Posted on 10/12/2009 8:54:47 AM PDT by Willie Green
The debate over which high-speed train would best serve Nevadans is a hot topic in the political arena, but a recent poll shows that, by a slim margin, most voters aren't overwhelmingly supportive of that particular mode of transportation.
It's a showdown between a magnetic levitation train (maglev) and the steel-wheeled DesertXpress rail project.
A poll conducted Tuesday through Thursday by Washington D.C.-based Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. showed that of 500 registered voters throughout the state, 42 percent supported the maglev train, which would ferry passengers from Las Vegas to Anaheim, Calif. Opponents made up 49 percent of those polled and 9 percent were undecided.
When it comes to the DesertXpress proposal, 44 percent statewide supported the train that would travel between Las Vegas and Victorville, Calif., 47 percent opposed it and 9 percent were undecided.
The margin of error is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
Brad Coker, managing partner for Mason-Dixon, doesn't believe the poll results necessarily reflect the public's opinion about the high-speed train proposals in general. It's more about the timing of the projects.
"If the economy turns around, some of this might turn around," Coker said. "The last thing taxpayers want to see is their money going to a train project going out of state. The economy needs to turn around to get people to loosen their fingers around their wallets."
The greatest disparity in numbers comes between men and women and their leanings when it comes to technology, or perhaps funding or even party affiliation.
Women are strongly against the DesertXpress train, with 50 percent opposing the privately funded $4 billion project and 38 percent in support of it. Women instead embrace, though not overwhelmingly, the magnet-powered train with 48 percent saying they would favor such a project and 41 percent indicating they would not support it.
This falls more in line with the Democrats' position on the two proposals. When it comes to the maglev train, 56 percent of the Democrats polled support it; 37 percent are opposed. Fifty percent of the Democrats support the DesertXpress while 41 percent oppose the project.
In contrast, 50 percent of the men polled embrace the steel-wheeled train while 44 percent do not. Men are not supportive of the magnetic-driven train. Only 36 percent approve of the idea; 57 percent object to it.
Republicans appear to be dead against the $12 billion maglev project, which would be funded with private and public money. Only 26 percent expressed approval of the project and 61 percent opposed it; 13 percent were undecided.
Coker noted that more women in Nevada are registered Democrats and men tend to be Republicans.
"It's more of a party thing," Coker said. "I don't think women would rather go to Disneyland and men would rather go to the desert."
It is not surprising that Republicans would oppose the maglev train, partly because they oppose projects that involve public money, he said. The project also carries a stigma because it would likely receive money from President Barack Obama's stimulus package.
On top of that, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is the politician who initially secured funding for maglev.
"I would say the maglev is going to be the most controversial simply because it's going to be using public funds," Coker said. "I suspect the state will have to kick something in. Taxpayers are feeling squeezed, especially in Southern Nevada. I think they would clearly rather see the money spent on schools and roads rather than a train to Disneyland."
Ironically, Reid has since shifted his allegiance to the DesertXpress. Gov. Jim Gibbons, a Republican, has publicly pushed for the maglev proposal to move forward.
Republicans appear to be dead against the $12 billion maglev project, which would be funded with private and public money....
It is not surprising that Republicans would oppose the maglev train, partly because they oppose projects that involve public money, he said. The project also carries a stigma because it would likely receive money from President Barack Obama's stimulus package.
On top of that, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is the politician who initially secured funding for maglev....
Actually, it was the GOP's Big Oil Representative from Alaska, Don Young who initially secured funding for LV-CA maglev in a transparent ploy to sidetrack and derail maglev deployment in more sensible regions.
(Nevada can build fastest train in the world)
It shouldn't take motorists who remember paying $4/gallon at the pump too long to figure out why Big Oil flunkies like Don Young want to kill maglev by portraying it as a silly amusement ride for LV/Disneyland.
This is an excellent example of how Big Oil flunkies deceive the American People so that they can continue to bleed your bank account at the gas pump.
Or maybe Republicans just don’t like their tax dollars being used on modes of transportation they don’t want to use.
