New Web Site Shows AMTRAK Connections To National Parks

Foster Folly News ^ | Saturday March 13th, 2010

[Willie Green]

Which party has pushed recent initiatives for "Junk Food" taxes? Come on Willie, you can say it; confession is good for your soul.

Well yes, as long as you back me into a corner with no other option...
I'll hold my nose, choose the lesser of two evils and finally admit:
YES, I would prefer to see a federal tax on Junk Food rather than that corrupt abomination they call the "Fair Tax"

.

Whew.... gee... you're right!!

That really WAS good for my soul!

Thanks!!!

When did truth become silly and indefensible?

When it's a hypocritical "pot-kettle-black" accusation.

[Grizzled Bear]

YES, I would prefer to see a federal tax on Junk Food rather than that corrupt abomination they call the "Fair Tax"

How about "no" to both? Why are you pushing "either/or?"

You argue like a progressive liberal. Are you an Alinski disciple?

[Willie Green]

How about "no" to both? Why are you pushing "either/or?"
You argue like a progressive liberal. Are you an Alinski disciple?

I don't advocate either one, newbie.
You can learn about my preferred method of taxation by clicking on my screen name and viewing my Freeper homepage.

And no, I'm not an Alinski disciple.
I'm a politically incorrect, knuckle-dragging, meanspirited, America First!, Buchananite paleocon.
Antagonize me when I'm in a foul mood and I'll jab your butt with my pitchfork, just to teach you what true conservatism is all about.

[Grizzled Bear]

Wow, your obsessive compulsion over AMTRACK borders on sociopathy! Are you a major stockholder or something?

Personally, I prefer the freedom of a pickup and a camper. When I travel, I want to be the one to determine my time table and route.

Here's a crazy idea, AMTRACK could attract investors, buy their own damn land (rather than having the government seize it from private owners) and build their own damn tracks.

Or, would you rather have the government do everything for you? Is it politically correct to avoid the government tit?

[stayathomemom]

That's why he's/she's SunkenCiv.

Interesting that the landmarks they had mapped in Michigan are really in Ohio. Also, although it's not a a National Park or Monument, Amtrak does stop at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI if you are traveling in a group to that destination.

[SunkenCiv]

The train goes along the *bottom* of the Lake, in a tube like a Habitrail, then back up to the beach level at Isle Royale. I thought everyone knew this.

Oh wait, these are multivitamins. Where’re my psych meds?

[Grizzled Bear]

Do the trains have glass ceilings? That would be like the glass bottom boat rides! I heard women aren’t allowed to wear skirts on glass bottom boats because it contributes to the delinquency of dolphins.

Wait a minute, these aren’t my multivitamins!

[Willie Green]

Wow, your obsessive compulsion over AMTRACK borders on sociopathy! Are you a major stockholder or something?

Actually, Amtrak's major stockholders are the very entities who seek to destroy passenger rail service in the United States.

All preferred stock, which had a liquidation preference against all Amtrak assets and the only voting rights, was held by the Department of Transportation. Common stock in Amtrak was issued to certain private sector railroads that contributed start-up equipment and rolling stock to Amtrak. The common shareholders and their proportionate interests are as follows:

American Premier Underwriters (insurance sub. of Am. Financial Group)	53 %
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad	35 %
Canadian Pacific Railroad	7%
Canadian National Railroad	5%

The #1 stockholder, American Financial Group, is controlled by Billionaire Bush crony Carl Lindner, who acquired his Amtrak stock by purchasing the stock of the bankrupt Penn Central railroad.

The reason that a decrepit old Billionaire geezer like Mr. Lindner would want to destroy passenger rail travel in the United States is so simple, even a dimwitted rubber-stamped Harvard MBA like George W. Bush could understand: Mr. Lindner made his billions operating the UDF convenience stores which feature Mobil gasoline pumps.

Bottom line: More Amtrak riders = fewer gas pumpers to gouge.

[John S Mosby]

No problem with your comments, including the FAA upcharge on common parts. Same exists by the way between freight locomotives and amtrak passenger locomotives— gotta talk to a Westinghouse or GE electromotive division about that— so that in turn increases costs of that “different” motor. Understand your General Aviation comments. Key and central to this whole discussion is that no matter what stripe, gubmint is and has been the problem. TSA became a govt’ union cow for the Democrats who took advantage of the country’s need (where is Reagan and the ATC strike, say if TSA decides to hold the country hostage for a buck). I have a problem with using El Al as an example. You could not do what they do in say, Chicago. The country of Israel is the size of Dade County in FL and the number of El Al flights in and out not even comparable to Miami’s daily number. I would agree that the problem becomes simpler if you simply profile muslims (and the caucasian muslims too, like from Kosovo)— make the filters work and human markers. Like all politics there are still “ticks” to stop progress. So we are much in agreement. Standing in the way of good progress is someone protecting someone else’s fiefdom.

