What High Speed Rail Means for the Young Voter This Election Season

Amanda Schibline |

What would passenger rail service mean to the Chippewa Valley? It would be a great way to get from city to city without the burden of car travel and the associated costs of car ownership. You can be productive while riding, and you don’t have the added anxiety of the rising cost of fuel.

The candidates for the upcoming November election have expressed their opinions on this issue and these opinions are miles apart. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett supports the plan for high-speed rail in Wisconsin because it will create jobs, spur innovation and it’s a great alternative to highway commuting. Republican candidate Scott Walker is staunchly opposed to high-speed rail. If elected, Walker says, “We’ll stop this train.”

Walker’s view on high-speed rail is political pandering. As a member of the generation that will have to fix these problems that politicians like Walker have given up on, I view the rail issue as an important component in long-term sustainability. As a young voter, I see high-speed rail in Wisconsin as an innovative, worthwhile, and fiscally responsible endeavor in a world with an unstable energy future. Indeed, it will have upfront costs, every large transportation project does. However, to dismiss a much-needed upgrade like passenger rail to capitalize on short-term political fear mongering is irresponsible. Scott Walker is on the wrong side of tracks.

Wisconsin cannot afford to miss out on this opportunity to make our future brighter. Tom Barrett understands this, and that is why he’s got this young voter’s vote on November 2nd.