Editor’s note: The following is a letter to the editor. The opinions expressed in this letter are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Mendocino Voice. If you would like to submit a letter to the editor feel free to write to info@mendovoice.com.
Dear Editor:
A lot of folks in the community wonder why Mendocino Railway’s privately owned excursion train qualifies for millions in taxpayer government subsidies. The answer — they work relentlessly propagating the fiction that they are a real railroad that provides needed passenger and freight service. The truth is they are nothing more than an amusement ride with overpriced tickets.
Why do they perpetuate this fiction? The answer: the fiction enables them to get millions in federal taxpayer subsidies and take advantage of legal privileges robber baron railroad owners acquired by hook and crook going back more than hundred years.
The pursuit of corporate welfare over the years has paid off. They were awarded a $21 million federally subsidized loan and an additional $14 million dollar taxpayer funded grant just in the last three years. So in a time when our federal government is running record-breaking deficits and cutting back on food, education and healthcare programs for working families, Mendocino Railway has been raking in corporate welfare at taxpayers’ expense.
Now the railway is going around trumpeting it’s entitled to all that corporate welfare and special privilege, because of a decision by the federal Surface Transportation Board. But anyone that bothers to read the Surface Transportation Board’s decision immediately sees that rather than affirming the railway actually provides passenger and freight service, it simply states that until the board decides otherwise the railroad can continue to claim it is a federally authorized railroad.
What Mendocino Railway fails to acknowledge in all its propaganda is that California’s Attorney General disagrees with the Surface Transportation Board’s ruling and has filed an appeal in the courts to overturn the decision.
One way Mendocino Railway leverages its misuse of taxpayer money is by lobbying the Mendocino Council of Governments (MCOG) to designate the Skunk Train as “public transportation” in the county. The reality is the Skunk Train hasn’t provided transportation of passengers or freight between Fort Bragg and Willits in over a decade. Nevertheless, Mendocino Railway keeps making promises, like it has for over ten years, that it’s going to reopen its collapsed train tunnel and upgrade its dilapidated tracks back to a level that would allow safe passenger and freight railroad service soooooooooon!!!!
Meanwhile, they keep collecting federal subsidies. And even worse, the railway has been trying to take other people’s property even when the owners don’t want to sell it to the railway.
Well, it’s time to end the fiction! And as a step in that direction, many county residents have asked MCOG to delete the Skunk Train tourist ride from the county’s transportation plan. Why? Because the Skunk Train is in fact, a tourist amusement ride — not real transportation for passengers or freight between Fort Bragg and Willits.
The transportation plan is what federal and state agencies rely upon to decide where to invest public transportation dollars in the form of grants and loans. Inclusion in MCOG’s transportation plan isn’t a harmless fiction. It diverts taxpayer money that could be going to fixing our roads or improving our public transit systems. Instead, the money is being diverted into the pockets of a privately owned amusement ride.
If you agree it’s time we stopped this wasteful fiction, send MCOG an email and urge them to stop including the Skunk Train in the transportation plan. MCOG will be taking public comment on the railway in regard to its transportation planning at its next meeting on Monday, Feb. 2 at 1:30 p.m. at the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors chambers, room 1070. You can also attend via Zoom: see www.mendocinocog.org/board-of-directors. Show up and speak your mind!
Peter McNamee
Fort Bragg
Absolute BullSh*t coming from a non-attorney who continues spouting his personal vendetta. How come Mcnamee never invites the Skunk train owners or reps to his GRI lovefests? (Spoiler alert: he’s proven wrong in court already).
The Skunk Train has Federal Railway designation. Period.
McNamee and GRI has shown zero interest in working with us. Instead they make never ending accusations and insults. While their website states, “Working For a Collaborative Coastal Future” I guess that only refers to collaboration with those people they like. Welcome to the GRI echo chamber.