I might ride it — if they’d be sure to confiscate the cell phones from the engineers.
This sentence killed at least eight English teachers.
“Big Oil” is a term of leftist demagoguery.
Perhaps Mr Green will be willing to buy stock in the Maglev project if it is such a fantastic investment opportunity.
At this time I am not aware of any public transportation systemin this country that is even at the break even point
Meaning the tax payers get to pick up the tab for the shortfall.
DesertXPress is a Reid payoff to Sig Rogich (head of Republicans for Reid) and Anthony Marnell (the M Resort). This should be a huge scandal.
Maglev will be just another government public works boondoggle. The feds do such a good job of running Amtrak.
“Big Oil” is a term of leftist demagoguery.
Which, unfortunately for the GOP, happens to be very accurate.
Conservatives should not be surprised that the previous Administration failed to open ANWR for drilling.
The last thing in the world that Big Oil wants is a glut of oil on the market to depress prices.
So if the environmental whacknuts didn't oppose ANWR, then Big Oil would've invented the Green Lobby, just to keep the price of oil jacked up.
This predatory behavior against the American consumer is well documented.
In 1920, it was the Texas Railroad Commission that was empowered to restrict the Oil Supply in order to keep the price of gasoline propped up. (Establishing the model upon which OPEC was based.)
If the GOP is to ever seize control away from the marxists, they are going to have to stop being sockpuppets for the Oil Industry lobbyists who, like Enron, only want to screw granny out of her life savings.
At this time I am not aware of any public transportation systemin this country that is even at the break even point
Meaning the tax payers get to pick up the tab for the shortfall.
American taxpayers will receive enormous economic benefit by having major transportation infrastructure that is not dependent on the global price of Oil.
Big Oil's "Hydrogen Initiative" floated by the previous Administration was just as much junk science as Algore's Cap & Trade Gobal Warming.
America needs REAL solutions.
Not bipolar political idiocy.
I use to watch the AMTRAK train run from LA to Vegas through Victorville. It was rarely filled to capacity and several times I saw it with only a dozen people on it.
The biggest problem I have with high speed rail is its vulnerability to terrorism. You have to guard hundreds of miles of track and nearby land to prevent attacks. An attack can be low tech, e.g., a brick on the track.
I was on the Long Island Railway many years ago, and we had just hit about 50 mph when I saw what I took to be a bird flying at my window. I blinked just as the brick hit and showered my face with broken glass.
I later found out that some juvenile delinquents stood beside the tracks and threw bricks EVERY DAY AND THE NYPD DID NOTHING.
I prefer the maglev version because the ride will be incredibly smooth.
And also a lot faster.
If it wasn't for the dirty/deceptive national politics involved with this project, I could be talked into supporting maglev for this route. But only as part on a longer term vision that would have it integrating into a much larger, Southern California Maglev network.
Unfortunately, that dream is pretty unrealistic in today's political climate. And I have to agree that DesertXpress makes better financial sense for this route. Which would mean, in the longer term scheme of things, DesertXpress passengers traveling to LA from Vegas would probably share a station in Southern California somewhere, where they could conveniently transfer to the maglev system.
It's not an ideal system that suits everybody's dreams. But if it's ever actually built, that is probably the best case scenario that can be hoped for.
The biggest problem I have with high speed rail is its vulnerability to terrorism. You have to guard hundreds of miles of track and nearby land to prevent attacks. An attack can be low tech, e.g., a brick on the track.
It's pretty easy to imagine low-tech terrorist attacks against American transportation if you're looking for a boogyman to scare people.
Sheesh, just go on any of our major metro beltways where rush-hour traffic is traveling bumper-to-bumber at 65 mph. All a "terrorist" would have to do is toss some heavy trash out of a pickup truck or van and you'd easily have a 300-car smash-up.
No, I don't think boogyman terrorists should stop us from improving our transportation system.
The best case scenario is to have it built with private funds and leave the government out of it. If it will make money someone in private industry will fund it, if not they will try to get the government to fund it with the resultant disaster that follows any government controlled enterprise. Amtrak is a fine example of how to ruin passenger service on trains.
