A debate on rail financing is meaningless and useless.
It should be obvious by now that any debate about rail financing would be about a mirage. 
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There would be no sense in debating rail financing because there would be no finality in any conclusion concerning rail financing as actual rail cost  10 years from now could go $billions and $billions more than estimated in 2017.  And that makes whatever amount in rail financing discussed in 2017 meaningless, useless.
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Current HART estimates rail cost at $8.6 billion but it could go as high as $9.5 billion (http://www.civilbeat.org/2016/12/9-5-billion-for-honolulu/).
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The FTA says between $7.73 billion to $10.79 billion. (http://www.staradvertiser.com/2016/06/23/hawaii-news/rail-cost-could-be-nearly-3-billion-above-current-estimates/).
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Keep in mind that in 2004 it was originally estimated at around $2.7 billion, then $4.8 billion in 2008 to $5.2 billion in 2012.  The $5.2 billion shot up to $8  billion in 2016, then to $8.2.
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