[RobDSM]

I find this interesting. My parents and others I know who live in NW Austin were a part of that light rail election.

It is my understanding from them, and that's all I can go by, that their neighborhood had been recently annexed by the City of Austin, and the majority of the taxpayers there were not happy about it at all. I have no poll to prove it, but I grew up there, and I can believe it. They have described it to me on many occasions as being forced into the city and forced to pay city taxes, but without any real increase in services. I haven't talked with them about it in a while, so those feelings may or may not have changed.

Consequently, shortly after this annexation came the 2000 light rail election. I remember seeing yard signs in that neighborhood that were anti-rail. People in general were really hot about having been annexed, and there was some real commitment to shoot down council members, light rail, and any new taxes being forced on them. I don't remember the exact numbers, but I do remember seeing the results of the light rail election in the paper, and my parents' newly annexed neighborhood had very solidly rejected it--by enough margin in fact, that it would appear that light rail would have succeeded had they not been allowed to vote.

I thought it was funny at the time. I'm not laughing about this craptacular commuter rail now, though, and I'm sure they aren't either. As lousy a value to them as light rail might have been, they would probably see it as a better value than this commuter rail, in spite of the much higher price tag of light rail.