Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch? There could be, if instead of paying $5.4 million per year over the next 10 years for transit, the City of Lawrence were to invest the $54 million in a free lunch for every citizen on the first Saturday of every month for the next decade.

The amount of money being asked for by the Pro-Waste crowd is astronomical; a total of more than $54,000,000 in the next decade. The number is so large that it becomes incomprehensible for many. That’s Fifty-Four Million Tax Dollars to provide transportation to less than 1% of the total population of Lawrence. If citizens of Lawrence would rather spend the money on social services than keep the tax dollars to themselves, it is only fair they know what the other options are for their investment:

Fifty-Four Million Tax Doallars ($3.2 million in local sales tax, $1.5 million in federal dollars for the first year, working up to $1.9 million in the final year, and $400,000 in state dollars) is enough to purchase a pair of designer shoes, designer jacket, text books and yellow bus transportation for every USD 497 student for the next 10 years.

Fifty-Four Million Tax Dollars would build two and a half new libraries using the design and costs presented to the city commission last year by the friends of the library.

Fifty-Four Million Tax Dollars would pay the monthly rent on an apartment for 1000 homeless mothers and children in Lawrence.

Fifty-Four Million Tax Dollars could fund the building of two brand-new high schools identical to Free State High.

Fifty-Four Million Tax Dollars would pay for the gas of every Lawrence driver for a year.

Fifty-Four Million Tax Dollars is enough to send every USD 497 student to an esteem building leadership camp every summer for ten years.

Fifty-Four Million Tax Dollars would pay the salaries of every US senator for the next two years.

Fifty-Four Million Tax Dollars would pay for the first semester of college at KU and still leave nearly $2,000 left for living expenses for every student currently enrolled at USD 497.

Fifty-Four Million Tax Dollars could bring new sidewalks to nearly every street in Lawrence.

Fifty-Four Million Tax Dollars would cover the costs of Health Care Access for the next 18 years, providing medical care and prescriptions to the uninsured.

Fifty-Four Million Tax Dollars would build the largest arts center in Kansas.

Fifty-Four Million Tax Dollars is enough to build and maintain two recreational complexes comparable to Hummer Park in Topeka.

Fifty-Four Million Tax Dollars would provide another recreational lake similar to Clinton Lake.

Fifty-Four Million Tax Dollars to fund a service currently used by less than 1% of the population is preposterous. If every person in Lawrence belonged to a special interest group that served only 1% of Lawrencians, the demand for equal funding would be $540,000,000. Why is Lawrence so gung-ho on providing such a small segment of the population such an expensive service? Currently, the “T”ransit in Lawrence is the most expensive public service per user. Former “T”ransit director, Cliff Galante, told the City Commission that the “T” has between 600-700 “regular” riders. The transit department’s surveys have shown that only about 31% of their riders have “no other means of transportation.” The math works out to Fifty-Four Million Tax Payer Dollars to provide daily transportation to 217 people. The cost to the taxpayer is $248,847.93 for every “T” bus rider with “no other means of transportation.” That is enough money to buy each rider a new SUV and a driver for the next decade. The numbers do not justify the expense.

Statistics do not lie; people who use statistic do. The “Save the T” group will undoubtedly perform the ritualistic song and dance about year-to-year numbers increasing for July and August of 2008. They will also parade out the award the transit department picked up for a 45% increase in ridership. What they will forget to mention is that overall ridership for 2008 is still down 6.5% from 2007 and down double digits from 2006. They will neglect the part about the award being a direct result of adding a park and ride system at KU. “Save the T” will not point out that the city doled out the money for hundreds of free rides as a part of a downtown pregame celebration. Using all the numbers would not only hurt their case but it would be far too confusing for their supporters.

Math has never been friendly to the right-brained Latte Liberal in Lawrence. In school, they excelled at English and art, but could not comprehend anything based on logic. Unfortunately, experts in mosaics and noodle dancing do not have the first clue how to establish a budget based on reluctant taxpayer dollars. The Pro-Waste crowd maintains that providing a public transit service (in addition to the other bus service already operating and providing rides to all Lawrencians) is necessary to showing off the community as being “progressive.” What it shows is that the community lacks an ability to manage its money. If left to the devices of the Latte Liberals sucking their organic soy lattes at the Bourgeois Pig, every citizen in Lawrence will be broke. Breaking the bank did not work for Wall Street and will not work on Mass. Street.