As with eight of the first nine questions, #10 is aimed at Messrs. Slater and Cayetano, members of the so-called Gang of Four rail opponents who launched a public relations campaign in August to drum up financial support for their lawsuit that intends to kill rail.
ThE campaign kicked off on August 21st with a commentary in the Star-Advertiser that might as well have accused city officials of lying to the public. It’s all shibai, of course, and as we noted the same day, there was absolutely nothing new in the piece.
There was nothing at all about what the Gang's three attorneys and one businessman want instead of elevated rail – no answer to the question, “If not rail, what?!” So much for the Set-Up; here’s our final suggested question for INSIGHTS host Boylan:
Question #10
“Governor Cayetano and Mr. Slater, you are plaintiffs on a lawsuit that was filed to kill the Honolulu rail project. As it stands right now, this project has progressed further toward actual launch than all the previous attempts to build grade-separated transit in Honolulu. We know what you’re against. What are you for? What are you proposing to provide relief to leeward residents from the gridlock they face twice a day driving into Honolulu and back home again? If not rail, what?”
And when Mr. Slater says he wants to build a High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) road, Mr. Astolfi might pounce on HOT lanes for the non-equity issue, and Mr. Boylan could pounce with a shorter version of Question #3:“Isn’t it true that traffic would be worse in the future than it is today even if HOT Lanes were built? And since that IS true, Cliff, you don’t have an option to rail that would reduce congestion, treat all citizens equally and restore true mobility to our community, do you?”
It could be a lively program, and rail supporters might well make a point of calling in, emailing or using social media to suggest questions to the show. Feel free to use any of the ones we’ve suggested over the past 10 days. Here are links to Questions 1 through 9 in our TEN QUESTIONS project:• 10 Questions: Rail Critics' TV Gig Could Be Their 'Waterloo' if Host, Public Ask the Right Questions
• Houston Truck-Train Wreck Prompts Question #2: 'Governor, Why Do You Favor Crash-Prone Rail?'
• Question #3 Is about Traffic Levels: 'Mr. Slater, HOT Lanes Don't Reduce Congestion, Do They?'
• If Not Rail, Ex-Governor Owes Us an Explanation; Question #4 Wants To Know Why He Prefers BRT
• Question #5: 'Mr. Slater, You Know the Truth, so Why Did You Ply Your Team with Falsehoods?'
• Inquiring Minds Want Answer to Question #6: "Where's the Evidence Rail Rail Is 'On the Ropes?'"
• Questions Are For Discovering, so Question #7 on Holiday Delves into Decades-Long Rail Dissing
• Pro-Rail INSIGHTS Guest Deserves Question #8: 'Why Do You Support Building Elevated Transit?'
• Would Rotary Venue Bring Out Rail Critic's Best? Not a Chance -- which Leads Us to Question #9
This post has been added to our “aggregation site” under the heading Mr. Cliff Slater (and Friends).
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