**Mass Transit 1ac 1ac – economy advantage

Politics Links – Bipart

Transportation bill proves mass transit is bipartisan

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) plans to open the amendment process again on Monday, according to his office, and hopes to reach an agreement with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as early as Tuesday on which amendments to allow. Republican leaders in the House, meanwhile, split up and then delayed the transportation measure last week after it became clear they could not wrangle enough GOP votes to pass it. Conservatives complained about the high cost, while Republicans from urban and suburban districts opposed cuts to Amtrak and changes to the long-term funding of mass transit. As of late last week, Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), the chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, told reporters he still expected the bill to pass the House without wholesale changes. But party leaders finally came to the conclusion that even with an open amendment process on the floor, that was not going to happen. “The ship was sinking, and they kept trying to save it,” a senior GOP aide said. While the overall reduction in spending could attract some conservative votes, the aide said Friday the changes were designed to win support from about 15 to 25 Republicans concerned about cuts to mass transit, along with at least some Democrats. The proposal to de-link mass transit money from the highway trust fund will be removed, and Republicans are likely to drop a measure that would offset the cost of the bill with changes to the federal employee pension program, the senior GOP aide said.

Post the transportation bill mass transit is bipartisan

Nadler 12 - U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler represents New York’s 8th Congressional District (http://www.bensonhurstbean.com/2012/02/nadler-hails-republican-reversal-on-mass-transit-funding/)

Bensonhurst Bean recently ran several posts on an attempt by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives to cut funding for mass transit from a federal transportation bill. A bi-partisan group in Congress wrote an amendment to restore transit funding to the bill, which Rep. Nadler introduced. Nadler put out a press release yesterday applauding reports that House Republicans are revising the measure, known as H.R. 7, to once again include dedicated funding for mass transit: “I am encouraged by reports that House Republicans are backing off their plans to dismantle transit funding,” Nadler told reporters. “If these reports are true, I am pleased that our efforts to stop devastating transit cuts were successful. However, there are many Republicans in Congress who are clearly against transit and they may try this again. We must remain vigilant and keep the pressure on to protect transit funding. Even with the proposed fix to transit, I remain concerned about many other aspects of this bill. I now call on the Republicans to reach across the aisle, as we have always done in the Transportation Committee, and develop a bipartisan bill that we can all support to meet our nation’s infrastructure needs and create jobs.”

Public transit is not a partisan issue

Wronski 12 (Richard, “Mass transit fund debate splits GOP Congress members”, 2-15-12, http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-02-15/news/ct-met-congress-transit-funding-20120214_1_mass-transit-transportation-bill-highway-trust-fund)

With the Chicago area highly dependent on federal money for public transportation, transit agencies are calling on local Congress members to keep the status quo. In addition to the Democrats, two of the seven GOP representatives — Judy Biggert and Robert Dold — say they will not support the measure. Rep. Peter Roskam favors the bill, while Joe Walsh, Adam Kinzinger, Randy Hultgren and Don Manzullo have yet to say how they will vote. "When we look at transportation infrastructure, this is not a Republican or a Democratic issue. It's an American issue," Dold said Monday, speaking at the same news conference as Lipinski.

Politics Links – Jobs

Jobs policies are bipartisan

The New York Times 12 (Jonathan Weisman, “Republicans to Push Bill in an Effort to Add Jobs”, 3-6-12, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/07/us/politics/republicans-to-push-bill-in-an-effort-to-add-jobs.html?pagewanted=all)

WASHINGTON — House Republicans will try this week to get back on the political message they want, job creation, and they are getting some help from President Obama and the Senate Democratic leadership, who share the need to appear cooperative on legislation to boost hiring.

Politics Links – Manufacturing

Manufacturing policies are bipartisan

Gallup 11 (Frank Newport, “Republicans, Democrats Disagree on Gov't Role in Creating Jobs”, 10-21-11, http://www.gallup.com/poll/150236/republicans-democrats-disagree-gov-role-creating-jobs.aspx)

The top recommendation among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents is keeping manufacturing jobs in the U.S., followed by less government involvement and lower taxes. Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents' top recommendation is spending more on infrastructure jobs, and then keeping manufacturing jobs in the U.S.

Politics Links – GOP Likes

GOP leadership supports mass transit

The Washington Post, 12 (Ashley Halsey III, “House GOP seeks mass transit deal to revive transportation bill”, http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/house-gop-seeks-mass-transit-deal-to-revive-transportation-bill/2012/02/28/gIQAFK58fR_story.html)

The House GOP leadership will try to broker a tricky deal to appease friends and foes of mass transit as they seek to revive a stalled long-term transportation bill. “We’re trying to cobble together the different factions to get enough votes to pass it,” House Transportation Committee Chairman John L. Mica (R-Fla.) said Tuesday, describing his Monday meeting with House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio). “We do not have a plan yet. We have five [or] six options we’re considering.”

