From the Post Tribune
The residents of Porter County stand to be victimized Nov. 3 by what appears to be a boondoggle foisted on them by state Reps. Ed Soliday and Chester Dobis.
Two months ago, I suggested an alternative South Shore route to Valparaiso, with construction financed through the use of existing tax revenues to capture $100 million dollars in state and federal stimulus money -- a project that could be completed in about two years, costing taxpayers $1 billion less than the current proposal.
My letter has drawn neither pro or con response from Soliday and Dobis or any Porter County resident.
This lack of response, combined with the low patronage of the ChicaGo Dash and V-Line bus services, clearly indicate that a South Shore route to Valparaiso will be a taxpayers' money pit and would encumber funding needed to promote economic development.
The only benefactors will be a few communities -- Hammond, East Chicago and Gary -- in a county that refuses to pass a county income tax to support its alleged mass transit needs.
If you live in Porter County and want to be boondoggled, then vote for the tax-and-spend Regional Transportation Authority proposal on Nov. 3. Thomas A. Pappas Jr., Portage
