This is what arrogance and graft within bureaucracy looks like, folks.
The Michigan Department of Transportation is negotiating a lower lease rate for 23 passenger railcars now costing taxpayers $3,000 a day to sit idle. But the length of time the state could have to lease the cars before it can use them has doubled from two years to four years, according to a report sent to state lawmakers.
At the current lease rates, that means
MDOT[taxpayers] would have to sink about another $4.4 million into lease charges before it is able to put the cars into service.The Free Press on Feb. 1 broke the news of the idle railcars, which are intended for two proposed commuter services in southeast Michigan and so far have cost the state [taxpayers] about $12 million in refurbishment,
consulting[more graft] and leasing costs since 2010.
A half decade. 5 years and the plan is – there is no plan? Despicable. To say that This Guy is an incompetent boob and complete charlatan is an insult to incompetent boobs and charlatans who are forced to somehow figure out ways to survive in the private sector.
Single Cent Snyder is a total disgrace as well is every single legislator still in office who voted for this offensive garbage, which would be forever entrenched into our state’s constitution. And, don’t forget about the embedded fraud to the tune of at least $70M more per year. Do also note that Joan “gets it” about EITC.
Remember when Two Penny Jenny was a bad idea? Ya, well, with Single Cent Snyder… It Only Gets Worse. A lot worse if figuring in this unresolved can of worms.
Second highest Sales Tax in the nation, and the ballot proposal DOES NOT guarantee monies go to roads or schools.
(23)Nuh Uh.
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It is past time to seriously examine the original MDoT/GLCRR leasing transaction. If I am reading today's DFP article correctly, GLCRR paid Chicago Metra $ 114,000 each back in 2004 for the 23 cars now leased to MDoT. This is $ 2.622 million in total. How do you justify a $ 1.1 million annual cost triple net lease on assets worth $ 2.622 million? The first two years, five months of lease payments covered GLCRR's underlying cost. This is an incredibly expensive lease on a capital asset which would violate IRS rules if MDoT were a private entity.
Well, geez, maybe Transportation and Infrastructure chair Pettalia should drag Louis P. Ferris, Jr., and comrade Hieftje's old ass in for deposition?
However, as we know all that was going on in the Nerd's beloved Peoples Republic of Ann Arbor, so did Snyder and his Ann Arbor SPARK crony Mike Finney, so, there's no way in Hell that rank-and-file Petallia would ever do something like that.
Isn't Petallia going to challenge Benishek for the CD1 seat?
Hey! Now, there you go. A perfect challenger for the third term doctor.