To The Editor,
I have to say that Mark Swanson’s Letter to the Editor pointed out some great facts. Building the PRT is easy; just get off the drawing board and onto the street. Private companies will build it and maintain it and the only people who will pay for it will be those who actually use it. It’s already designed so all we need is someone to build a working model, test it for a few years then we find an investor who will underwrite it, acquire the land, get an ok from all the towns, cities, county’s etc.
To get the ball rolling we will give some tax breaks to the investors. I’m amazed no other town has done it. It shouldn’t take more than twenty or thirty years to get this up and running in some areas. But how does this help us? The PRT was never meant to be used for our area. It will do nothing to relieve the congestion on Hwy. 10 or I94 the area Olson represents. Comparing the PRT to the NorthStar is apples to oranges. They are used for different purposes. And that’s the point. Mark Olson knew this.
He knew PRT was decades away from maybe being useful. He knows building a 20 foot high rail system around the metro area would never pass all the hurdles one would have to jump through. He knows no one will ever be able or willing to raise the mega bucks required. And if you think that the ridership alone will pay for this then I’ve got a bridge I’d like to sell you.
Yet he still voted to spend our money on this. Rep. Olson is not naive. He knew that PRT was the perfect mass transit system for him, one that will never be built.
Tom Beckfeld
Campaign Manager, Jim Huhtala for 16B
Big Lake, MN
Here is another letter from Olson's opponent, DFL-endorsed Jim Huhtala:
To The Editor,
It’s great to see all the lively debate going on in these pages the last few weeks. I have been called on to explain my position on several issues. I am limited to using 300 words so I’ll cut right to the point.
I’m for the NorthStar. It’s the quickest, cheapest and best plan we have to relieve our traffic congestion. Of course I’m for the Hwy. 10 bypass through Anoka and Elk River but let’s face it, most of us will be dead and gone before this project is undertaken. The NorthStar is a good start but it’s just the first of many steps we will need to take.
I will not be satisfied with our education system until we are once again the best in the nation and the world. I am against the federal mandates. I’m against the state telling local school districts how to spend their recourses. I am in favor of more state funding to relieve the dependence on local property tax.
I am appalled that here in Minnesota we have 400,000 people without health care, 80,000 of those are children. The head of a “non-profit” health insurance company being paid 1.6 billion dollars is obscene. From 2000 - 2004 health insurance premiums in Minnesota increased by 73%. At this rate by 2010 the average cost of family health insurance will be $22,000 per year. I’m for: allowing small employers to purchase coverage through MinnesotaCare, expanding MinnesotaCare not cutting it, establishing a bulk purchasing program for prescription drugs to lower their cost.
There is much more to discuss but my space here is limited. Please feel free to contact me at (320) 260-6830 or visit my web page and e-mail me any questions.
Jim Huhtala
Clear Lake, MN
Wow! A candidate who talks about real issues instead of wedge issues like gay marriage and PRT!
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