There Are Amtrak Haters Out There

[Ocklawaha]

Btw, if I was in position to give an entity taxpayer money and they didn't have their act together, I'd limit the amount of money given to them as well.  If we had done that locally over the last decade, the city would not be in the financial situation it is in today. 

In an earlier post in this thread I showed you the miracle of what happens when you adequately fund a government entity such as the VA,......it is now THE best healthcare system in the US, outperforming any other.

Keeping Amtrak anorexic isn't a prescription for success. I personally believe that who you support to represent your area makes a huge difference for your area, in particular when it comes to transportation.

Faye, watching this from the sidelines is hilarious. Your information seems taken completely from web searches of newspaper and media story's. Your mention of our own TU reporter Larry Hannan, as one of your "sources" demonstrates how far off this issue of rail you really are. MJ felt we had to do a SECOND run of a piece we did on the various modes of rail. We did this partly because Larry, like you, was mixing Amtrak, Light Rail, Commuter Rail, and small puppy's into a single group.

I'm glad Lakelander has done a better job then I of defending Mica, because your constant hate speak on these boards have convinced me that whoever or whatever you are, your not the cure. Frankly I'm tired of the mud, and I don't even see the race.

As for your "Conservative Rand Report," the VA is the best in the nation, so Ock doesn't know what he's talking about? If this were any other circumstance your would be assassinating the credibility of the Rand Report because Mica, 1. reads it, 2. read it, or 3. might read it. Have you ever been in a hospital where thousands of little gnat like flies sprouted from the shower drains? VAMC OKC! How about a hospital where  Endoscopy is performed without anesthesia? VAMC LOS ANGELES! How about setting up an approved after hours RX pickup, and THAT alone upsets some nurse so much that she screams and throws the medicine at you? VAMC LAKE CITY! Ever been in a hospital where the public restrooms had raw sewage on the floor, along with discarded hampers of clothing littering the area? VAMC MIAMI! What would you think of a Medical Center that gives Flu shots to the public one year, then refuses to give them to someone as close as a spouse the next? VAMC ORLANDO! How about a major city clinic, without a coffee shop, snack bar, cafe, or any other human comfort? VAJAX! You see I have a form of national health care, and guess what? IT SUCKS! So along with it, I continue to pay my $500+ dollars a month for private insurance just to give myself an alternative. Stephendare has been with me when I stopped in to pick up medicine at the VA, so having walked around the place, he should be able to tell you how inviting it is.

Mica is the least of our worries right now, but your cure by attack, is nothing I want to deal with.

As for private rail carriers with passenger services or private operators on our railroads, one only has to look at the cruise trains in the Pacific Northwest then draw your own conclusions: http://www.rockymountaineer.com/  or  http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Station/Station_Page&code=JAX  or
a private operator on a State owned railroad: http://www.princesslodges.com/alaska_rail_tours_learn.htm
OCKLAWAHA

[Ocklawaha]

Yeah, except Mica is a human, and JTA or Amtrak are government corporations.

Supporting the Rand report on the VA, because it fits an agenda, is irresponsible to our veterans. This system still needs some serious house cleaning.

OCKLAWAHA

[FayeforCure]

Btw, if I was in position to give an entity taxpayer money and they didn't have their act together, I'd limit the amount of money given to them as well.  If we had done that locally over the last decade, the city would not be in the financial situation it is in today. 

In an earlier post in this thread I showed you the miracle of what happens when you adequately fund a government entity such as the VA,......it is now THE best healthcare system in the US, outperforming any other.

Keeping Amtrak anorexic isn't a prescription for success. I personally believe that who you support to represent your area makes a huge difference for your area, in particular when it comes to transportation.

Faye, watching this from the sidelines is hilarious. Your information seems taken completely from web searches of newspaper and media story's. Your mention of our own TU reporter Larry Hannan, as one of your "sources" demonstrates how far off this issue of rail you really are. MJ felt we had to do a SECOND run of a piece we did on the various modes of rail. We did this partly because Larry, like you, was mixing Amtrak, Light Rail, Commuter Rail, and small puppy's into a single group.

Just for the record, I'm well aware of the difference between Amtrak, Light Rail, and Commuter Rail. As a matter of fact I did not own a car till I was 24 years old, because guess what,..........I used public transportation including light rail, commuter rail, and National rail exclusively. You see, I grew up in a rail culture.

When was the last time you used public transportation other than for pleasure,.........eating in those restaurant cars you so like to post about?

I'm sorry you have personal issues with the VA. But acknowledgment from the conservative Rand corp that people are getting the proper treatment and follow-up and far better than any other US healthcare system, in a statistically significant study is far more relevant than your anecdotal individual experience.

[Ocklawaha]

author=FayeforCure link=topic=6013.msg95630#msg95630 date=1252281837]

Just for the record, I'm well aware of the difference between Amtrak, Light Rail, and Commuter Rail. As a matter of fact I did not own a car till I was 24 years old, because guess what,..........I used public transportation including light rail, commuter rail, and National rail exclusively. You see, I grew up in a rail culture.

