Posted on 05/19/2010 7:34:23 PM PDT by Willie Green
A high-speed passenger rail line would loop through Atlanta, Athens, Augusta, Savannah, Macon, and back to Atlanta under a new plan conceived at the state Department of Transportation. A DOT board committee on Wednesday recommended asking for planning money for that route and others, from a $115 million pot of federal high-speed rail planning funds.
DOT would ask $4.5 million in planning funds for that “capital-coastal” loop; $7 million for the Atlanta-Charlotte line; $3 million for the Atlanta-Macon line; and $2 million to update the state rail plan.
The state would have to pay 20 percent toward the studies’ costs, “Which we all know is a challenge,” said Dana Lemon, who chairs the board’s intermodal committee and helped think up the idea for the train loop.
The full board will vote on the recommendation on Thursday.
Georgia has not been a big winner in federal rail grants recently. Florida and North Carolina won huge federal stimulus grants to start building high speed rail, where Georgia won just $750,000.
LOL, logic isn’t your strong suit, is it? The original roads and canals were private, many roads and airports are built privately. When there is a real demand for something that government should do, well and fine. In this case, it is simply an effort to control people. No thanks.
With all due respect, Narses, you are ignorant of history. In fact, every major canal in the United States was built with taxpayer money. The first serious attempt at a canal in the U.S., the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company was originally a private venture, but they failed to raise enough money from private investors and the canal was never built. The Blackstone Canal Company (1823) was organized through an act of the Massachusetts legislature, not by private investors. The Erie Canal was a government-sponsored project from the beginning: in 1817 New York governor DeWitt Clinton's arm-twisting resulted in an appropriation of $7 million in taxpayers money for startup. In 1905 the Erie was replaced by the New York State Barge Canal, which was completed in 1918 at a cost of $96.7 million taxpayer dollars. The Champlain Canal? Taxpayer-funded. The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal? Your tax dollars at work. The Great Lakes Waterway? Public. Saint Lawrence Seaway? Public. The entire freaking Intracoastal Waterway? Public.
I dare you to name any major canal in the U.S. that was built entirely with private funds. Go ahead. Just one.
many roads and airports are built privately
Bull crap, Narses. It wasn't until 1996 that Congress passed legislation even allowing existing airports to solicit private investors. In fact, only one privately funded commercial airport exists in the entire United States: Branson Airport, in Branson, Mo., built with $155 million in investor money. All other commercial airports in the U.S. are publicly-owned and publicly-financed.
And which roads are built privately? If by "roads" you mean "highways", I don't know of one. Sure, there were plenty of privately-owned toll roads back in the pre-automobile era, but these were rarely paved; by the turn of the last century, the number of privately-financed, privately-owned roads in the U.S. was essentially nil.
And I noticed you didn't mention dredged harbors (practically all publicly owned), lighthouses (ditto), the aircraft navigational system (government owned and operated), GPS (ditto), the commercial airline industry (created and sustained by taxpayer money), ship channels, ferries, and tunnels -- practically all of which are entirely supported by public money. Hell, the only two forms of transportation that I can think of that are entirely owned and operated by private investors are the Goodyear blimp and the railroads -- and even they got their start thanks to great lashings of taxpayer cash.
Now I want you to be a grownup and admit you are wrong.
Like that's going to happen...
PROTIP: unless you have some evidence to support your assertions, keep them to yourself — or risk being made a fool of in front of everyone, as I have just done to you.
My first thought was that Savannah is too lovely a town to get mixed up with Atlanta. It’s a poor idea in many aspects, and probably just a way to get some fed $.
The $ discrepancy with NC/FL probably has nothing to do with GA going ‘red’ while the others were ‘blue.’
The Great Dismal Swamp Canal was suggested by George Washington in 1763, authorized by Virginia under Governor Patrick Henry in 1784, authorized by the North Carolina legislature in 1790, work began in 1793 and the canal opened in 1805. It traversed that swamp and connected the Chesapeake Bay of Virginia with Albemarle Sound in North Carolina. It's still in use today, and is a popular, historic segment of the Intracoastal Waterway. It's the oldest canal in continual use in the United States.
I’m sorry, but I missed your point.
What a waste of good taxpayer money this will be. An Atlanta - Columbus - Macon loop maybe. But Savannah? Not a chance. Why build a rail line down a corridor that already has an interstate? It would be better to build a route line that currently does not exist such as Atlanta - Jacksonville or Augusta - Charleston.
Atlanta - Jacksonville - Orlando - miami.
I could see something like that.
My point is that your criticism regarding ignorance of history appears to have been ill considered, B-Chan.
1. Narses makes specific assertions about historical events, without citing any evidence to back them up.
2. I refute these assertions, using evidence.
3. You claim that I am the one “ignorant of history”.
4. WTF
Then they built better roads, we bought better cars and the Nancy Hanks died a natural death.
Who in the HELL thinks it's a good idea to revive her?
Madness.
Seriously? ATL to Savannah?....Why?
The first serious attempt at a canal in the U.S., the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company
This statement of yours is historically inaccurate, as was pointed out in the specific instance of the Great Dismal Swamp Canal. It was surveyed by George Washington himself and one segment, known as "Washington's Ditch" has been in service for over 230 years.
Yawn. History escapes you as badly as both english and logic do. Sad.
Point taken, and thank you for the correction. However, narses’ assertions still lack support, and he has not refuted my counterclaims with better evidence. I believe that makes me the winner of this particular debate.
In other words, you’ve got nothing. B-chan wins again.
” B-chan wins again.”
A legend in your own mind. Ignoring facts, logic and history, but self declared victor, congrats.
I’m the only one who posted any facts. That males me the winner.
“I’m the only one who posted any facts”
Delusional. Sad. Try reading what others posted, try clicking the links I posted. Or revel in your juvenile “victory”.
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