I was encouraged by the President's remarks regarding high speed rail and indirectly rail travel in general during tonight's state of the union address. I am not worried about congressional cuts as the amtrak states have too much to lose giving our side enough republican votes to keep the trains running. Important though that we continue to support an amtrak upgrade! Never take anything for granted. Would appreciate opinions of the membership.
State of the Union
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MattW
Conductor
I noticed the republicans picked a guy from Janesville, Wisconsin for the rebuttal. Dunno if it was deliberate for the city or for his position, but as soon as they said Janesville, I immediately thought about the Lake Country Limited ...
Shawn Ryu
Conductor
Cant stand Obama.
That Wiki link says the route was part of the proposed "Skyline Connection." That would be incorrect. The Skyline Connection was goign to be a separate route, CHI-PHL. They both came out of the same plan, but were different trains.
Now back to the show.
And?
Somehow I imagine if a truly Libertarian policy had been followed, none of the infrastructure improvements (from Erie Canal to transcontinental railroads to Interstate highways) would have ever been constructed in this country.
He can't stand? What happened to him?
Or, you can't stand him? And that means any comments or proposals he might have regarding passenger rail are automatically to be discarded/discredited?
Not that it has impacted his voting record, but it is worth noting that this particular Congressional district (WI-1) includes Sturtevant, a stop of the Hiawatha Service trains.
Whatever is truly needed and Wanted in this country would have been built...of course.
Just with private monies
The Davy Crockett
Engineer
Ummm... The logic of this is like saying "Lets put the Cheez Whiz BACK into the can." One might now think it should not have dispensed it in the first place, but it is too late to put it back in.
The reality is that roads - from interstates to seasonal town roads - are maintained with taxpayer money. Roughly half that comes from general taxes. Society could function with all private roads? Your going to pay tolls every time you need to drive to the grocery store? I don't think so! :mellow:
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I was very encouraged on many levels by the State of the Union address. I do not think we can live in a civilized society without the government providing (or subsidizing) needed services (including transportation). I think Obama is doing a fine job.
I am always up early, but usually not on-line. I do not have an early yoga class this morning so I slow to get going. We had some bad storms last night, including tornados and hail in neighboring communities. I got home from work right before they started, so I did not have to drive in >50 mph winds. There were power outages, but not where I live. It is in the low 60's right now and our high will be in the high 60's today. Bad weather in Florida is tolerable weather most every place else.
Since this a state of the union thread, I will say that the weather did not prevent me from watching it on tv.
Mackensen
Lead Service Attendant
As the author of that text, that's what I meant: as I understood it was supposed to feed into the Skyline Connection. I didn't think (and didn't intend for it to suggest) that they were the same service.
On the main point, I suspect the Lake Country Limited was pretty far from everybody's minds when selecting Ryan...
haolerider
Conductor
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Dream on! Private money would not be building the infrastructure we have now - or that we need in the future. What you have described would leave us with toll roads, toll bridges, toll airports, toll, toll, toll. Do you really want that?
That's if (and a really big *if* at that) private money would be used to build those toll roads in the first place. Today, I don't think anyone would put their money on it, even if subsidies to highways were to suddenly cease.
I don't quite understand why some people have this fantasy that the so-called "free market" is going to provide what people need. The free market allows a lot to be concentrated in the hands of the few, while allowing those who can to avoid any of the consequences of the things they do.
If it were up to the free market, you'd have children working 16 hours a day in sweatshops (you already have that elsewhere in the world, where regulation is very low; and that's what you had in this country before those pesky child labor laws got in the way). I want a libertarian to tell me how, in any way whatsoever, this could possibly be seen as a good thing.
As for transportation infrastructure, very little of it in this country has ever been built entirely by private entities through the free market. Even the railroads needed help in the way of land grants to get started.
PJRACER
Service Attendant
Regarding Obama's SOTU speech, regarding rail>>>>>>WORDS do not make DEEDS.........in politic's WORDS create VOTES>>>>>>This was nothing more than a kick off to his re-election campaign.
Oldsmoboi
OBS Chief
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Then the free market will decide that you don't get highways either.... or even a road up to your house... or garbage removal....or 911 coverage..... or Air Traffic control.... or water service... or meat without maggots.... or eggs that aren't tainted.... or children's toys without lead paint.... or..... well you get the idea.
Oldsmoboi
OBS Chief
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Yeah... like the atomic bomb....because there is totally a market for that.
Most "private monies" can't see past next quarter's profit statement. Infrastructure isn't profitable.... ever. Oh you might find a toll highway out there that turns a profit, but what happens when you include the rest of the feeder system that runs into that highway? How much profit will the 200 car a day street in front of my house turn in? If you stop subsidizing the roads that lead to that toll highway, eventually they fall into disrepair and people can't even get to the toll road to pay their user fees.
