of that land. In addition, rail would encourage further urban development in Leeward Oahu. With more development would come more traffic, which rail is supposed to reduce. STOP RAIL! VOTE FOR BEN!
what will rail really do for us? spend more money once it’s done? where will people park there cars, is rail faster to go to there working sites? how much will the cost to ride the rail cost? what about finding parking for the cars/ will there be another cash pay when riding it. how much will everything cost?to me, traffic is merely because we have too many cars on the streets and families has so many cars in there home. oahu is already crowded with condo’s, townhouse, and cars. this is my opinion. what get me long ago when freeways being built only because of traffic….it did’nt do any good…we have more traffic. rail will never help…we still will have traffic.
Didn’t the people of Hawaii already vote on this issue?
Yes, they did vote. But the counter-argument was that the system they voted on is NOT the system that is being built. This August 11th will give the voters another chance to express their will on this issue.
To answer Loren McGovern’s question…take a look at Kiewit, the contractor for the first phase of rail. Whether rail happens or not, Kiewit stands to make BIG BUCKS on rail. Take a look at their equipment yards, its all brand new equipment! And a lot of the equipment, they don’t even need. Kiewit stands to gain a lot. Im sure they have a whole office full of lawyers waiting for the rail to end, so they can make sure they get all that equipment for free. I would blame Mufi…
On another note, the rail doesn’t make sense to me. There are so many questions. How much will rail cost for a round trip??? In 12 years, it may be $10 one way. Im just guessing, but if I were to take my 5 member family into town and back, would cost me 100 bucks already. mo bettah drive.
…and driving when Gas is not $5 per gallon, but $10 or more (which is more like the Real Environmental Co$t of Oil) while Hawai’i has Clean, Free Energy Sources…
Is the same kind of backwards thinking as “Kill Rail”…
The “Smart” place to subsidize future rail and highway maintenance costs is At the Pump just like Auto Insurance so you pay in proportion to your risk of harming the environment, or killing and maiming others…
Electric cars can use clean energy sources as well as rail. Also, studies show that rail uses more energy per passenger than cars do.
you guys need to travel the world and see what rail does, like singapore and the philippines. People protested back in the 1980′s and today they are standing in line to get in the rail cars. If there were no rail, cars, taxis and jeepneys wouldn’t be moving. stop having tunnel vision and move on in your life. Look at H-3; protest, law suits and who is using the H-3 now????? think about it.
The H-3 is empty–everyone still uses Pali and Likilike. The purpose of the H-3 was to connect the two military bases Hickam/Pearl Harbor with Kaneohe. Do you realize how taxes we’ll be paying?
The powers that be in this state have a bad habit of lying to the people because they think we don’t have the common sense to see through their lies,, this whole rail issue is an insult to the people who are struggling just to survive,, it’s ugly overkill and will not solve the congestion problem,, what would be a deterrent to the congestion is to put a limit on the amount of cars that can be registered at one address to put a stop to these insane numbers of cars on the roads,, the are families with 7 and 8 cars in one familiy,, if they want this many vehicles they should pay a very heavy premium over and above regular auto registration to have it,, that would be quite an incentive for sure,, I voted for the Govenor in every campaign he ever waged and I voted him absentee for this election because of his unfailing honesty and he lack of fear of the greedy power mongers in this state,, I hope Saturday finds us with Ben at the controls,, then you’ll see some spectacular things happening,, Good luck and God Bless Governor
You can blame Mufi for all of this problems. He started it and made his money.
Also how could you take his bullying style. When he tells you to jump, you jump. I guess the locals can’t think for themselves.
The Misleading “info” is right here… My Graduate Enineering Specialty was “Transportation SYSTEMS Management” which FOCUSES on the Hundreds of Solutions Besides Rail and After Applying EVERY Great Tansportation Solution it was CLEAR Huge Solutions Far Greater and More Expensive than Rail would be necessary to even approach the beneficial impact of rail. We’re talking about an over or underwater Tunnel or Causeway across the mouth of Pearl Harbor or Double/Triple Decker Bypasses across Middle Street or Nimitz H-1…at Far, Far greater cost to approach or match rail which is The Successful Solution for Major Metropolitan Areas, particularly “Linear Ones” as Honolulu’s and its Second Ciity Corridor are laid out. This is why the experts at every level including The Federal Government award priority to Honolulu above the dozens of other wishful, competing cities. No expert has seen “more of the same” (more buses) as a primary solution– it is merely another incremental, band-aid last choice alternate “solution” for all those cities who could not qualify for Federal Assistance with a Better Solution…to try to sell the Einsteinian Solution –let’s keep doing the same thing that already doesn’t work and has created the country’s worst traffic, and hope/expect it to get better is nothing more than an absolute Lack of Vision, the sort that would have Nixed Aloha Stadium, the Stan Sheriff Center or H-3… We Already Suffered 30 more years loss with Eileen Anderson’s Deferral, where rail could have cost one-twentieth of today’s cost And be 80% Federally Funded — Any Further delay (by you) only costs us More and defers any possible benefits…
The people have already voted and punting again is another expensive failure of leadership.
I voted for JFK my first time voting. Last time I ever voted for a Democrat, until today.
You got my vote Ben. For the simple reason that you are the only one going through all the crap you have to go through, FOR THE PEOPLE.
Mahalo Joe!
When I see property taxes are going up, the cost water and electric going up, I don’t think I will ever be able to buy a place on my own. I can’t even afford a cellular phone.
I think everyone sees the rail as moving into the next century like all the other gadget. We’re an island not a big city. You want to live in a big city move to the mainland. The cities that have rails exceed the size of the island. There has been so many efforts to aleviate the traffic from the west side but everyone expects that everyone else is going to use the rail. Has anyone consider how much it’s going cost to ride the rail? San Francisco, Sacramento, Chicago, etc charge over $5 one way. I can’t afford $10 a day–it’d be cheaper to take the car.
There was ferry every morning to Aloha Tower. How much money went into that? It’s gone. There was a budget for advertising. Some guy comes in and makes cuts that save some money but takes the money and spends for seats justifying by him saving money on advertising. Bogus–everyone should know when they budgets they expand it. I think they did that purposely so they would have extra money and make themselves look good. We don’t even know how many people are going to ride the rail from Ewa to Ala Moana.
The rail goes no where. It seems it only for the tourist to explore communities otherwise not known to them and eventually move to Hawaii. Just like the stadium it’s going to rust in 20 yrs then how many billions more will it cost for upkeep.
We had the same problem with the H-3. Look at how many years it took to build the H-3. They started in the 70′s. Look at how underutilized the H-3 is. It’s empty–Federally funded to connect the two military bases. Three exits to Kailua and one to Kaneohe–traffic is still bad in Kailua and Kaneohe.