Now that they secured a $150,000 educational grant – with taxpayer funds – they’ve essentially been using it for lobbying, as best as I can tell. Why am I guessing? It is because they haven’t even bothered to ever speak with me.
When McNamee got their funds to study & educate the topic of the “environmental condition of the Mill Site” they never bothered to even speak with us. It was not until 9 months into the project that one of our staff happened to speak with consultant while we were giving a tour. I think they had 1-2 follow-up questions. That is the total interaction with them. Heck, why bother speaking with the people who own the property, working on the clean-up, and planning the development! Apparently they’re above such things as speaking with us.
They came in with their conclusions already determined and now they want to spread their agenda with $150k of taxpayer money.
I have only been on the Skunk Train a few times but it was always an enjoyable experience. It is a shame about the tunnel as the train in my view has a lot of potential in the tourist economy that the county seems to be gravitating toward.
Personally I get tired of whiners like McNamee bloviating.
Real name please. If you’re going to attack the integrity of a real person in the community you need to not hide behind a handle like S.O.B.
Mendocino railway has been ripping off people’s property by claiming eminent domain as public transportation, when they are really an excursion ride for tourists and pleasure seekers. Taxpayers would be better served seeing their money used for health care and upkeep of our streets.
.
The real scam is the Great Redwood Trail, based on a dilapidated railroad line to Eureka. Millions and millions of state tax revenues have gone down a black hole of fantasy, and more are coming yet.
And for 2 decades, Mendocino Railway was prevented from interceding on the Willits to Cloverdale section controlled by the GRT (aka North Coast Railroad Agency). And even now when they want a trail, they still won’t let anyone else even try to save the last rail connection to Mendocino with MR’s preferred rail & trail approach that the approach being used in Sonoma and Marin.
Taxpayers dollars for a tourist trap gimmick… Absolute truth.
And that’s why we cannot afford to live here. I’ve been here decades and it’s getting more expensive by the day
Betty,
For the past 22 years we’ve run the Skunk Train without any public assistance.
As is well known, we had a major problem with our tunnel. We opted to secure a federal loan that is specifically made for such things. All the monies will be repaid with interest.
The only other way we have received your taxpayer money is that we agreed to do a state & federal pushed program to get us to switch to lower emission locomotives. We won’t make any move from this conversion, but it will improve our air quality.
How are we taking your taxpayer money? And how can you blame us for the cost of living here?
Public money should not be used for the privately run Skunk train if the trail corridor itself is not available to the public. Allowing for a public multi-use path {hikers, horses, bicyclists and emergency vehicles} along the route would be a much better use of public resources.
90% of the railroads in the United States are privately held, receive public funds, and are not open to the public. And even the 10% of the publicly held railroads, they don’t provide open access to their track and facilities. Safety is a critical issue, not to mention security and liability.
Are you against any funding of all private railroads? Consider this, while the highways are 100% maintained with taxpayer funds, they are used by private truckers for free. Meanwhile, railroads mostly maintain their routes on their own. Before you get too upset about railroads, consider asking trucks to pay for their fair share of the wear & tear on the roads.
I enjoyed my family’s ride on the railroad skunk train more than I enjoyed reading about tens of millions wasted during COVID profligates and other wastes in this country.
Lets hope you don’t get on the City Council. I was at first happy to see the coverage by this site, but it is just way to slanted in my opinion. Having lived in Fort Bragg since 1976 I might have a different perspective than some.
Paul – This is a “letter to the editor,” exercising my constitutional rights of association and to petition my government. I thank Mendo Voice for providing a venue to facilitate the exercise of constitutional free speech and applaud them for publishing the views of the railway and its supporters on many occasions, even when I did not agree with those views. Mendo Voice makes no assertion of support or opposition as to the content of my letter to the editor. And by the way, my personal roots in the county go back to attending high school in Willits in 1967. I don’t believe how long anyone lives someplace should be an indicator of the validity of their opinions. But if it is, then I think I’m qualified to express mine.
