ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[danbrotherston]

@ BuildingScout

So if you believe that residents of the townships should be subject to all the same fees as urban residents but should not expect or receive the same services for said fees, how far does this extend in your mind? Do you also support the removal of waste transfer stations from the townships, telling residents you must now drive into the city to get rid of yard waste and such? If you think they're all going to do so, they ain't.

And your argument that my point about residents having tp pay for transit while not receiving (and won't in my lifetime) is akin to someone saying I shouldn't have to pay taxes towards education because I don't have kids is not quite analogous. I think the dynamics change somewhat when switching from the microeconomics of one to that of a whole community. I cannot think of any service that residents of the townships receive from the region that urban residents do not, yet the reverse is true in the two issues being discussed here.
Unless of course you think issues facing residents of the township should be considered less important than those facing urban residents. Not saying you are but it would not be the first time I (and I'm certain others who grew up or spent a lot of time living in the townships) I have encountered that sentiment.

A service which townships receive from the region, which city residents don't?  Well you already mentioned one, waste transfer stations, but assuming those are going away or somehow not relevant, let's go with another, libraries.

But there are plenty of examples of things your taxes pay for which you will never use.  Yes, someone might have children, and we all benefit from an educated populace, but let's go back to transit then.  You pay for via rail, and go transit through federal and provincial taxes, but plenty of people who live in cities all over the province do not, and never will have Go or Via service.

This is just how taxes work.

If you don't think that urban residents benefit from a prosperous city, I'd direct you to the region's budget.  The rural areas most certainly do prosper as a result of a prosperous city.  And the region's urban dwellers also benefit from the rural area, in the availability of local foods, in the availability of nearby natural recreation options, and through the option to move to a more rural setting for those who wish to.  It goes both ways, there is no versus, we're in this together.