The Tea Party can shut up – Reagan loved mass transit

New York Daily News 12 (“Derail this Bill”, 2-7-12, http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-02-07/news/31035827_1_mass-transit-mass-transportation-gasoline-tax)

That’s how things were before 1983, when Republican hero President Ronald Reagan signed into law a measure that guaranteed mass transit nationally a slice of gasoline tax collections. Doing so, Reagan enabled the MTA to end the days of undependable rolling stock, deteriorating stations and dicey rails and tunnels.

Politics Links – Lobby

Transit lobby and business lobby can generate massive GOP support for mass transit

Wolfe 12 – Politico Pro’s senior transportation & infrastructure reporter, formerly Editor of CQ's Executive Briefing for transportation (Kathryn A., “Transit funding: GOP plan appears squashed”, The Politico, 4-17-12, http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0412/75221.html) // AWV

Almost everything about the House’s transportation bill seems up in the air except this: The changes to transit funding that Republicans originally proposed have been squashed. It’s a measure of how effective the transit lobby was at marshaling opposition to the original bill and how ingrained in communities transit has become regardless of politics or location. But it also suggests a fundamental political miscalculation with the Highway Trust Fund that’s ended up costing House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and his leadership team a significant amount of time and credibility, which they can ill afford, particularly considering that the Senate, though usually coy, has already passed its own bill. In recent history, about 20 percent of gas tax revenues that went to the Highway Trust Fund, which mostly pay for highway infrastructure, have been funneled into federal transit projects. Currently, out of the 18.4 cents per gallon tax on gas, 2.86 cents goes into the transit account. When the House GOP finally revealed its transportation bill earlier this year, it contained a change that would have kicked transit out of its dedicated share of the Highway Trust Fund. Essentially, Republicans wanted to stop shoveling gas tax money to transit and instead fund transit over the five-year life of the transportation bill by making a one-time $40 billion transfer from the general fund. That, in turn, was to be paid for with one-time revenues from changes to federal employee pensions. But that move set off alarm klaxons all along the Beltway. “I knew from the get-go” what the GOP was trying to do, said a lobbyist for a major city’s transit agency. “As soon as I saw they were going to do that, I started emailing.” Other cities’ transit agencies mobilized, too, with a single goal: to make removing mass transit from the Highway Trust Fund “the ultimate poison pill of transportation politics,” the lobbyist said. Energized, the transit lobby began working suburban Republicans in and around big cities that depend on mass transit — including New York, Chicago and Philadelphia — and Boehner had a problem not only with Democrats but with a significant segment of his own party. “The transit part lost 20, 30 [GOP] members,” said one House GOP aide. The defection included New York Republican Reps. Peter King, Chris Gibson, Bob Turner, Michael Grimm and Nan Hayworth; Ohio Republican Rep. Steve LaTourette; and Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, among others. The business lobby — traditionally a core Republican constituency — also was unhappy with the move. The Partnership for New York City spearheaded a letter campaign that attracted support from blue-chip companies — such as Macy’s, American Express, Hearst Corp., Aetna, Viacom, Bloomberg, Ernst & Young, Citigroup and others. In a letter to the House GOP leadership, the companies said the transit change would result in “irreparable damage to the transportation infrastructure of New York and America’s other great cities.” They asked lawmakers to send the bill back to the committee for a rewrite. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also signed on to a letter opposing the funding changes to transit — although they eventually reversed course and signed another letter saying they supported the bill in its entirety. Jim Oberstar, former chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said Republicans “got the message from home that we like transit, and especially those in New York and generally the New England region who said if we vote to terminate transit, we’re not coming back here.”

Politics Links - Unpopular

The plan would be massively unpopular

Worthen, 11 – Resource Architect for Sustainability at the American Institute of Architects, (Bill, “Putting the Masses Behind Mass Transit”, Reuters, 3-30-11, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/30/idUS188765760220110330)//AWV

It's no secret that Americans are in love with the automobile. Yet, this heavy reliance on autos is taking a toll on the country's flawed transportation system. Fluctuating gas prices, rising everyday living costs, environmental concerns and an aging infrastructure further tax our transportation system and suggest that it's time to reconsider this long-standing love affair with cars. We're reaching the limits of our capacity and density regarding transportation. Anyone who commutes to work via automobile is likely well-versed in the frustrations caused by traffic, highway degradation and other problems. Yet across the nation we see a real resistance to mass transit. From New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's decision last fall not to build a second commuter rail line into Manhattan, to the current debate whether to connect Tampa and Orlando, Fla., via high speed rail, mass transit projects often struggle to gain a foothold in the U.S. Negative associations with massive infrastructural changes, such as Alaska's much-maligned "Bridge to Nowhere" or the extra $12 billion cost to construct the "Big Dig" in Boston, have impacted government funding and public support for mass transit projects. Yet, imagine an America with 50 percent fewer vehicles on the road, where most people commute for work and pleasure by train, where parking garages sit empty because of the popularity of buses as a main source of transportation. As it stands today, this kind of future is hard to imagine.