The nation's electric grid is maintained by "private monies" and it is bordering on collapse on any given hot day in the summer.
Infrastructure is just one of those things that is the government's job to provide. Our robust infrastructure is what made us the strongest country in the world.... and now we are letting it crumble.
If you don't want the government running the trains... I can understand that. But that means you'd need to federalize the rail network and allow access for rent like what happens with Airlines and Airports.
henryj
Conductor
I didn't even listen too it. It just a bunch of political rhetoric and more lies. Instead I watched a special on Madagascar and the lemurs. lol. After that I went directly to Jay Leno. I have avoided the news all day today for the same reason.
Here are a couple of quotes:
"With their votes, they've determined that governing will now be a shared responsibility between parties. New laws will only pass with support from Democrats and Republicans. We will move forward together, or not at all" Interpretation = nothing is going to get done for the next two years.
"Within 25 years, our goal is to give 80 percent of Americans access to high-speed rail. (Applause.) This could allow you to go places in half the time it takes to travel by car. For some trips, it will be faster than flying -- without the pat-down. (Laughter and applause.) As we speak, routes in California and the Midwest are already underway." 25 years will be 2036. How old will YOU be then? I see nothing happenning on this until the nation reaches a crisis situation with $10 gasoline, gas shortages, crumbling highways and high priced air fares. So for the next several years expect the same old same old.
Green Maned Lion
Engineer
The President of the United States, like him or not, is the leader of our government, and to some extent, the free world. A percentage of us voted for him. We placed him in office either by voting for him or by not getting your arse out of bed to vote against him. As the leader of our country, you should respect him.
President Obama has not ruled without mistake. But that is because he is a person, just like you and me, and just like you and me he makes mistakes. I have yet to see President Obama make a move he felt was not entirely beneficial to the country as a whole- and by extension, his presidential campaign. Whether his opinion was right or wrong is somewhat moot. Besides, to believe that the decisions this man has made in the past 2 years, with a lot of opposition and general road blocking from his political opponents, should have fixed all our problems immediately isn't just quixotic, but plain old moronic.
By attempting to make good on his promise of bi-partisanship, he wasted a lot of time trying to reach consensus, instead of just railroading the moron republicans, who generally seemed to stand in the way for the sake of standing in the way. Obama, as far as I can see, has not intentionally lied or cheated. If he did something like that, I could understand a lack of respect. Otherwise, respectfully disagree, instead of lobbing potshots on public forums.
Obama can't go out and fix the world. I tried that myself in my teens. I figured out they had me outnumbered. Nobody wants a fair and equitable world where everyone is generally happy when they can go out, stomp the crap out of their neighbor, and live in ecstasy.
President Obama has not ruled without mistake. But that is because he is a person, just like you and me, and just like you and me he makes mistakes. I have yet to see President Obama make a move he felt was not entirely beneficial to the country as a whole- and by extension, his presidential campaign. Whether his opinion was right or wrong is somewhat moot. Besides, to believe that the decisions this man has made in the past 2 years, with a lot of opposition and general road blocking from his political opponents, should have fixed all our problems immediately isn't just quixotic, but plain old moronic.
By attempting to make good on his promise of bi-partisanship, he wasted a lot of time trying to reach consensus, instead of just railroading the moron republicans, who generally seemed to stand in the way for the sake of standing in the way. Obama, as far as I can see, has not intentionally lied or cheated. If he did something like that, I could understand a lack of respect. Otherwise, respectfully disagree, instead of lobbing potshots on public forums.
Shoulda, coulda, woulda, didn't. Didn't and now can't. We do not operate on a free market economy, and the decision to do so would be a bad one in retrospect, because so doing would result in a total break down of everything. Maybe, had we chosen to maintain a total free market system many eons ago, it might have resulted in a better system. But at this point it is too late. Suggesting otherwise is like proposing a world without human greed.
Obama can't go out and fix the world. I tried that myself in my teens. I figured out they had me outnumbered. Nobody wants a fair and equitable world where everyone is generally happy when they can go out, stomp the crap out of their neighbor, and live in ecstasy.
Like i said the government should repel invaders and enforce contracts, i believe in a night watchman state
People want whats best for them, so the people on this board want government subsidized travel and thats ok. But lets call it what it is. I am going to Chicago and on to New Orleans on a government welfare transit program.
How am i wrong?
How am i wrong?
The Davy Crockett
Engineer
By not acknowledging that ALL forms of transportation - even walking in any society that believes in the right to own land - rely on government "welfare."
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