[John S Mosby]

Agree in your total point on the unions. It’s true, and the people they have are increasingly hostile on board. I do not tip car “men”, and they don’t do anything more to get a tip, either. Agree that the tracks should not be shared, they should be dedicated- which may present a hassle at hub points to avoid collision. If the tracks were in no way shared then you could demand performance without excuses- although the Amtrak monopoly even then would prove a point that no competition creates failure and loss. Of course in the Gilded Age, the railroads and steamship story (Vanderbilts) is one of monopoly and single control. The public was never served well, but the technology for the time met the needs. Read on Wikipedia the story of Cornelius Vanderbilt— fascinating, especially the Gold rush of 1849 and Panama, Nicaragua.

[SunkenCiv]

The glass bottom boats are so much more popular than the glass topped boats, which are really just glass bottom boats which have flipped over.

Dolphins would never survive in Lake Superior, it would kick their sorry little butts. They’d beg to be canned and passed off as tuna.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Oooh, that’s neat. You get to see the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald from below it !

[Grizzled Bear]

Oooh, that’s neat. You get to see the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald from below it !

Well, as the big freighters go she was bigger than most...

[Thermalseeker]

I have a problem with using El Al as an example.

The point of using El Al as an example is that the airlines, not the gubmint should be charged with security of their aircraft and who is allowed to fly with them. The airlines own the planes. The airlines are responsible for the passengers and crew. The airlines are responsible for the security on the aircraft, particularly the pilot in command, once it pushes back from the gate, despite the fact that the gubmint has done many things to make their job harder. The airlines are the ones with the dog in the security issue fight, not the gubmint. If another 9/11 happens the airlines have everything to lose and nothing to gain. If another 9/11 happens the gubmint will appoint a "blue ribbon commission" and politicians will preen for the cameras so that they have good footage of them acting tough come election time, but nothing of real consequence will get done to remedy the situation and make commercial air travel safer, all at great expense to the taxpayers. The Israelis do it right.

[GonzoGOP]

Privately owned transportation rights-of-way are an abomination and an offense against American's freedom.

You need to either put in a /sarc tag, or head over to DU.

[John S Mosby]

It is distressing in choosing which outfit to entrust our anti-terrorism strategy and tactics. Should it be gubmint unionized TSA, who’d be the first to yell-oh, we have pride in our jobs, or an airline that has to balance revenue loss vs. investment in security. The part the Israelis do right is the human factor analysis— that and a very real understanding of who their enemies are. As long as the US says Islam is a religion of peace— we’re screwed, no matter who runs the security. Profile, please. The muslims have won if we give up our freedom for the “security” of all these false feel good non-solutions. One reason the
attacking of root cause terror states and organizations needs to be coordinated with sophisticated, targeted action at home in the US. Have flown El Al and understand your point.

[John S Mosby]

And it isn’t Amtrak- leases rails from Burlington Northern a now fully owned investment of Warren Buffett.

[John S Mosby]

Willie- I think you might might mean for taxpayers to “carve out” a part of the paid for rights of way of the freight rails to build dedicated tracks for passenger rail that is not used by freight. The hardest part about all this is the economic motivation to do so. Much of these decisions are made for us by technology, like so many other things. Freight rail is not motivated to do more than their lease arrangements require- similar to a landlord not spending money on upkeep.
The history of how railroads of the old days got the rights of way in the first place is one of corruption and greed that is legendary in our history. Hard to wrestle away an ill gotten gain. The fingers in the pie are many— or to put it in Asian terms— whose rice bowl is being emptied.
Thank you for your posts. From the urban corridors, people can get to the bigger NPS parks. Others not so much.

[John S Mosby]

True conservative? What test do you apply to determine that? We would not have a country if true conservatives were the Founders. You know we’d have had the “Tidewater Plantation US Constitution” like some kind of Tostitos football bowl game. The model is not pure for conservatism, and Libertarianism is not conservatism, you know... in its pure form. Lots of pot head libertarians out there. This is a Christian nation...yeah yeah I know they were “Deists” NOT!