More on Amtrak FEC operations

[user 1215]

A 2001 signed agreement between FEC and Amtrak to use Flagler's route is discussed in this article.

Where would we be today if this were actually completed? Per the article, Phase I could have seen trains 10 months after receipt of funding!

AAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgh!

(Ok - it's NOT talk like a pirate day. Then again, maybe it is. I declare it to be so. Arg.)

 

[sunchaser]

A 2001 signed agreement between FEC and Amtrak to use Flagler's route is discussed in this article.
Where would we be today if this were actually completed? Per the article, Phase I could have seen trains 10 months after receipt of funding!

AAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgh!

(Ok - it's NOT talk like a pirate day. Then again, maybe it is. I declare it to be so. Arg.)

If you Click here & here, you will find more current info.

Yo Ho Yo Ho, a pirates' train for me!!!!! :lol: ARRR Me Hearties, pass the Grogg!

 

[MikeM]

If you Click here & here, you will find more current info.Yo Ho Yo Ho, a pirates' train for me!!!!! :lol: ARRR Me Hearties, pass the Grogg!

Well Ahoy Matie, the two links took me to a page not found error! Must be the day of the curssed internet link plague or something.

 

[transit54]

Well Ahoy Matie, the two links took me to a page not found error! Must be the day of the curssed internet link plague or something.

If you remove the extra http:// they will work.

As in: If you Click here & here, you will find more current info.

 

[bobw999]

It was doomed from the start. Unfortunately, Tallahassee doesn't like passenger rail transportation.

Article in today's paper.

 

[sunchaser]

Well Ahoy Matie, the two links took me to a page not found error! Must be the day of the curssed internet link plague or something.

If you remove the extra http:// they will work.

As in: If you Click here & here, you will find more current info.

Why thank you, me hearty! I'm still a landlubber with that kind of stuff!!!

 

[MrFSS]

Well Ahoy Matie, the two links took me to a page not found error! Must be the day of the curssed internet link plague or something.

If you remove the extra http:// they will work.

As in: If you Click here & here, you will find more current info.

Why thank you, me hearty! I'm still a landlubber with that kind of stuff!!!

I fixed them in the original posts where they were bad and the reply where they were bad.

All ashore!

 

[user 1215]

That's why Talahassee should be removed as the center of government for Florida. Move it to Key West.

 

[sunchaser]

Well Ahoy Matie, the two links took me to a page not found error! Must be the day of the curssed internet link plague or something.

If you remove the extra http:// they will work.

As in: If you Click here & here, you will find more current info.

Why thank you, me hearty! I'm still a landlubber with that kind of stuff!!!

I fixed them in the original posts where they were bad and the reply where they were bad.

All ashore!

Well shiver me timbers! You are mighty handy to have around Thanks!

 

[AAARGH!]

AAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgh!

You rang?

 

[battalion51]

In spite of the hilarity with the pirate references (and trust me I love them) the budget situation in Florida is pretty dire. The state's income is basically tied to property, sales, and tourist taxes. Florida has no state income tax, as we've discussed before. With plunging property values, high foreclosure rates, and less travel to tourist destinations in Central Florida the state is facing a major cash crunch. Nearly every public service in Florida, from education to transportation has been hit hard. In the past three years Florida State University ALONE has had $81 million slashed from its budget. Florida is in need of major tax reforms, but until then it is going to be U-G-L-Y and they aint got no alibi.

 

[AlanB]

AAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgh!

You rang?

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Green Maned Lion]

In spite of the hilarity with the pirate references (and trust me I love them) the budget situation in Florida is pretty dire. The state's income is basically tied to property, sales, and tourist taxes. Florida has no state income tax, as we've discussed before. With plunging property values, high foreclosure rates, and less travel to tourist destinations in Central Florida the state is facing a major cash crunch. Nearly every public service in Florida, from education to transportation has been hit hard. In the past three years Florida State University ALONE has had $81 million slashed from its budget. Florida is in need of major tax reforms, but until then it is going to be U-G-L-Y and they aint got no alibi.

That's easy. Lets reform the tax code so:

For:

A = age

V = property value

T = Tax

Then let:

T =.01V * A^2.

 

[RTOlson]

Does that formula make sense? Whose age are you talking about — a taxpayer's or the property's?

IIRC, the age would get squared before the multiplication. See the Order of Operations

Age squared gets pretty high.