What commercial railroad makes you pedal your ass and pay for it? That should settle the question of it’s definition.
We’re compliant; why aren’t they accountable?
What railroad give you free rides? Maybe coming soon to New York City.
Mendocino Railway has a range of service include freight, passenger and tourist. Yes, the bulk of what we do is tourist that is more expensive but also includes a lot more content than a commuter line.
I agree with everyone as to the community and taxpayer ripoffs the railway has perpetrated. Scam of claimed designation coupled with intrusion in county property owners rights becoming criminal. Oversight is necessary by BOS, State and any other governmental body. Tourist ride of a few miles is not a “railway”. Shameful this company has managed to scam Fort Bragg and Mendocino County.
What taxpayer rip off are you referring to? That old train hauled people, goods, trees and it met a host of public needs common to a remote timber community for decades. Large operations didn’t build them without be necessary. so its value begins at the very beginning. More contemporary thinking should consider that logic as well as future potential economic benefits of a secondary transportation method versus the areas deoendency on highways alone. Ive lived in several rural states and in each they seldom took added transportation methods for granted. It’s not the safest or most economic way forward to have highly limited transportation resources in small towns in the US. I’m confused at why it is not a welcome asset to work with in the FB area.
I want to reply to Christopher hurts comment about hauling freight what the hell freight do you haul maybe some booze out to the bar in Grand Blair what else do you haul for free and as far as passengers your hauling passengers to the bar probably back and forth can you state exactly what kind of freight you haul besides maybe stuff for fixing your railroad
In a time when government throws money around rather freely — such as the $150,000 grant McNamee’s organization is using to “educate” the public about our property — it’s worth noting that we will fully repay all of our RRIF funds, with interest.
Yes, we also received a $14 million grant, but that funding will be used entirely to convert our locomotives to the lowest-emission fuel-based locomotives in the nation. Programs like this are commonplace for both industry and individuals to help accelerate the transition to greener technology that is more expensive and more challenging to maintain — similar to the incentives offered to consumers who purchase electric vehicles or hybrids like a Prius. These subsidies exist to change behavior to more expensive options desired by society. We will not profit from this project.
You also suggest that we failed to mention the California Attorney General in what you describe as “propaganda.” You imply that the Attorney General’s involvement represents a substantive development. In reality, it is largely procedural. I’d be happy to wager a plate of fish & chips at Sea Pal on the outcome. In addition, your framing suggests the Attorney General acted independently. In fact, the AG is acting on behalf of the California Coastal Commission.
Since we’re discussing omissions, it’s worth noting that for years you’ve avoided mentioning that you live almost above Tunnel #1, and that your housemate was among those who initiated this conflict. Donne Brownsey was Chair of the Coastal Commission when it first intervened in 2022. Since then, the Commission has opposed our efforts at nearly every step and continues to threaten legal action — even against the Federal Railroad Administration.
In this dispute, the Coastal Commission asserts oversight not only over the tunnel itself, but over portions of track more than 30 miles inland. Watch out Willits, the Coastal Commission is heading your way!
We made good-faith efforts to reopen the tunnel and genuinely believed it could have happened much sooner. That effort was derailed — repeatedly — by the legal campaign Ms. Brownsey launched against us.
Have we received a loan and a grant? Yes, after a competitive and lengthy review process, the government issued these to our railroad. But these are for very specific tasks, and funds are only distributed step by step after the work is completed and inspected.
Finally, you write that it is “fiction” that we are a “real” railroad while ignoring that government affirmed that we are a common carrier with those two funding actions. Further, you ignore rulings by the STB and the courts. It appears you will never concede, and that you’re perfectly willing to perpetuate this fight to the detriment of our community.
Christopher Hart
Mendocino Railway
The Skunk Train is NOT a common carrier, it is a privately owned tourist attraction. Let’s not get in the weeds here, but use common sense.