Mass transit unpopular; less than 3% of people ride it

10 News, 12 (“Report: Public Transit Unpopular Among Locals”, 1/24/12, 10 News, http://www.10news.com/news/30291681/detail.html)//JA

A new report obtained by 10News on Tuesday reveals astounding new numbers on how San Diegans get to work. There is new information about the popularity of public transit in the annual Quality of Life dashboard report issued by the research group Equinox Center. The report was released days after a state lawsuit critiquing the region's public transit. Local resident David Pettyjohn said he takes buses to work and school from Encinitas to Oceanside every day. "It's cheap transportation and saves me a lot of money on gas," said Pettyjohn. "That's why I do it." Pettyjohn is the exception. Whether by train, bus or trolley, commuters are not using public transit, according to figures crunched by the research group Equinox Center. The report said 76 percent of local residents drive to work alone in a vehicle and 10 percent carpool. Though some bike and some walk to work, a little more than 3 percent of local residents take public transportation. When compared to other cities, San Diego's public transit rates are higher than a city like Dallas. However, San Diego's rate is lower than cities such as Portland, Ore. and Los Angeles, which is at 6.15 percent. "We think of Los Angeles as being the ultimate car city, but more people are taking transit there," said Ann Tartre, the executive director of the Equinox Center. "I think it shows if a city like LA can tackle its transit issues, we can do that here too. There's definitely an impact. Other numbers show each of us is spending about 40 hours extra stuck in traffic per year. More traffic, of course, impacts pollution rates." The finding is one of many in the Equinox Center's just-released Quality of Life dashboard report, which provides a snapshot of issues ranging from trash and water to land use. "With this being an election year, we're hoping the dashboard will be a tool for residents and candidates on some issues they care about to see how we are doing on those issues," said Tartre.

Transportation Bill Proves Mass Transit Isn’t Popular with the Public or Government

Billups, 12 - Originally from Hollis, Queens, Billups moved to Albany to attend the State University at Albany where she received her Bachelor of Arts. Erin Billups joined Time Warner Cable's Washington D.C. Bureau at its launch in July 2011. Prior to covering Washington, Billups covered Albany politics for NY1 News. Before working for NY1, Billups was the political reporter for Time Warner Cable's upstate newschannels and its political show, Capital Tonight (Erin, “Washington Beat: MTA Leader Concerned As House Republicans Stall $260B Transportation Bill” 2/22/12, NY1, http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beats/political_news/156475/washington-beat--mta-leader-concerned-as-house-republicans-stall--260b-transportation-bill)//JA

Unable to garner the needed votes, the House’s Republican leadership delayed consideration of a $260 billion transportation bill last week, promising to address some of the nearly 300 amendments submitted by members on both sides of the aisle, including several from New York's congressional delegation. "I think that the drafters go back to the drawing board and they recognize that we have some issues that we can't just overlook," said Staten Island-Brooklyn Representative Michael Grimm. Highways, roads, bridges and mass transit have been partially funded for 30 years through the U.S. Highway Trust Fund, which has been financed through the gas tax. The House bill removes mass transit from that fund, and a spokesman says it refocuses the original purpose of the trust fund — maintaining the highways. During a call with transit officials from across the country, Metropolitan Transportation Authortiy Chairman Joseph Lhota said without dedicated funding his agency is in serious trouble. "That billion dollars in funding is used to buy rail stock and switching and signaling equipment, critical to maintaining our system in a state of good repair," said Lhota. House Republicans right now are trying to find $40 billion to fund mass transit for the next five years, but so far are falling short. "It doesn't look like in this era, public transit will get as much money from the general fund as it's gotten from the Highway Trust Fund," said Urban Institute Infrastructure Initiative Director Sandra Rosenbloom. A spokesman for the House’s transportation committee says at this point they still plan to move forward with the bill, though they are considering some revisions. Meanwhile, Democrats are doubtful Republicans are taking their concerns into account. "We are not, in New York, going to be satisfied and think that our needs are taken care of. The Republicans who have the majority, they have shown no desire to work in a bipartisan basis," said Democratic Congressman Eliot Engel of the Bronx. The transportation bill may be brought up for consideration when lawmakers return to Washington next week.

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