Let's say a 100-year-old man owns a $100,000 property. Here's how I think it would be processed in your formula.

.01 * 100,000 * (100x100) = $10 million

That would quickly bankrupt all of the property owners in the state.

 

[George Harris]

In spite of the hilarity with the pirate references (and trust me I love them) the budget situation in Florida is pretty dire. The state's income is basically tied to property, sales, and tourist taxes. Florida has no state income tax, as we've discussed before. With plunging property values, high foreclosure rates, and less travel to tourist destinations in Central Florida the state is facing a major cash crunch. Nearly every public service in Florida, from education to transportation has been hit hard. In the past three years Florida State University ALONE has had $81 million slashed from its budget. Florida is in need of major tax reforms, but until then it is going to be U-G-L-Y and they aint got no alibi.

That's easy. Lets reform the tax code so:

For:

A = age

V = property value

T = Tax

Then let:

T =.01V * A^2.

As someone with inlaws and other family in Florida long term, I have another suggestion: Anybody retiring and moving into Florida from another state shall be required to collect all forms of public assistance and benefits from the state where they worked, and shall be prohbited from voting in Florida until they have lived there for 10 years. Then the control of the state will get back in the hands of the people who really live there instead of those who think it is supposed to be a retirement resort for their benefit.

 

[Trainmans daughter]

Great. Now I have that song going round and round in my head. "We're the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything", but it certainly is appropriate to this thread:

we are the pirates we don't do anything

we just stay at home, and lie around

and if you ask us, to do anything

we'll just tell you, we don't do anything

well I've never been to Greenland

and I've never been to Denver

and I've never buried treasure in ST Louie or ST Paul

and I've never been to Moscow

and I've never been to Tampa

and I've never been to Boston in the fall

 

[Green Maned Lion]

In spite of the hilarity with the pirate references (and trust me I love them) the budget situation in Florida is pretty dire. The state's income is basically tied to property, sales, and tourist taxes. Florida has no state income tax, as we've discussed before. With plunging property values, high foreclosure rates, and less travel to tourist destinations in Central Florida the state is facing a major cash crunch. Nearly every public service in Florida, from education to transportation has been hit hard. In the past three years Florida State University ALONE has had $81 million slashed from its budget. Florida is in need of major tax reforms, but until then it is going to be U-G-L-Y and they aint got no alibi.

That's easy. Lets reform the tax code so:

For:

A = age

V = property value

T = Tax

Then let:

T =.01V * A^2.

As someone with inlaws and other family in Florida long term, I have another suggestion: Anybody retiring and moving into Florida from another state shall be required to collect all forms of public assistance and benefits from the state where they worked, and shall be prohbited from voting in Florida until they have lived there for 10 years. Then the control of the state will get back in the hands of the people who really live there instead of those who think it is supposed to be a retirement resort for their benefit.

Yeah, that does about the same thing.

Honestly, though, Mr. Olson, I was just making a wry comment on the nature of trying to spend money doing anything that the Florida Q-tips and bluehairs won't find a personal use for. That age classification group is about the most selfish thing since Howard Roark.

 

[AmtrakWPK]

The reason you hear all those ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH's is the pirates' parrots, that you always see on their shoulders. They must have been parroting their parrots. (So that's a Pirate Parroting the Pirate's Parrot?)

My African Grey Parrot LOVES "RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR", often commenting that he's a silly birrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd., Or, when he likes what I'm eating and wants some, "MORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRE!"

Does that make this a parroty?

And as a long time Florida resident who has for some time now been marching past middle age, please make that tax one which is DIVIDED by age squared. Thanks.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

The reason you hear all those ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH's is the pirates' parrots, that you always see on their shoulders. They must have been parroting their parrots. (So that's a Pirate Parroting the Pirate's Parrot?)
My African Grey Parrot LOVES "RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR", often commenting that he's a silly birrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd., Or, when he likes what I'm eating and wants some, "MORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRE!"

Does that make this a parroty?

And as a long time Florida resident who has for some time now been marching past middle age, please make that tax one which is DIVIDED by age squared. Thanks.

No. The older you are, the more responsibility you have and the more you should thus be contributing to our tax base. Thank you for providing a demonstration for my point, though.