You talk about “common sense” while denying what the government, surface transportation board, and courts have determined. What is left? You may not like it, but this fight is over. I suggest we turn the page to work together for a better Fort Bragg and Mendocino County.
Hey Peter. If you really want to nail the skunk train, you should question there safety standards for what railroads are required. I heard that the employees are pressured to lie on the inspections. The gauge on wheels and tracks are to thin. 🫣
Michael,
You think that FRA and CPUC inspectors are fooled because an employee might lie? Where do you get this stuff? These are the same inspectors who inspect UP and BNSF and they don’t care that your “friend of a friend” employee tried to fool them on wheel gauge. Dunno what industry you work in, but that is not the railroad industry. Do you try to explain things or lobby your case, sure, but that is the extent of it. But given that we are Peter’s windmill, have at it.
I couldn’t agree more with Mr. McNamee’s opinion about the Skunk Train. It’s a tourist attraction, not a real railroad that we depend upon to move people and freight. It should not get the federal monies described. Moreover, their aggressive tactics in bullying anyone who opposes their power moves (City of Fort Bragg, private property owners) should be very concerning to everyone who cares about fair play. If you enjoy going on the Skunk Train, that’s a different issue. This is about the fact that they are taking advantage of status and programs that don’t properly apply to them.
So you disregard what the government, the courts, and the surface transportation board (the lead authority) have all stated within the past year? You’re welcome to your opinion, but please don’t pontificate about “facts” when you ignore what every relevant authority has ruled in the past year.
And what is your issue with us borrowing money that we will pay back with interest? While the government is tossing out bags of money with zero accountability, we went through an exhaustive multi-year assessment of the project. We spend our own money up front for each stage and only get reimbursed after everything is thoroughly reviewed. And then we pay back interest on top of that. Why is that so upsetting?
So you accuse us of power moves? The City is the one that tried to steal a deal out from underneath us and breaking our trust. The City is the one who sued us and started this battle. The City is the one who lobbied against our tunnel funding – not because they were against the reopening – but because if we secured that loan it would support our legal position. And yes, we eventually got that funding despite their opposition. You may think we make strong moves, and I wont’ deny it. But I ask you to stop looking at things from such a one-side point of view and see what occurred to prompt our strong moves.
Subj. A Simple Request for Restraint
Mr. Hart,
I’m writing as a local professional who has followed the Skunk Train matter closely for years and who knows several of the principals on all sides.
At this stage of active litigation and potential appeal, your repeated public commentary—particularly commentary that speculates about motives, assigns intent, or editorializes about regulators, grant recipients, and private citizens—does not advance your position. It weakens it.
You are not a neutral observer. You are speaking as an interested party, whether formally designated a spokesperson or not. Courts notice that. Regulators notice that. Opposing counsel certainly notices that.
More importantly, this kind of commentary risks expanding what should remain a narrow, fact-bound property and regulatory dispute into something broader: a credibility problem, a record problem, and potentially a precedent problem. That serves no one—including the railroad.
If your confidence in the merits is as strong as you suggest, the wisest course is restraint. Let the briefs speak. Let the record stand. Let counsel do their work.
There is an old rule in litigation:
When you are winning, say less. When you are not sure, say nothing.
Respectfully,
Cholly
P.S. One final note: importing unrelated political commentary—such as shots at elected officials in New York City—only distracts from the merits and undermines your stated goal of keeping this matter focused and professional. It would be wise to leave that out entirely.
That was beautiful Cholly.
I myself worry that the train still does booze cruises and has all the drunk passengers drive home afterwards. Does that still happen?
Cholly,
I respect your perspective, as well as the tone and spirit in which you shared it.
That said, I’m curious why Mr. McNamee’s original letter — which prompted this exchange — isn’t being addressed in the same way. His use of terms such as “robber baron,” “corporate welfare,” and “misuse of funds” are serious allegations, yet they seem to be taken as given rather than questioned.
