Ken: I was joking about whatever wins, of course. Seems very strange (and counter-productive) to bring Brodkorb in.

Thanks for your attention to PRT.

I think its important that voters know the facts about PRT. Ray Cox gave out some false information about PRT. I know from experience that the media doesn’t know enough or care enough about PRT to correct Cox’s misinformation.

Why is that important?

Rep. Mark Olson and Michele Bachmann promoted PRT with Dean Zimmermann in 2004.

Both are up for re-election this year.

Your blog will only help if people read it… ah, I see. That is why you are blogging on http://locallygrownnorthfield.org?

Are you from Northfield?

I suspect it’s because of this:

http://minnesotamobstersexposed.blogspot.com/

More about Brodkorb at the Cucking Stool blog.

Hey, if any of you can post to Brodkorb’s site, my IP is tagged or I am using disallowed words. So, can you post the following to this entry
http://www.minnesotademocratsexposed.com/2008/01/04/negative-politics-works/

(start)

Hi Jeff! I’m Scot C’s older sister (not the twin)! Remember him from elementary school? Hope it’s you instead of another Jeff Fecke.

Hey Brodkorb, thanks for campaigning for Ray.

The ads Dahle used just pointed out Cox’s voting record. They weren’t negative, Rove Style ads. Dems aren’t there, yet, but I wish they would listen to Drew Westin more. You dems out there-- read Drew Westin’s Political Brian.

Yes, the true Democrat won. I have to say this, though-- Ray is a nice guy and I like him personally. His weblog coach is loyal like no other and we have to put up with him saying how wonderful Ray is all the time. Geez. Small towns make elections hard.

It didn’t… not this election.

Congrats to Kevin Dahle.

Maybe they were trying to energize the base? And alienate those across the aisle? In Northfield? They should have tried to get BrodKorb and Ray on KYMN or something….

That blog title is especially clever: DemocratSEXposed. It’s very Limbaugh/Coulter/Hannity, in-your-face, but also clever and concise. The bleeding-heart liberals have never quite been able to muster up the same sort of un-civility on a consistent basis.

Whatever wins elections, huh?

http://innovative-transit.blogspot.com/2008/01/mock-journalist-part-iii.html

He mispoke? Is that the end of the story?

Does anyone remember Judy Dutcher’s E85 flap?

Why the double standard?

We need a system to move large amounts of people, longer distances, and get them off the highways.

The first thing we need to do is to develop a plan, and work towards it. This can start with more actively funding pooling and ride sharing, as well as longer distance transit lines from the farther out burbs to Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Ideally, my long range plan would be to have rail from St. Cloud, through the cities, to Rochester, and another from Duluth to Albert Lea.

There should also be a east-west rail from the Valley-Fair/Casino area to either Hudson, or Red Wing. (Red Wing could be a branch into the Rochester line).

Also, as a newcomer to Northfield (2001), I would like someone to explain to me the history behind the Dan Patch line, and why this is supposedly no longer an option. It is my perception that the railbed is still there, and would only need to be refurbished to carry passenger traffic.

Significant right of way is already available for a east west corridor as well.

We REALLY need to get off of our dependency for more and more highway lanes. By the time we get these lanes built, there will not be enough oil, and no one will be able to commute to the cities due to the high costs involved.

I am already doing all I can by vanpooling with 9 other people, but, I still want more. We need to look at telecommuting centers, where folks can go, and have a cube and bandwidth… but not have to travel to the cities to be in the office. Voice over IP, and other technologies will help to make this possible.

We need to be looking at viable, proven alternatives, not more of the same, and not more lanes. We need to look at being more efficient. PRT’s from Northfield to the cities are just not going to happen. It just does not seem to be economically viable.

So, my question to the candidates is… what do you feel that you can do to improve transit for residents of District 25, in your FIRST term in office, if you are elected?

Ethanol, Big Oil, and more lanes are not answers I am looking for.

Thanks for your time.

-John Thomas

Incidentally, convicted felon Dean Zimmermann tried to use PRT to get $225, 000 from a developer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHWZl1eif8E

The Citizens for Personal Rapid transit still have Zimmermann’s PRT plan for MInneapolis up on their website:

http://www.cprt.org/Minneapolis/default.htm

That should give you an idea how bogus PRT is.

PRT does sound like a gigantic waste of money. I hope no elected official runs with the idea.

Light Rail Now’s article on PRT:

http://www.lightrailnow.org/facts/fa_prt001.htm

My blog on PRT promoter Rep. Mark Olson:

http://dumpmarkolson.blogspot.com/

PRT is a Joke:

http://www.roadkillbill.com/PRTisaJoke.html

I think there is a growing need for the reliability public transportation offers.

Interesting points, Stephanie. Here here!

http://www.townhall.com/talkradio/Show.aspx?RadioShowId=7

It’s interesting when he talks about spending taxpayers’ money “wisely” on transportation that he doesn’t mention his support for Rep. Mark Olson’s PRT boondoggle.

Will Ray Cox explain his support for the PRT boondoggle in the Northfield News, on this blog and his own blog before the election?

Cox, a champion of the environment? Not really. His voting record and communication skills may be better than most Republicans, but frankly, that is not saying much.

Under a Republican majority, the House Environment and Natural Resouces Committee (with Ray as co-chair), was more of an “anti-environment” committee than anything else. From my observations, the party leadership released him to vote with DFLers in that committee at times, depending on the numbers. After a particularly disappointing vote, I asked Cox why he voted the way he did. He said if he hadn’t done it, it would have been somebody else. He told me I knew how the game was played.

That is not the kind of representation I want at the Legislature.

Further, the Strib endorsement was incorrect about some of the issues. Cox was not a founder of the CRWP but was a financial supporter, for example.

Kevin
Dahle recently changed his website. He talks about the greatest fear-- and also he goes more into the issues.

With a victory in this week’s special election, on the southern fringe of the metro area, for a seat in the Minnesota Senate, the DFL would have a “supermajority” in the Legislature, meaning it could overturn Pawlenty’s vetoes.

The Northfield News asked each candidate to respond to these six questions in 150 words or less.

Ray Cox needs to explain why he is in favor of the taxpayers funding PRT, an infeasible boondoggle that is opposed by Transit for Livable Communities and the Sierra Club North Star:

Sierra Club North Star resolution against public funding of PRT:

http://www.northstar.sierraclub.org/campaigns/transportation/position200404.html

Transit for Livable Communities resolution against public funding of PRT:

http://www.tlcminnesota.org/Resources/Local_Issues/Local-Index.htm#NoStatePRT

Reply:

I have continued to like the concept of PRT for a number of reasons. I think the ability for the car modules to go off line to the stops, keeping the line service flowing, is a great feature. I also like the concept of elevating it so ground space is only taken up by the support standards. Let me know if you have specific questions.

-Ray Cox

As a legislator, Cox impressed us with his bipartisan working style and independent thinking. He stands to be an important contributor in the Senate, particularly on environmental, higher education and transportation policy.