 

[jphjaxfl]

In spite of the hilarity with the pirate references (and trust me I love them) the budget situation in Florida is pretty dire. The state's income is basically tied to property, sales, and tourist taxes. Florida has no state income tax, as we've discussed before. With plunging property values, high foreclosure rates, and less travel to tourist destinations in Central Florida the state is facing a major cash crunch. Nearly every public service in Florida, from education to transportation has been hit hard. In the past three years Florida State University ALONE has had $81 million slashed from its budget. Florida is in need of major tax reforms, but until then it is going to be U-G-L-Y and they aint got no alibi.

That's easy. Lets reform the tax code so:

For:

A = age

V = property value

T = Tax

Then let:

T =.01V * A^2.

As someone with inlaws and other family in Florida long term, I have another suggestion: Anybody retiring and moving into Florida from another state shall be required to collect all forms of public assistance and benefits from the state where they worked, and shall be prohbited from voting in Florida until they have lived there for 10 years. Then the control of the state will get back in the hands of the people who really live there instead of those who think it is supposed to be a retirement resort for their benefit.

Amen to that! I am not retired, but live in Florida now and lived in South Florida for a period about 20 years ago.

 

[AmtrakWPK]

No. The older you are, the more responsibility you have and the more you should thus be contributing to our tax base. Thank you for providing a demonstration for my point, though.

Really? So if you are old, on social security, your pension plan went bankrupt because the stocks they invested in dropped through the floor, you have to make the choice of whether to buy food or pay for your prescriptions or keep the lights on, you NOW have the obligation and ability to pay a lot more taxes? Great. Immediately after which, you are homeless and on public welfare. Good Job. And if THAT was your point, put your hat back on so we won't have to look at it.

 

[Ryan]

How about this modification?

T = .01V * (A/L)^2

Let L = Length of Florida residency. For folks like AmtrakWPK that have lived in FL all their lives, A/L will = 1

For those that move to FL in their golden years, A/L will be a large number, reflecting the fact that those folks should "pay their dues", rather than benefit from all the folks that lived their whole lives in FL and paid for most of the infrastructure.

Brilliant?

 

[transit54]

How about this? Just have FL tax retirement benefits for the first ten years of residency. That way longtime FL residents aren't affected and money is collected from those who purposely choose to retire in the state. The second you tax retirement benefits, most people will see much less reason to retire in Flordia. That's the reason most of them are there, other than the warm weather.

I'm not saying that I agree/disagree with this, but if you feel FL is dominated by retirees who aren't paying their share, the above is a simple and effective tax policy solution.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

No. The older you are, the more responsibility you have and the more you should thus be contributing to our tax base. Thank you for providing a demonstration for my point, though.

Really? So if you are old, on social security, your pension plan went bankrupt because the stocks they invested in dropped through the floor, you have to make the choice of whether to buy food or pay for your prescriptions or keep the lights on, you NOW have the obligation and ability to pay a lot more taxes? Great. Immediately after which, you are homeless and on public welfare. Good Job. And if THAT was your point, put your hat back on so we won't have to look at it.

How about this modification?
T = .01V * (A/L)^2

Let L = Length of Florida residency. For folks like AmtrakWPK that have lived in FL all their lives, A/L will = 1

For those that move to FL in their golden years, A/L will be a large number, reflecting the fact that those folks should "pay their dues", rather than benefit from all the folks that lived their whole lives in FL and paid for most of the infrastructure.

Brilliant?

I think that most older people are ornary, whiney, and very self-centered. They feel that they shouldn't be paying for things simply because they weren't using it, completely not giving a damn about the things other people paid for but don't use for their benefit. I don't care whether they are from Florida or elsewhere. The old hacks around here are the same way, constantly voting down things like needed school improvements- Why? Because they don't personally have kids. GTFO. Really.

I'm going to spend my life paying for other people's social security (unless I manage to get that railroad job I have been trying so damned hard to get!) but the system will be bankrupt before I get to collect it, and I know it. A social security that has been modified to become almost an entire retirement package because these old nitwits and their huge AARP backing convinced congress that they needed more money to live. Like Social Security was supposed to provide for that.

I don't mind paying into various benefits for our older population. I don't mind voting up benefits for them. I don't mind the various programs that benefit them. They are all fair and make plenty of sense. But I wish that just once the various ungrateful SOBs would vote postively for the things the rest of us need, fior chrissweetsakes.

 

[Trainmans daughter]

Somebody needs a nap!