It’s also important to recognize that Mr. McNamee is not simply a private individual. He is the head of the Grassroots Institute that is using public funds to “educate” the community about our property, and his housemate previously served as Chair of the California Coastal Commission, which initiated this litigation. In that context, their roles are every bit as public as my own.
This issue has long since grown beyond a single, isolated dispute. Through public-records requests, I have obtained extensive communications showing a coordinated campaign involving public officials and organizations such as GRI was underway as early as 2021.
For example, it remains unclear why the California Coastal Commission tries to assert such extensive authority over the repair of a tunnel located more than three miles inland. The Commission cited concerns related to Pudding Creek, despite the fact that we invested approximately $2 million in 2016–17 to prevent contamination. More recently, the justification shifted to speculation that reopening the tunnel could result in increased rail traffic to a coastal town — and on that basis, the Commission has attempted to assert jurisdiction over an inland tunnel.
But what does the tunnel have to do with the millsite? The primary reason for the fight over the funding for the tunnel is because the RRIF loan is only available to common carrier railroads. By securing those funds, it had the added benefit of also helping our legal case. And so, the City and Commission waged a hard-fought campaign to prevent us from getting that loan. Yes, the delay in reopening our tunnel was because these entities didn’t want to lose their millsite case.
Development on the millsite will only happen if our company and the community resolve our differences. I think it necessary for the community to understand our perspective, since few people nowadays simply accept whatever a judge decides.
At a time when I am actively working to identify a constructive path forward with the City, the Commission, and the broader community, Mr. McNamee appears intent on perpetuating a conflict that is, in most material respects, already resolved.
Best regards,
Chris
The Skunk Train and their lawyers suck eggs through a straw daily to keep their faces permanently puckered. The whole operation is basically a permanent carnival ride without any use to the public beyond a trip to the unpermitted party barn they built a mile out or town. They’ll never fix the tunnel. They’ll never carry anything beyond rental equipment for weddings and party goers to the bar in the woods. And they treat people terribly if they question any aspect of the scam. It’s a stinky sponge of public money that they recycle into advertising across their other businesses- the other railroad carnival rides they own in the Sierra. People like to party and people like a little hooptie train ride and when you combine that into a $100 15 minute ride to a bar in the woods without plumbing or power you get money in your pockets at a serious cut rate.
I would agree with this- “the Skunk Train is.. a tourist ride — not real transportation for passengers or freight.” If using the claim they are for passengers or freight is grounds for their eminent domain claim, then that needs to be addressed.
Mike A,
That was addressed and resolved in favor of the railroad this past fall by a 3-judge panel.
This Hart guy reminds me of that dude Paul Trouette who was barking in the comments of mendofever when he got called out over shady practices in Idaho and here in Mendocino. He was trying to defend himself against what he was so sure were slanderous statements but now he’s been convicted in Idaho of letting his private security guys beat a lady up in a town hall meeting. He got awful quiet once he was indicted but he was warned that popping off online would be bad in the long run. Some guys can’t help themselves though.
Dear Editor,
Peter McNamee of Fort Bragg, your relentless barrage of letters attacking the Mendocino Railway and the Skunk Train has crossed into outright obsession, and it’s time someone called you out in the harshest terms possible. Your latest diatribe, dated January 30, 2026, railing against supposed “corporate welfare” and subsidies for what you dismiss as a mere “tourist amusement ride,” is just the latest in a tiresome series of half-truths, distortions, and personal vendettas masquerading as civic concern. Consider this your formal notice: the community is fed up, the facts are against you, and your campaign to derail one of Mendocino County’s last historic treasures will not succeed.
The Skunk Train is no frivolous sideshow—it’s the final surviving logging railroad on the West Coast, a cherished piece of California’s industrial and natural heritage that winds through ancient redwood forests, draws visitors from across the country, and pumps vital dollars into local economies. It supports jobs, fuels tourism spending that benefits restaurants, hotels, shops, and families throughout Fort Bragg and beyond. Yet you persist in reducing it to an “excursion train” unworthy of any support, ignoring its federal common-carrier status and its potential to restore meaningful freight and passenger service once infrastructure like Tunnel No. 1 is repaired.
