On the DM&E, government subsidies, sell-out politicians, and "KA-CHING"

"If the DM&E gets the funding, it has the potential to make boxcars of cash." — from "What It Takes to Build a (21st Century) Railroad"

Every once in a while we receive a comment that is worthy for frontpage consideration. Below is one such comment by Karen Hardy Cárdenas of Brookings, South Dakota, on the DM&E issue:

"Loading the Pork Train" is a great article that brings to light aspects of the DM&E situation of which many people are unaware. People are also unaware of the fact that anger and dissatisfaction with the DM&E, with local city councils and with South Dakota's representatives in Washington is growing.

Two weeks ago a group known as "Citizens for a Safer Brookings" successfully collected enough signatures to refer the Community Partnership Agreement between the Brookings City Council and the DM&E to a vote of the people. Larry Melvin in Pierre is heading a similar effort. And of course we know how active the Rochester Coalition has been in keeping the coal train away from the world renowned Mayo Clinic.

In your article you quote [DM&E CEO] Kevin Schieffer as saying that "The project has overwhelming support throughout our entire region." That is not true. Most people in Brookings didn't even know that their City Council was considering an agreement with the DM&E until they saw it in the paper after the agreement had been approved. I think that, when the referral comes to a vote in November, we will see exactly how much the people in Brookings support Schieffer's project.

Recently, our paper carried an article listing all the agricultural groups that supported the DM&E. I'm sure that they think that expansion of the DM&E will help them get their products to market. Maybe they didn't read the Fortune article that quotes Schieffer, flying over the Powder River Basic coal fields, as saying, "I count eight trains with God knows how many hoppers in each one. I can't help thinking, Ka-ching." Does anyone really think that Kevin Schieffer, who has acted with such arrogance and insensitivity in his dealing with track-side communities in the nine years that this battle has been going on, will care more about South Dakota agriculture and industry than he cares about Ka-ching?

I have supported Stephanie Herseth and Tim Johnson in their bids for election to the House and the Senate respectively. In fact, I knew Tim Johnson before he ever ran for state office. I do not know where they are coming from in the support they have given this project. Maybe they don't think, as I do, that having a coal train run through South Dakota is as bad as putting an open sewer through the state. Maybe they don't realize how strongly the people who live in the track-side communities feel about this issue. Or, maybe they think that, once the DM&E loan is approved, they can somehow make up for the damage that will be done.

I don't think so. I am disgusted with the Democrats in our Washington delegation and, until they realize what a rotten deal the DM&E expansion is and how unethical Senator Thune has been in finagling this obscene loan for the DM&E, they'll never get my vote again.

Thanks for helping expose this small piece of Washington corruption.