Posted on 09/05/2010 12:29:40 PM PDT by Willie Green
AUSTIN, TEXAS Spanish trains whisk passengers from Madrid to Barcelona in little more than two and one-half hours. Japan has bullet trains. China is building a vast network of high-speed rail routes, including the recently opened line between Guangzhou and Wuhan, which covers 1,070 kilometers at the worlds fastest average speed.
Soon, perhaps, the United States, with the worlds largest economy will also clamber on board. So far, the United States in spite of or perhaps because of its vast size has virtually no fast trains capable of moving swiftly enough over a long distance to compete with airplanes.
That could change over the next decade. President Barack Obama has declared high-speed rail to be a priority. He is interested, he has said, in innovations that change the way we travel in America through the creation of cleaner, energy-saving options. The economic stimulus package provided $8 billion toward the development of high-speed rail. Another $2.3 billion in government awards should be announced this autumn, using money from the budget.
Soon, the U.S. government will publish its first-ever national rail plan, laying out a vision for the future of freight and passenger rail. It is supposed to be released by Sept. 15, but a spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration, Warren Flatau, said in an e-mail that Congress had recently requested an additional level of specificity in the document, and the agency is studying how to proceed to provide a thorough and timely report.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Take your choo choo fantasies elsewhere - they are not going to win any fans here.
True, they could do work on their laptops while on public transportation.
Now, while they’re in their cars, that’s when they use their cell phones, which they couldn’t do on public transportation without having to worry about (1) disturbing anyone and (2) anyone hearing or seeing CONFIDENTIAL legal information.
They have very, tight schedules when it comes to calls and places to be, and they also have very tight deadlines.
Some of the attorneys might like it for short one-day trip, but I guarantee you the partners would not.
We need to be less like Europe and more like America.
That’s the point of being America.
The world already has one Europe and many other socialistic nanny states. But there is only one America.
People in America who admire European style government, their rail systems and their socialist governments are wasting their time living here in a land they don’t really like all that much. They should move to a place that already has all of the things they yearn for. They have many, many choices.
Those of us who love the constitution, the American way of life, free enterprise, American ideals and traditions have no where else to go.
In spite of such opposition, I think think high-speed bullet trains are a splendid idea! So there.
What I was attempting to say is that the attorneys could NOT do any legal work on their laptops while on public transportation, because it is confidential, attorrney-client privilege information. If they did do anything on their laptops, it would have to be something other than that, which is not very much.
The 3M Computer Screen Privacy Filter
Stop Snoops from Seeing your Screen
Simply slip the sheet of filter plastic in front of your laptop screen.
The information on your computer can now only be seen by people seated directly in front of the screen.
Even the person sitting right next to you can't see it because of the angle.
How much will it cost to roll out this high speed rail network, Willie?
I protest! What happened to the union? My hubby started working at our local human cattle car industry 31 years ago laying track by hand. ;-)
How does it feel being Obama’s butt-boy, Willie?
Oh Gooody!
Let’s model our economy on that of Spain!
But first we’ll have to double our unemployment, double our taxes, and make the dollar absolutely worthless!
It’s a great idea- be whisked by high-speed rail to the armpits of major American urban centers, then try to get a ride the hell out of the area.
Ever been to the Baltimore Travel Plaza off I95?
Planes are faster. What’s the big deal?
Wait, it’s a picture of the Obama economic policies!
With people snooping over them..
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