# Wisconsin Pro-Rail Rally



## rtabern (Nov 19, 2010)

PRO-RAIL RALLY

Tomorrow (11/20/2010) at NOON

Wisconsin Amtrak Station

http://renewableenergymilwaukee.blogspot.com/2010/11/rally-for-trains-this-saturday-noon.html

I -- and atleast 1 AUF member will be there


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## WICT106 (Nov 19, 2010)

I'll attend the Madison rally. South Hamilton St, Wilson St Lot.

I was also at the Midwest HSR Association meeting on November 13.


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## Eric S (Nov 20, 2010)

Unfortunately work prevented me from attending.

Any first-hand accounts of the events?


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## rtabern (Nov 20, 2010)

Eric S said:


> Unfortunately work prevented me from attending.
> 
> Any first-hand accounts of the events?


Hey... I was able to attend along with Chris W. (Saxman) from AUF who was in town for the morning. I parked at the Milwaukee Airport and we took the Hiawatha in 8 miles to downtown station to attend (points run -- 500 points for $15). I think it was a pretty good rally with about 5 different speakers ranging from Wisconsin High Speed Rail groups to the Sierra Club... the attendance was a little short of what I was hoping for (estimated at 200)... and the whole rally only went about 40 minutes.

I do have some photos, and will try and post those tomorrow (Sunday 11/21).

Our paper here in Milwaukee (Journal Sentinel) was there covering it and interviewed me and took several pictures of me holding up pictures (of the Great Dome on the Cardinal -- hey, its all I had) from Amtrak. I am not sure if it will run or not, but the newspaper guy said it would be in the Sunday edition of the JS... so we'll see in the morning.  All 4 local Milwaukee TV stations were there as well as 1 TV station from Chicago.

Here is the JSOnline (newspaper's online news site) account of the rally:

http://www.jsonline.com/newswatch/109508639.html


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## WICT106 (Nov 21, 2010)

Here is a blog, with a good analysis of events surrounding the rail controversy in Wisconsin. Mr. Walker will try to weasel his way out of this. We need to keep this in mind, and keep up the pressure to get the rail service to Madison ( and, later, Saint Paul ). The Political Environment.


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## saxman (Nov 21, 2010)

I was at the rally in MKE with rtabern. It's pretty neat to see some grassroots support coming out for this important issue. They say about 200 showed up. I think if they start to hold more, more people will also start to show up. I talked to the lady who was leading the event and asked if anyone was handing out flyers to passengers who rode the Hiawatha trains. She said in the past they had done a bad job by not talking to the actual passengers and they are now doing so. 800,000 people is a lot of people that can get behind this issue. 800,000 is about the number of trips taken on the Hiawatha trains each year. She asked if I'd be willing to hand out flyers on the trains and in stations. I said yes, but there's a problem that I live in Texas. But I'm willing to come on occasion!  '

So for you Wisconsinites, I would contact the Sierra Club and ask that you hand out flyers in MKE and on board the Hiawatha. I think they have organized with Amtrak, and they have been very helpful in letting people do this. Plus who needs a good excuse to do some AGR point runs?!

Here's a link to the on the on goings with the Sierra Club having to do with Wisconsin HSR.

Here's a Sierra Club Petition you can sign, only if you have a Wisconsin address.

Here's one anyone can sign.


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## WICT106 (Nov 21, 2010)

For this, I think that it won't be enough to limit yourselves to handing out fliers or pamphlets -- though distributing pamphlets is better than being passive, or doing nothing at all. Each week, contact your Elected Representatives. Local elected officials, and State, as well as Federal Elected leaders. Remind them that they work for us. Do this each week. Also contact the governor-Elect's office, and ask that he reconsider his stance. Then do it all again the next week. If we make our voices loud enough, the passenger rail service expansion might get through. No matter what happens in January, keep pushing and pushing. Get out there and make your views known, folks. AUF members in Wisconsin need to make Mr. Walker feel the heat. We also need to make the newly elected State Legislators feel heat, too. If there is a loud enough public outcry, they will fund the train.

Come on, folks! This is the closest we've come since Amtrak's inception in 1971 to getting passenger rail back to Madison! Keep up the pressure!


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## WICT106 (Nov 21, 2010)

Before I get too carried away, I attended the rally in Madison. It was a cool, windy, yet sunny Fall day. The number of the crowd made me feel good, and made me feel motivated, yet also illustrated to me the lack of public support for this service. There were a couple of horns honking as cars went past. there were a few public speakers, too, including two State legislators. No one from the Federal level, though  . I was surprised that this many folks came out in support of this effort, despite the UW football game being on TV. I was hoping there would be more. The latest poll, done by Wisconsin Research Policy Institute, shows that 52 percent of those polled were opposed to the train, with only 35 percent in support. Despite what I saw yesterday, I think we should not harbor illusions about the degree of public support for this. The poll shows me that we have a ways to go before the trains return to Madison.

I suppose I could go around to the supermarkets and public libraries again, and put up fliers on the community bulletin boards. Something has to be done to force this into existence, and get Mr. Walker to backpedal. The State legislature will be tough, too, as the new State legislature, entering office in January, will be dominated by Republicans.