No one is going to ride your cho cho except welfare cases and illegal aliens and they won’t even pay the help for it.
Kill all public transportation!!!!
“like Enron, only want to screw granny out of her life savings.”
The only ones that want to screw anyone out of their money is people like you with useless public transportation that does nothing but drain tax dollars and support indigents!
“like Enron, only want to screw granny out of her life savings.”
The only ones that want to screw anyone out of their money is people like you with useless public transportation that does nothing but drain tax dollars and support indigents!
I use to watch the AMTRAK train run from LA to Vegas through Victorville. It was rarely filled to capacity and several times I saw it with only a dozen people on it.
Amtrak performance suffers greatly when the track is shared with heavy freight.
Modern high-speed passenger service is best achieved on a separate track.
The only ones that want to screw anyone out of their money is people like you with useless public transportation that does nothing but drain tax dollars and support indigents!
Big Oil occupied the WH for 8 years, dale.
They failed to drill ANWR and sold us $4 gas.
And they plundered the Treasury for a Trillion Dollars to save their cronies who are "too big to fail", leaving taxpayers with nothing to show for it.
High speed rail is a tangible asset that will reduce our dependence on these bloodsucking leeches for decades.
..and three logicians.
The dems controlled Congress and made it pretty clear ANWR was a no go.
And rail won’t reduce our dependency on anything because NOBODY WANTS IT. Where ever they put trains they remain EMPTY. Americans don’t like public transportation, because it sucks, it’s always gonna suck, doesn’t matter if it’s buses or trains or maglevs cars are better, and we will keep driving. And all the leftist whining about “big oil” won’t change our minds. WE DON’T WANT TO RIDE YOUR STUPID TRAIN.
Well, at least it won't be a long-term burden.
≤];^)
WTH?lol!
To see how well these kinds of projects work out from a fiscal standpoint, simply have a look at the New Mexico Rail Runner (a.k.a. King Bill’s Train Set). They are over budget, and require a large subsidy to keep running.
The money would be better spent widening I-15.
The dems controlled Congress and made it pretty clear ANWR was a no go.
The GOP controlled both the House and the Senate when Big Oil was coronated.
They screwed the pooch, BIG TIME.
When they were done, marxists ruled the rubble that they left behind.
To see how well these kinds of projects work out from a fiscal standpoint, simply have a look at the New Mexico Rail RunnerI-15 doesn't even go through New Mexico.
The money would be better spent widening I-15.
The Wikipedia article on Rail Runner says that "the Pueblos I-25 passes through have refused permission for road widening."
I assume "the Pueblos" must mean what the rest of America calls "local towns".
It doesn't matter. If the Pueblos don't want I-35 to be widened, then it'll cost a fortune to persuade them otherwise.
So it looks like Rail Runner was the only economical alternative.
I was holding up the Rail Runner as an example of what can go wrong, but the suggestion to widen I-15 was a possible solution to the Victorville/LV corridor issue. Sorry I wasn’t more plain in my language.
Have you considered virtual trains for select freeways? By mounting a magnet beneath a car, the road bed could be the second half of a linear electric motor. We'd get the lane capacity and fuel efficiency of an electric train with the parallel fault tolerance and freedom of the private automobile. The automobile could exit the electric lane at any time and use a conventional engine for off grid driving.
The GOP had 50 in the Senate for a couple of weeks until Jeffords went Indy. And even without Judas there’s enough of the GOP regularly siding with the “never drill” environmentalists that there was no way to ANWR through.
And none of that changes the fact that public transportation is a lousy way to travel.
By mounting a magnet beneath a car, the road bed could be the second half of a linear electric motor. We'd get the lane capacity and fuel efficiency of an electric train with the parallel fault tolerance and freedom of the private automobile.
It would also be a great way to pick up all the beer and soda cans that people toss out the windows of their cars.
It won't do much for litter made from aluminum, plastic or paper. But a magnet under the car will pick up a lot of steel and iron trash that's scattered along our highways.
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