Your attacks are not new; they’ve become a predictable weekly ritual of negativity. You’ve repeatedly accused the Fort Bragg City Council of “hiding deliberations” with the railway, spread alarmist claims about arsenic from rail ties leaching into the Noyo River (overblown figures contradicted by compliance standards and rebutted by experts), and griped about MOUs and development agreements for the former Georgia-Pacific mill site—agreements that promise housing, jobs, and cleanup on contaminated land. In piece after piece, you cherry-pick details, omit economic benefits, and cast aspersions without evidence, all while positioning yourself as some selfless watchdog. Commenters have labeled you “obsessed,” and rightly so—your fixation borders on harassment.
Worse, this appears deeply personal. Your home overlooks Tunnel No. 1, the very site at the heart of repair disputes, and your wife’s past role at the California Coastal Commission has been tied to efforts challenging funding and permits for those fixes. Whether or not that’s a direct conflict, the optics are abysmal: a man using public letters to push a narrative that conveniently aligns with protecting his own backyard view. You lecture about taxpayer money while your actions risk costing the community millions in lost economic opportunity and stalled progress.
Let’s dismantle your favorite myths once and for all. The subsidies and loans you decry fund critical upgrades to Tier IV low-emission locomotives—the cleanest available for their class—reducing reliance on historic steam (used on just a tiny fraction of trips) and advancing environmental responsibility. Your tired line about “worst-polluting” engines is outdated fiction; the railway is modernizing aggressively. Federal recognition of its status isn’t some trick—it’s law—and California’s appeals don’t change the reality that this line has legitimate transportation value.
Mr. McNamee, as someone who claims educator credentials and involvement with groups like the Grassroots Institute, you should be ashamed of weaponizing selective outrage to sabotage a community asset. Your letters sow division, mislead readers, and harm the very taxpayers you claim to protect by delaying investments that could revive full rail service, create jobs, and preserve history. The Skunk Train endures as a symbol of resilience and economic hope for Mendocino County—it will outlast your complaints.
This is your warning: the public sees through the pattern. Cease the baseless crusade, disclose any personal stakes plainly if you’re going to keep writing, or face the judgment of a community that values progress over perpetual obstruction. The Skunk Train deserves unwavering support as the last gem of its kind on the West Coast. History, heritage, and the future are on its side—not yours.
Sincerely,
A staunch supporter of Mendocino’s living railroad legacy
You’re a weekly rider because you work for the company buddy.
Hi there – we welcome letters to the editor, but you’d have to use your real name. Feel free to email us a letter 200 words or less to info@mendovoice.com. We hope to hear from you and thank you for reading The Mendocino Voice.
The carnival sideshow lives through Christopher Hart and the phoney appreciator class- the people who work for the company and yet act like neutral observers who only take shots at their detractors if their detractors have a real point. It’s professional deflection.
The Stink Train literally offers nothing but joy rides for kids and drinkers to an unpermitted party spot but these hired tools will attack McNamee like he’s some antichrist bent on destroying the good in the world. What a joke. Bring out the barkers and have them call out the knuckleheads “Shoot the nipples off a Bulldyke and win a prize!!” Straight out of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas- this is a bad trip. Let’s drive back to Los Angeles and forget about this lame town. Fort Bragg Forever can have the Stink Train and their lead contaminated parcels.
So you complain about deception while using an alias & insulting people. Okay.
So what is Mr McNamee’s real point that I deflected away from? Hard to tell with all your HST imagery.
And my search is stumped by what is the “appreciator class” I don’t think I ever claimed to be neutral. I am one of the owners, have worked for our company for 27 years, and was one of the lead people who bought and reopened the Skunk Train in 2004. I certainly have a bias in this.
