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Pasco County News | Breaking News

Rich Nugent objects, courteously

Posted Feb 23, 2011 by Tom Jackson

Updated Feb 23, 2011 at 02:29 PM

The effect may mimic flying paper airplanes into a granite wall. Nonetheless, U.S. Rep. Rich Nugent (R-Brooksville) has dispatched a letter to headstrong Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood over the $2.4 billion—rejected by Gov. Rick Scott—the White House had dangled for a high speed rail line linking Tampa and Orlando.

In a nutshell, Nugent argues for letting Florida keep the (borrowed) money, no strings attached, so the state can address other critical needs in its ports and highways. Failing that, the (borrowed) money should be returned to the Treasury, in the interest of reducing the national deficit and debt. Yeah, like that’s important to this White House.

Anyway, here’s the letter. It’s a fine piece of work.

Dear Secretary LaHood,

I write you today about the $2.4 billion in high-speed rail funds that the Obama administration has made available to the State of Florida. It’s obviously an important issue for our government and I would like to take a moment to share my constituents’ thoughts with you.

First, before anything else, let me thank you for your heartfelt intention to help stimulate job growth in the region. It goes without saying that Florida was one of the states hit hardest by the recession, and high unemployment persists in many areas, including my own.

I know that as a former member of Congress and now a member of the President’s Cabinet, our fiscal situation is not lost on you. You know as well as I do that having spent money for years that America didn’t have, our debt has now grown out of control. Our interest payments on the national debt, already surpassing $200 billion annually, are projected to quadruple over the next ten years. By 2014, interest payments on our debt will surpass the current spending on our entire non-defense, discretionary budget – including transportation. And by 2018, net interest payments will eclipse even annual spending on Medicare or the entire Department of Defense. Frankly, Mr. Secretary, it’s already spiraling out of control.

While I appreciate the administration’s view that building a high-speed rail line connecting Tampa and Orlando is key to America’s future prosperity, I can assure you it is not. Governor Scott, I believe, has expressed to you the infrastructure needs that the state is currently facing – ports and highways among them. If the administration sees fit to return Florida taxpayers’ dollars to them, it is my wish – and my constituents’ wish – that those dollars be returned to the state in such a way that Florida can determine for itself how best to use them.

If the state is not given the flexibility to use its own funds as it sees fit, I respectfully ask that the money be used to pay down the national debt that has, in part, been borrowed in Florida taxpayers’ names over the years. Frankly sir, I reject the premise that this money belongs to the federal government. It does not. Further, I submit to you that it is the height of federal arrogance to presume to tell a sitting governor that he is wrong about what investments in infrastructure are best for his state.

I understand that as a member of the President’s Cabinet, you must advocate for the President’s initiatives, but I must also believe, that as a former Republican member of Congress, this federalist principle is not lost on you.

As for the general question of high-speed rail in our state, believe me, I understand the appeal. Europe and Japan have developed train networks that are the envy of the world. China and others are investing as well. But in my opinion, given that the federal government is falling so desperately short of fulfilling its current obligations, and given that small business owners and others in Florida are facing massive tax increases to cover unemployment obligations, this is not the appropriate time for “nice to have” projects.

I do not disagree with the premise that spending $2.4 billion to construct something will result in construction jobs. Of course it will. But I also believe that it is in the taxpayers’ interest to build something that will yield the greatest return on their investment and one that best manages their risk over the long term.

Having spent the last twenty years of my life living in Central Florida, I know I am not alone in my suspicion that projected ridership numbers and revenues associated with this line are optimistic. I believe we must also take seriously the stark example of Amtrak subsidies that the federal government has thus far been unable to shake.

The day of reckoning about our federal budget is coming, Mr. Secretary. And when it does, this rail line will be set against the other competing obligations of the federal government. You know as well as I do that this and so many other initiatives like it will fall short. The states – already burdened with a federal government that takes too big a share of America’s tax revenue – will be left with the tab.

I understand that your office’s instinct will be to send more projections and analysis of how great this high-speed rail network will be for Central Florida. I appreciate the thought and will happily save you the postage. My intention is not to have a debate about the general merits of high-speed rail. One day, when Washington has come to its senses, when business is thriving again, and the federal and state coffers are stuffed full of surplus revenues, I look forward to having that discussion.

Until that time comes, however, I ask that you and your counterparts across the federal government take a hard look at where we stand now. I ask that you personally consider whether this $2.4 billion – so seemingly expendable and abundant today – will be so easy to come by in the future. And if it is not - when that $2.4 billion is needed desperately for something else in the future – will the administration have truly put it to use in the most judicious way on behalf of the taxpayers who earned it? In my opinion, the answer is no.

While I disagree strongly with much that the administration has done over the last two years, just as I disagree with this now, President Obama did not create all of this debt on his own. And in the same way that both parties contributed to our current situation, it will take cooperation from both parties to recover from it. While this may be the first appeal to you from my office, I hope that you will also take it as an honest gesture of my willingness to keep the lines of communication open. I listen to my constituents as you no doubt listened to yours during your time in Congress. My job now, as it was yours then, is to communicate their will to the executive branch. Mr. Secretary, my constituents do not want this train and I hope that your administration can understand that.

Sincerely,

Rich Nugent
Member of Congress

“I ... will happily save you the postage.” Sweet.