Posted on 12/07/2011 4:19:03 PM PST by Kaslin
Let's face it: Our president, the one who had so many outstanding parking tickets when he was just Barack Obama, has rail envy.
Just judging from the number of times he's mentioned the high-speed rail system of China, which has one party rule so no problem with messy democracy stuff. Or bipartisanship, there being no bi- in Chinese politics, just uni-. Or the wonderfully modern airports that communist China has constructed that we should emulate with Obama's newest stimulus spending ideas.
Well, it seems many Americans are not as enamored of China's choo-choos as the president who spent much of his childhood living in Asia. Remember Florida's new Gov. Rick Scott? He took one look at Obama's $10 billion high-speedrail program and said, "It's going to cost way more and we can't afford it." Joe Biden made fun of him for not having any vision.
Well, now it's California's turn. Back in 2008 when "Hope and Change" wasn't a laugh line, California's notoriously silly voters went overwhelmingly for Obama and narrowly agreed to a $9 billion bond issue to build a high-speed rail line from San Francisco through the Central Valley to Los Angeles.
Because, who needs a car in the Golden state's spaghettine freeway system, right?
A lot has changed since that vote. "Hope and Change" became "Hopey Changey." The nation is drowning in debt. The state faced a $20 billion deficit. The country is gripped by economic uncertainty and fears with chronically high unemployment. Washington is dysfunctional and the opposite of high-speed. Obama's idea of balancing the budget is spending more. A majority of Americans fully expect more taxes no matter what lies emerge from either side these days.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.investors.com ...
What’s the issue? It’s only $1000 per person, or $4000 per family of 4. Pocket change.
Money well spent on a project that will be useless, that will be completed in 20 years, that will only be used by... WHO, exactly?
Just ‘Brilliant.’
Isn’t Warren Buffet heavily invested in RRs?
That said, High speed rail in the US will fail because rail lines are privately owned by freight railroads, not by O, with the expection of the Northeast corridor. Rail companies are in business to make profit (yes Libs, it is not in business for employees) and freight is where the PROFIT is.
A train making $$ for the railrod should not be stopped for high speed trains. It (HSR) will never be profitable.
Where’s Willie Green when we really need him?
The author’s right - the Democrats will never toss their loyal union voters overboard. All of it may never get built but enough will be built to keep grateful votes coming the Democrats’ way for years to come. When you look at it like that, they cannot not build it!
Getting California’s .... and America’s .... economy back on the rails should get top priority.
It needs high population density. You don’t find that in California.
Even the NE isn’t dense enough.
Imagine everyone in the BO-Wash corridor living between Philadelphia and NYC.
Too funny Willie showed up making a comment in the Milwaukee journal-sentinel a few weeks ago regarding a proposed trolley.
We need to produce things in the US, and use Long Beach to EXPORT.
If immigrants ever start voting Republican it will be used to ship them out via high-speed rail. They will quickly be exported in days.
I suggest we go with “low Speed Rail”. Just imagine, a people carrrier or three, on the back of a freight train going here and there. Slower, yes. But not necessarily without merit. Lots of folks are not in a rush, and would rather travel cheaply than quickly. It would be more for family travel and leisure, but could work if given a chance. Pretty low cost to try also.
super lol on that WillieG still keeping it real ...at least his version of reality
Lots of people travelled slowly and for free back in the day. My dad did it when I was 12 and he came back with a good job from his adventure. Rode the train from Colorado to Seattle and worked along the way, then got a job in Alaska fishing and that was the end for Colorado for our family. He met a lot of hobos who came around our house for a good meal for many years afterwards.
The only place I would put high speed rail in Cal would be between Ontario and Las Vegas, with perhaps another line from Burbank-Palmdale joining it in Barstow. Fridays and Sundays I-15 is a parking lot.
And that would be private money from Vegas, just as Howard Hughes was going to do when he owned 5 Hotel/Casinos.
Then if someone else or the same people want to link in the bay area or put a line east from Barstow, then good luck to them.
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