Social Conservatives Praise Rick Scott for Rejecting Federal High-Speed Funds

Social conservative leaders are weighing in on Gov. Rick Scotts refusal of federal funds set aside for high-speed rail projects and praising the decision.

President Obama and U.S. Senate President Harry Reid want to spend $53 billion on high-speed rail projects across the country. They worked hard to socialize health care to the detriment of American families; now they want to socialize transportation with high-speed rail on the backs of hard-working families, noted David Caton, executive director of the Florida Family Association, on Wednesday. One only needs to look at Amtrak nationally and Tri-Rail in Florida to know that rail is a very costly failure. Amtraks revenues in 2010 were $2.4 billion compared to the $40 billion it received that year in our tax dollar subsidies. Tri-Rail, which operates in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties, only has 16,000 daily riders (or about 8,000 passengers) out of a combined population of 5.4 million people where 80 percent of the costs are paid by our tax dollars.

The state of Florida is faced with a $3.6 billion budget shortfall. Hard-working families can ill afford high-speed rail, which will obligate them to pay up to $57.5 million in tax dollar subsidies every year. It is equally wrong to add the federal stimulus payout to our national debt, continued Caton before praising Scotts decision. Liberal special interests are attacking Florida Governor Rick Scott for having the courage to put taxpayers first. These liberal special interests include several Florida newspapers, public officials and U.S. Senator Bill Nelson.These are the same special interests that want to prohibit new oil wells or nuclear power plants anywhere in or near the United States.

Caton and his Association are organizing a campaign to thank Scott and Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll for rejecting the funds.

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