Posted on 01/30/2011 8:04:48 AM PST by rabscuttle385
Key Republicans are embracing a major spending initiative outlined in President Obama's State of the Union address.
Two top members of the House Transportation Committee said they will push the president's initiative seeking to give 80 percent of Americans access to high-speed rail over te course of the next 25 years.
"I believe it's good for America to develop a high-speed rail corridor in the Northeast corridor," Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), the chairman of the railroad subcommittee, said according to the Connecticut Post. "It's a place we have to start, we have to accomplish it, because then I believe all of America, in the various corridors around the country, will want high-speed rail if they see success here."
Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), the chairman of the whole committee, also said Friday he was "pleased that President Obama has helped to launch a system for improved passenger rail service for our nation."
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Austin TX to Houston TX. Actual miles 165. Travel time by car approx. 2 hrs and 45 min.
By speedy Amtrak, and I looked it up on their website. Only ONE departure per day to Houston.
Departs: 6:30 PM
Mon Jan 31 2011
Austin, TX (AUS)
Arrives: 9:55 PM
Mon Jan 31 2011
San Antonio, TX (SAS)
Duration: 3 hr, 25 min
Change trains in San Antonio (literally 70 miles from Austin)
Departs: 11:55 PM
Mon Jan 31 2011
San Antonio, TX (SAS)
Arrives: 4:40 AM
Tue Feb 01 2011
Arrive Houston, TX
Duration: 4 hr, 45 min
8 HOURS 10 MINUTES TO TRAVEL 165 MILES!
COST $44.00
Yep, that's my way of gettin around!
“Still, if Freepers don’t want any money spent on trains (which are a fast, efficient and safe way of travel and have no political implications), they should apply the same standard to highways and go out and construct their own personal interstates.
Give me the RIGHT-OF-WAY that I need, and I PROMISE you that I can make a boatload of money from people driving...and they would be VERY HAPPY about it.
You see, the dirty little secret is that HIGHWAYS ARE CHEAP, very cheap, relative to the cost of any other travel. In fact they’re so cheap that the average vehicle pays a grand total of about 3 cents per mile to drive, in fuel tax.
So, show me where design and build a train for 3 cents per mile, and I will GLADLY support government financing...although that wouldn’t then be necessary. Which is our point here.
0bambi is a Steam Punk.
You know, I started a post back, but never mind. I never did what you just said in your post. But I’m tired of arguing on FR with people who just seem to like the idea of fighting online. I’m not sure what’s afoot, but it doesn’t further the cause.
So, lets all continue to take a bit of what someone said, imagine what we think they might think and then call them whatever is the worst thing we can think of (RINO!) and feel good about ourselves. That will surely solve all the problems in the country!
“8 HOURS 10 MINUTES TO TRAVEL 165 MILES! “
Hey IDIOT, you forgot something. Unless the person just happens to be going from train station to train station, there is significant additional time. Plus there is the time waiting for the (usually late) train to arrive at the station.
There is no way a totally private rail system can be built and run at a profit. The fares would have to be enormous and that would kill off the ridership.
Forget it.
Dear Dumbass RINO-RATS:
If railroads make sense, let the free market provide it. CUT THE DAMN BUDGET!
This topic brings that old saying- “ride them out on a rail” to mind...
“There is no way a totally private rail system can be built and run at a profit. The fares would have to be enormous and that would kill off the ridership.”
Seriously, if Obama wants to throw around hundreds of billions of dollars of more money in some giant infrastructure project, how about a water grid for the country. We’d basically take water from where it is in excess and pump it to where it’s needed. With that, you could probably double food production as there is a lot of land that that would give us great crops if water was available. Plus, we’re talking big pipelines and big UNION JOBS.
Does it make sense? I have no clue...but I suspect that it would be a much better investment than this train system that EVERYONE KNOWS will be a disaster.
Yes
Make your calls alert
“On the other hand, he’s very much in favor of a Florida coast passenger rail from Jacksonville to Miami, which would do a lot for the towns along the route and also for the traffic problems in and around Miami.”
Ok, HAVE AT IT. Since the train would be entirely built within Florida, and since it’s such a great idea, how about you get your legislature in Tallahassee to fund it. Maybe an income tax, perhaps? You know, to help the state advance into the future.
In any case, we in Texas sure as hell are not interested in paying for your Florida-only train.
So, go for it - start making some phone calls.
Did i or did i not quote you in total? There was nothing taken out of context. I did not focus on any one thing other than morons who want to fund a bullet train to bankruptcy with our money being RINOs. Perhaps if you did not understand that it is RINOs getting aboard the Obama gravy train, you would not have opened the door by ranting about being called a RINO because you like rail travel (heavily subsidized with our money going down a money rat hole). Your liking rail travel and not liking being a RINO had nothing whatsoever to do with the article. As for solving the problems of this country, perhaps not acting like a RINO, getting some steel in our backbone, standing up to those who would destroy us and telling moron RINOs to quit stealing our money and giving it to the likes of Obama would go a long, long way to solving those problems. But then in this climate of civility, perhaps that’s way too much truth to bear.
I’m curious. Do you ever actually get real people to change their positions about things when you talk to them about your beliefs? Or do you just feel better after you vent?
Should read:
“I don’t fly. I like the train - ‘cause I'm not groped.”
;-)
Perhaps the disagreement comes down to private trains versus government trains. When the trans-continental rail lines were built, the two more southern routes were heavily government subsidized. They were financial alligators from then to now.
The northernmost route was privately financed and was a cash cow. Cash cow, as in “Moola”. Lots and lots of MOOLA!
Only in limited circumstances are trains acceptable. With newer sources of energy coming on-line in the foreseeable future, why invest in a Steam Age transportation modality when it is about to become extinct?
Only gooberment goobers with visions of skimmed funds dancing before their little piggy eyes would squander public funds on such a prodigious waste.
peanuts
compared to how we send aid
to Afghanistan
Iraq
Egypt
and other enemies of the United States
Take names. Primary every one of them.
Mica and shyster are both owned and operated by the toll road and rail authority, just look up the two dirt bags pork record. The country could do without both of the slime bags.
Well, since you ask. Yes and yes. Then on the other hand i really don't care whether i change the minds of people who don't want to reason through a course of action to its logical conclusion. To me, its a waste of time. Kind of like mental masturbation without a climax.
It would be nice to have high-speed rail between a few points such as Boston-New York or New York-Chicago or LA-San Francisco if — and only if — it could operate without taxpayer support.
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