11-24-2015, 09:49 AM
Non-example: DOT letting federal money sometimes rot off the branch.
I assume this is to avoid having to eventually spend any of that money on neighbor island infrastructure. Oahu can always raise taxes on its residents, or revise the GET/TAT "sharing" formula, or just shuffle money around as necessary -- current forecasts are that the rail project is $1.5B over budget, more than enough to play "hide the funding".
EBT, on the other hand, looks like a goodwill gesture towards The People (especially Those Less Fortunate) and helps them (pretend they can) still afford to live here.
I assume this is to avoid having to eventually spend any of that money on neighbor island infrastructure. Oahu can always raise taxes on its residents, or revise the GET/TAT "sharing" formula, or just shuffle money around as necessary -- current forecasts are that the rail project is $1.5B over budget, more than enough to play "hide the funding".
EBT, on the other hand, looks like a goodwill gesture towards The People (especially Those Less Fortunate) and helps them (pretend they can) still afford to live here.