Who knew passenger train travel was a growth industry?
Shoosh, our financial worries are over. Yeah!!!
No... not really...
Investment in energy efficient transportation infrastructure certainly helps, but we have structural economic problems that go far deeper than that.
We need to reverse the idiotic trade policies that are sucking the lifeblood out our nation and put an absolute end to the political class pursuit of a dumbed-down, impoverished, low-wage, low-benefit, suvservient population.
The GOP has become merely the twin clone of the 'Rat poverty pimps.
We need to place a revenue tariff on all imported goods to replenish our Treasury while also lowering other forms of domestic taxation to bring our wealth creating industries and jobs back to America. Unless we reverse the trade policies that undermine our domestic economy, our political "leaders" are leading us over the financial cliff.
“We need to reverse the idiotic trade policies that are sucking the lifeblood out our nation and put an absolute end to the political class pursuit of a dumbed-down, impoverished, low-wage, low-benefit, suvservient population.”
Since train travel is one of the most expensive forms of travel per passenger mile, investing in it is counter productive. If you want a full on national approach for investment I think you would need to consider (1) nuclear, (2) coal to oil, and (3) and oil/natural gas exploration. The benefits to these three areas is it will reduce the cost of energy in total and achieve energy independence. Lower cost of energy is one of the big inputs to profitablility. New technologies (coal-oil, pebble reactors, and offshore rigs) would generate meaningful salaries and position our country as the leader in serious businesses. Pissing money away on solar and choo choo trains is a waste of capital and most importantly a diversion from the future.
You do understand, of course, that those revenue tariffs on imported goods will be paid by American citizens who are already overburdened by taxes and stand to see another hike come January 2011.
On the topic of the locomotives, I actually think this locomotive purchase is wise. One of the hallmarks of government-run enterprises is the failure to maintain and replace the capital stock. That failure then tends to increase operational losses.
If we're going to have Amtrak (and, folks, we are), then its equipment might as well be properly-funded.