The Met Council is government that thinks it knows better how to live your life than you do

Many thanks to Jeff Johnson who spoke to the group today. His message: resistance to the Metropolitan Council is NOT Futile!

In 15 years planning the Southwest LRT, $250 Million has been spent so far with nothing to show for it but studies and more PLANs to spend $2B total on the project (if ever built). When people find out that the Federal government is NOT paying for all of it and that it will not clear up traffic congestion on the roads they start to understand that the cost far outweighs the benefit. Taxpayers would pay for the operation and upkeep endlessly and, at best, only 2-3% of traffic would be removed from the roads. So why do it? They want to tell us how to live (get out of our cars and live in cities). However, there is hope that the SWLRT will not ever happen because of Trump who de-funded both Bottineau LRT and SWLRT in his budget, along with Congressman Jason Lewis who hammered the issue to make sure it was zeroed out.

Since the Met Council was created in the 60’s there has been mission creep to where they now define their mission as: increasing trains and density, telling poor people where to live and spreading the wealth around. MN Met Council is the biggest in the US with a $1B operating budget and $8B capital budget, plus 4,500 employees. Johnson would like to see the council eliminated then start over – even Democrats are fed up with it.

Finally, Johnson gave an example of the “nanny state” gone wrong explaining how millions were wasted on Mpls Washington Ave ‘improvements’, supposedly to reduce terrible traffic congestion, only to have the congestion made worse, when instead of adding lanes, they eliminated a lane each way and put bike and pedestrian lanes there instead. Go figure!

We elected new officers today! Thanks to everyone for stepping up.

We will not meet in July and August – see you Sept 9 or at the Washington Co Fair Republican Booth – Aug 2-6