Lawmakers seek investigation of Amtrak executives

The Washington Times ^ | September 23, 2010 | Jim McElhatton

[jazusamo]

Three senior Republican lawmakers are calling for an investigation on whether to fire a pair of top Amtrak executives in the wake of a report accusing the rail service of getting rid of its inspector general after he uncovered waste and abuse in the top reaches of the company.

In a letter Thursday to Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the lawmakers accuse Amtrak Chairman Thomas Carper and General Counsel Eleanor Acheson of "unlawfully" interfering with the independence of the taxpayer-funded company's inspector general, who is charged with rooting out corruption and mismanagement.

The letter cites a report released earlier this month by a pair of congressional Republicans that concluded Amtrak never told Congress last year it forced out former longtime inspector general Fred Weiderhold, despite a law requiring prior notice.

The report, released by Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Darrell Issa of California, ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, also stated that Mr. Weiderhold was targeted because of his "effective track record of exposing waste, fraud and abuse at the highest levels within Amtrak."

[Yo-Yo]

What? A rail transportation story not posted by Willie?

[logician2u]

Ping to see what Willie has to say about this . .

[GonzoGOP]

Somebody needs to ping Willy. Because government run railways are just such a good idea.

[Red Dog #1]

Paging Willies Green

Darn it, someone needed to do it...you know it would break his heart to miss an opportunity to comment.

[RexBeach]

None of them can tell time.

[cripplecreek]

They Walpined him.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Trust Chuck Grassley to find another $900 toilet seat.

[jazusamo]

What? A rail transportation story not posted by Willie?

ROFL!

[jazusamo]

They Walpined him.

Exactly, when an IG does his job in this administration they're on the hit list.

[Frantzie]

LOL! Willie Green the pimp for HS and light rail.

The idiots pimping Apple press releases are just as bad. No one pimps MSFT or LINUX crap. Maybe we should all shill for products like the Apple zombies.

[GonzoGOP]

I’m a big fan of railways, just not government owned railways. Government can screw up even a good idea.

[Red Dog #1]

jazusamo,
I would like to point out that Willie only post stories about PASSEGNER rail transportation. He's actually made some negative comments about those evil profitable/productive freight railroads. lol

[Leisler]

The freight railroads are in bed with Big Oil, cause..um...ah...um...Koch Brothers!

/williethink off

[Frantzie]

Well railways that transport frieght are profitable free enterprise businesses. Trains transporting people do not seem to work because govt involvement and I do not think they make economic sense. I like trains too.

[Frantzie]

You are kidding right? LOL! Willie hates freight trains i.e. the ones that make money?

I would like to put Willie on a slow cross country freight train as a hobo. The idiot needs to ride the rails.

Actually - the economy is so bad that being a freight train hobo is starting to sound glamorous.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

HYuk HYuk!

(You can page Boxcar Willie at the nearest Homeless Shelter. Once refered to as “Hobo’s”.)

[GonzoGOP]

Trains transporting people do not seem to work because govt involvement and I do not think they make economic sense.

There are places where they make sense. Usually due to (1)The need to move a lot of people who are all going in the same general direction. (2)The high cost or physical impossibility of implementing the alternatives. The second is usually the driving factor.

For example here in Chicago METRA and the CTA can move move a mind numbing amount of people out of the loop in a very short period of time. While they lose money, the cost of building and maintaining highways to carry the traffic would be much more expensive. And the subway, being electric, makes use of space that couldn't be used by highways. And the profitable freight railways help to reduce the cost of roadbed and rail used by METEA. However the government, by not permitting fare increases even though METRA operates near capacity, and METRA and the CTA to give free rides to seniors, has managed to screw up even this relatively efficient transport network.

But note these are not "High Speed" railroads. They are not the glamorous projects that get politicians elected. They simply serve as a connection to remote parking lots.

For an example where HSR was used successfully in France. They had no land for increased airports. And due to heavy investment in nuclear power they had cheep electricity. So they went with high speed rail. Again a very special set of circumstances, couldn't use air, roads are more expensive to build, and inexpensive electricity.

The problem with the many rail promoters is that they try to claim that rail will make people and business want to go to the cities. Where its real value is bringing people efficiently to cities where they already want to go. The demand needs to be there first.

[Jeff Chandler]

While they lose money, the cost of building and maintaining highways to carry the traffic would be much more expensive.

A more practical answer would be to convert most of the government office jobs to telecommuting jobs.

(Then outsource them to India, LOL!)

[ExTxMarine]

The problem with the many rail promoters is that they try to claim that rail will make people and business want to go to the cities. Where its real value is bringing people efficiently to cities where they already want to go. The demand needs to be there first.

THANK YOU! I try to explain this to so many people, and they simply do NOT want to admit to it! Trains, no matter what kind, do NOT create DEMAND - there must BE demand before they are built! Otherwise, they simply become endless money pits that are seen as a never ending entitlement! Oh, we can't get rid of these NOW, there are three people who won't be able to get to the mall! BS!!