Anonymous commenter not Todd Moore, it's GPJoe

No. 12 -- VIRGINIA AND TRUCKEE RAILWAY -- Nevada Railroad Reconstruction Chronicles

The person who made a misleading comment posted with their real name this time, it's GPJoe. I have decided to make this it's own post to show how the opposition will criticize Fox News for mixing things up but is willing to mix up the facts for their own purposes. The entire comment is at the end of this post, let's dissect it:

GPJoe said, "I do not argue the railroad will go BY the brothels. But the implication you made was the brothels were a DESTINATION. Why smear the image of a great project like this?"

What I said on Limbaugh's show is: "JIM: This is the funny part, this is the one, the first 3 million dollars that they fund is going to run the tracks past the brothels in Mound House, Nevada. This is the Red Light Express that they talked about on Fox News, they got it a little mixed up..."

So I didn't say what GPJoe claims and I can't control what Limbaugh says. In the previous comment GPJoe claims that indeed 500,000 of the high-speed rail funding is going to the V&T: "'Jim from Reno' said $23 million was going to the project. Incorrect. Senator Reid was nice enough to send $500,000 to Northern Nevada in his Vegas to Anaheim railroad package. If it was $23 million it would finish the project and then some."

Well, thanks for posting that info! I didn't know that the V&T Recon, which will run at a top speed of 15, was qualified for high-speed rail funds! This is just another example of the why the stimulus bill is called the "porkulus" bill. GPJoe's comments actually vindicate Fox News, because it reveals a claim that indeed the LA to Vegas rail funding was diverted to a low speed tourist railroad.

Also GPJoe shows his/her ignorance of the project that he/she is unaware of the $3 million of ARRA funds coming to the project for the next phase that runs by the brothels, plus the fact that Bob Hadfield and Bob Crowell are speaking about another $20 million in stimulus funding as a virtual certainty. Bob Hadfield said the next $23 million could finish the project.

GPJoe claimed, " I did some research into Senator Reid's proposal and talked with people who are part of the project." They are not giving you very good information, why don't you watch some of the meetings online and obtain a recording of the mid-May budget meeting. Then maybe you'll have all the facts before you make false accusations. You say you're in the media, which reminds me of a saying well known to attorneys: "If the media gets it right 40% of the time they're doing pretty well!"

GPJoe says, "Also your comment above proves information is posted before the facts are obtained."

This shows again how people like this want to criticize Fox News but are willing to mis-represent things when making their arguments. I made it clear that I was speculating that Todd Moore was the author. Todd similarly has used the argument that I have a personal grudge and that someone hurt my feelings. This ignores that this project is over-budget, breaks laws relating to good and open government, and is worthy of criticism. Rather than dealing head-on with my criticisms, GPJoe is like Todd Moore in that they rely on personal attacks and not facts.

Now in the comment GPJoe says the project is worth funding and says he/she will make a donation to the project. GREAT! I think the project is worth funding, too! This again is where a media-saavy person like GPJoe uses misdirection and not facts to support his or her case.

What I am against is relying on the federal taxpayer to fund a project that is so poorly managed. The Commission has delegated "fundraising" to a private group with no track record of effective fund-raising. While this private group, the Northern Nevada Railway Foundation, has been an effective lobbyist, neither they nor the Commission has ever been able to secure significant private funding.

The NNRF's great claim to fame is getting the Nevada Commission on Tourism to shift $1 million of taxpayer money to this ill-fated railroad project. That's lobbying, not fundraising. The Commission, according to Commissioners, has NEVER used a great tool like the Foundation Center to seek out private funding. Yet for years they called it a private-public partnership. If you ask them now, they say that federal funding limits them from allowing private investors in.

First, no private investor would step up to run such an over-sold and poorly managed project. Take, for example, the fact that nearly all other public works projects would acquire all the land they need before laying one track or spike. Instead, the V&T Commission still faces the task of acquiring land in the Carson River Canyon. If they had been like other public project and had used their first funding to acquire land, the overall costs would have been greatly reduced.

There are so many other real problems with this project that GPJoe must be either totally ignorant of the details or willingly be deceiving the readers. Which is it? Finally, I have to give GPJoe credit, I hope he/she has many millions of dollars to donate.

Here's the entire comment,

I do not argue the railroad will go BY the brothels. But the implication you made was the brothels were a DESTINATION. Why smear the image of a great project like this?

Also your comment above proves information is posted before the facts are obtained. My name is neither Todd nor Moore and I certainly don't live in LA or anywhere in California. I really didn't care to be the subject of your attacks like you have Todd Moore, Ron Allen and others so I did post anonymous at first. I was hoping to have a factual discussion of the issues. Being in the media I try to have an open mind and research both sides of an issue. After doing so I am still convinced this is a project worthy of funding. But it is not possible to have this kind of discussion if one side refuses to look at other facts.

Too bad you didn't put this much effort into supporting something instead of tearing a good thing down.

But, again, I do thank you for reminding me of the project so I can financially support it and encourage others in the industries I work in (media and Internet) to do the same. Promoting it on our web sites that have an Alexa ranking of around 39,000 (instead of 20,000,000) should be a benefit to the project.

My final comment, I'm glad that GPJoe has a high site ranking and FIFTEEN YEARS LATER is now finally going to seek private funding for the V&T. I feel like in a small way I have accomplished something, even if it's TOO LITTLE TOO LATE!