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## John Bredin (Nov 21, 2010)

I was at the Milwaukee rally, and I took the Hiawatha there and back. The timing of the rally was perfect for taking the train, and I have no desire to drive I-94 if I don't have to. Heck, that's one of the big reasons I'm a passenger rail supporter in the first place. 

So, *rtabern*, you were the guy in the front row with the Amtrak dome car photo. :huh: Had I known that was you, I would have introduced myself. :hi: I saw that you had signed the petition just before me, but you were gone by the time I got to the petition. Despite your avatar photo on this board, I didn't know what you look like; I've a lousy memory for faces.


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## WICT106 (Nov 21, 2010)

This posts, at Political Environment, lists a strategy that Mr. Walker may employ in order to escape the controversy that his actions have created. It would work something like this:



> "A) proposing to retain some of the $810 million high-speed rail funding for track improvements to the Empire Builder line for freight customers,
> B) accepting funding to improve the highly-successful seven-times-daily Hiawatha line (it serves the business community and others traveling regularly to Chicago from SE Wisconsin, and the Milwaukee Intermodal station was to get some upgrading, too), and
> 
> C) creating some rail construction and maintenance jobs, and also supporting assembly jobs at Talgo for the two train sets ordered for the beefed-up Hiawatha runs.
> ...


The end result would be that Madison, and the surrounding Dane County, would remain without passenger rail service, while government funds would be spent. We must not allow this to happen.


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## Monon81 (Nov 22, 2010)

A Madison blogger reported on the rally at Watertown.

Blue Cheddar blog

Good turnout at Madison--perhaps 200-250. One speaker said he was a Walker supporter, which got him a few good-natured boos, but had a good story to tell as a contractor now on hold.

One speaker brought up an interesting point I hadn't considered before. WSOR has been receiving state grants over the last several years to bring its tracks, mostly state-owned, to more modern standards. Over the last decade, most lines in the system have either had a renewal program or are in line for one soon. One exception is the Watertown line. I would guess WSOR and WisDOT have been anticipating federal passenger grants would take care of that line. If the passenger project is canceled, WisDOT will need to fund rehabilitation of the Watertown line on its own--another $20M sooner or later.

Sierra Club did a good job of getting the rallies going in several locations. Pics and media reportage posted at the "Nov 20th - Save The Train Action" Facebook page.

Agree with the Political Environment blog writer that possible alternative scenarios for using the ARRA grant may be floated, but they aren't likely to succeed. I can't imagine that other states in line for passenger rail grants would let Walker use the grant for anything other than what it's intended for.

The $810M question: What possible outcomes would allow Walker to save face? Changing course would be welcomed by rail supporters in Madison and Milwaukee. But those cities went for his opponent in the election and will have plenty of other reasons not to like him. Fiscally sensible politicians and business leaders of either political leaning would look on Walker's change positively, regardless of their attitude toward rail. How much Walker needs them I don't know. Milwaukee conservative talk-show hosts, to whom Walker owes his political existence, would be all over him for flip-flopping. My guess is it will take time for Walker to go through the motions to the extent he could say "I tried."


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## rtabern (Nov 22, 2010)

Photos from the rally in Milwaukee:

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/14654


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## rtabern (Nov 22, 2010)

John Bredin said:


> So, *rtabern*, you were the guy in the front row with the Amtrak dome car photo. :huh: Had I known that was you, I would have introduced myself. :hi: I saw that you had signed the petition just before me, but you were gone by the time I got to the petition. Despite your avatar photo on this board, I didn't know what you look like; I've a lousy memory for faces.


Yes, yes, that was I. h34r: :blush: I was going to make a nice banner like the other folks, but someone called in sick at work and I was forced to hold over until 3:30AM... quabashing those plans. I barely got up in time to get to the rally... so my "banner" ended up being a couple of 8x10 pictures I got from my recent trip on the Great Dome on the Cardinal - to show what trains can look like! :unsure:

Yeah, I wish we could have larger sized Avatars on this board (about my only complaint about the forum!) so we could put our pictures up and see what each other look like if we wanted to!

Maybe I'll run into you again... :hi:

RT


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## MrFSS (Nov 22, 2010)

rtabern said:


> Yeah, I wish we could have larger sized Avatars on this board (about my only complaint about the forum!) so we could put our pictures up and see what each other look like if we wanted to!


Robert - you can put a larger picture of yourself (or whatever you want) in your profile. Try it!

It won't show with your posts, but if someone clicks on your user name and goes to your profile, they will see that picture in the upper left area of that screen.


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## rtabern (Nov 22, 2010)

MrFSS said:


> rtabern said:
> 
> 
> > Yeah, I wish we could have larger sized Avatars on this board (about my only complaint about the forum!) so we could put our pictures up and see what each other look like if we wanted to!
> ...


Thanks Tom... the picture in my profile is bigger than my Avatar. I was just saying I wish a picture the side of the picture profile could be included as your Avatar -- or with every post. That might take up too much memory or something though... as I am sure you thought about that.


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