MADISON, Wis. (WTAQ) - Former Governor Tommy Thompson says the $810 million that Washington gave Wisconsin for a high-speed train should be used for roads instead.
Democrats from President Obama on down have said the Badger State can only use the stimulus money to build a new passenger train from Milwaukee to Madison. But Thompson says that might change if enough voters give Republicans the majority in Congress in November.
Both major Republican candidates for governor – Scott Walker and Mark Neumann – have said they’ll reject the federal money if they’re elected. But Thompson wouldn’t go that far, saying Wisconsin rarely gets its share of federal dollars as it is.
When he was governor, Thompson set money aside for a high-speed train to eventually connect Milwaukee with Minnesota’s Twin Cities. But Thompson says you’ve got to build what you have, and that’s the highway system. He said highways are the backbone of the economy – and they’ve been, “absolutely decimated.”
The former governor says high-speed trains have a place, but at this time, “We can’t afford it.” Thompson made his comments in Madison, while campaigning for his former aide Brett Davis in Tuesday’s GOP primary for lieutenant governor.