Listen up buster, this isn’t a discussion it’s a monologue by me. You operate a party train. I love the Gap band as much as the next guy but let’s not kid ourselves about what you are doing with that party train. You’re using weak courts and a broke city that can’t afford to go up against you anymore to get free stuff. Freeloading. You can make your claims about all the benefits you bring to the coast but that’s what every freeloading corporation does to avoid speaking to reality. You have an unpermitted development at the end of your unmaintained track and a hooptie locomotive that can’t be replaced because a replacement would need to come in on a track that is buried by a landslide. You have expensive lawyers and lots of money that you can use to bully people and advertise your businesses. But everybody knows your upper management is from out of the area. You only hire locals for the face of the system but the behind the scenes work is done by outsiders because locals won’t work for the evil empire in the office. Stop sponging off the government to make your ends meet and stop pretending you’re some irreplaceable asset to the public. You’re a carnival ride. Just admit it. People love the carnival and you don’t need to pretend you’re the owner of anything more than that.
Dear “Don’t be Fooled”
You can’t post whatever you like on discussion boards under an anonymous name, insult people, and then tell everyone else to not comment. Perhaps that works on whatever discussion boards you hang out, but not here.
The “weak court” that you refer was California’s First Appellate District with a unanimous three judge panel. You’re crazy if you think those judges are pushovers.
That passenger stop does not need to be permitted.
The track is very maintained and I challenge you to offer anything to substantiate your claim. We are regularly inspected by CPUC and FRA inspectors, in addition to our own inspector who checks the track twice every single week. Please offer any facts to back up your claims.
Do I make claims that our company benefits our community, yes I do. We hire a lot of employees, spend a lot in the community, and donate a bunch. Other than maybe Visit Mendocino, I think we have the biggest marketing budget in the region to bring people here. If you don’t think that generates visitors to sustain our local economy, then I don’t know what to say.
Locomotives can be moved by truck, if needed. It is not a big deal.
The president of Mendocino Railway is a 3rd generation person from the area, and has spent 34 years working on the line. As for me, VP of the parent company. No, I’m not from here originally but I have worked here for 22 years and I moved here 5 years ago with my wife. For a company with about a dozen railroad operations, you have 2 of the most senior people in our company living right here. Fort Bragg suffers greatly from out of town ownership and has very real economic problems, but we are not the source of that problem. We’re trying to help be a part of the solution.
Explain to me how we are sponging off the government. Because we took out a loan to fix a tunnel, we only get it piecemeal as we finish tasks, and we have to repay with interest? Or are you griping about the government program they asked us to participate to lower emissions. That’s it. That is all the public funds we have ever received. Please tell me which of these are so bad and why.
I will take up your offer on track inspection and demand that you open up your books on those inspections to Mr. McNamee. Also, take him on the inspection tour and show him how well maintained your infrastructure is. Is there enough gravel of appropriate type between the ties and are the track plates secured properly? Show the public! Explain why it’s ok to have that crazy wave undulating down the tracks by the cemetery. Walk the whole length and document the robustness of your commitment to our community. If Mr. McNamee declines the tour then have someone like Big Frank Hartzell do the walk with you. Let’s get those regulatory agencies onboard with your claims. Publish the inspections! Every carnival ride should have those inspections at the ready. Have a great Monday!
PS Anonymity is how the little guy holds the big guy accountable. Peter puts his name on a letter as is his 1A right and you immediately smear him. He knew that you would go as low as you could because that’s what bullies do. I can go against you and you whine about me not giving you my name but you’ll still want to refute me because you can’t help yourself. You love to go on and on. I bet you’re a real hoot at dinner parties. Just get a less disgusting restroom on the Stink Train and treat the public like we deserve some care for our $100.
As I stated above, Mr. McNamee started this with his attacks and smears. I responded. That is how it works.
For the rest of your message, I have seen plenty of anonymous online agitators before who will never stop with their insults and misinformation. If anyone is actually curious about any of this, I can be easily reached.