When was the last time you used public transportation other than for pleasure,.........eating in those restaurant cars you so like to post about?

Based on your referral in several posts about Jacksonville - Miami "commuter rail," on the FEC RY this is interesting.

Pulling rank on me won't work, I didn't own a car until I landed in Coral Ridge, 2 years ago. Last time I ate aboard a train, in Oklahoma-Texas about a month ago. BTW, those "restaurant cars" are called dining cars in a railroad culture.[/quote]

I'm sorry you have personal issues with the VA. But acknowledgment from the conservative Rand corp that people are getting the proper treatment and follow-up and far better than any other US healthcare system, in a statistically significant study is far more relevant than your anecdotal individual experience.

Anecdotal? Ask any veteran, I think we all have horror stories. As a life member of DAV I can speak to us constantly in a struggle to get funding for the most basic VA services. Jacksonville, arguably with a huge retired military family, doesn't even have a hospital, or overnight surgery center. Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Miami, Gainesville and LAKE CITY all have full VA hospitals. This is another failure that needs to be addressed locally. Specialty clinic's? We finally got some new specialty clinics, but they are not connected to the main VA clinic, in fact they are in a new building in the middle of an office park at JTB and I-95. So many of our veterans don't or can't drive and this is creating a real hardship for them. The clinics downtown are running anywhere from 3 months to as much as 5-6 months out for appointments. God forbid that they are treating a life threatening condition. That is "my" VA experience, in 5 states, from Oregon to Florida, call it what you want.

OCKLAWAHA

[Ocklawaha]

I'm pretty sure you will find him (Mica) strong on local, weak on national Amtrak. Stronger on private operators then anyone else around. BTW, wasn't one of the private operators with your table at the Orlando show? Wonder if we could get their interest in JAX? Do you still have his card?

OCKLAWAHA

[FayeforCure]

In the current round of funding for Amtrak, there are no provisions for Jacksonville and our Transit Agency at our behest has been  working to get Jacksonville included.

That's a local issue.  Mica has nothing to do with getting Amtrak back in DT Jax.  His district does not even extend that far.  DT Jax is Brown's territory.  

congressional District 7


Nevertheless, if we can't convince Amtrak to move back DT as a part of the plan, we still benefit on the FEC corridor by them having to make track capacity improvements and adding a station in St. Augustine to get underway.

Hmmm, DT Orlando is also not in Mica's district either, but the Orlando folks seem to turn to Mica to help them get federal funding for their projects!

Orlando, Orange County Resurrect Light Rail Idea
POSTED: 7:12 pm EST February 14, 2005
UPDATED: 7:32 pm EST February 14, 2005


Orlando and Orange County are teaming up to bring the idea of a light-rail train back to life.

It would connect Orlando International Airport to the Orange County Convention Center on South International Drive, and then run along Interstate 4 and into downtown Orlando.

The idea of a light rail train was approved by Orlando but rejected by Orange County Commissioners in 1998, mostly over cost issues, WESH NewsChannel 2 reported.

Now, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and County Mayor Rich Crotty have written letters to U.S. Rep. John Mica, asking him to obtain federal funding to get the idea going again.

An environmental study would cost an estimated $6 million, design would cost $120 million and it would cost about $1.2 billion to build.


To comment on this story, send an e-mail to Greg Fox.

http://www.wesh.com/travelgetaways/4196924/detail.html

And in an earlier post it was clear Mica wanted to dock Tampa for their lack of support for his Central Florida pet commuter rail project.

So Mica definitely should be a factor in Jax, even though he neglects Jax.

So Ock, Mica is NOT strong on local rail, when it comes to Jax. In fact he is MIA altogether for Jax.

[Ocklawaha]

Faye, he was just here a few months ago, making a speech to the "N. FL. Women in Transportation Conference."
Mike Miller, James Boyle, and several others from JTA were present. I was there also. Before the meeting I went down to the front and had a short chat, which ended after I took Mica up the stairs to introduce him to the newer JTA guys and gals.

He slipped his personal business card in my hand, with his home information on it. With some frustration, after our transit talk on Streetcars, Commuter Rail, Skyways and such, he said, "Bob, bring me SOMETHING from these people, we need mass transit projects now, not 10 years from now." He indicated to me that both he and representative Brown, would work together to get funding for our plans, if we would just MAKE plans.

OCKLAWAHA

[thelakelander]

Hmmm, DT Orlando is also not in Mica's district either, but the Orlando folks seem to turn to Mica to help them get federal funding for their projects!

You do know that the Sunrail project extends 61 miles?  A good portion of phase 1 (Deland, Deltona, Seminole County, etc.) falls within District 7. So what is the complaint again?

[thelakelander]

I don't know what the controversy is either.  Btw, how was your talk with Mica today? Any update on Sunrail's progress?  It could really make our commuter rail picture a lot clearer.

[FayeforCure]

Hmmm, DT Orlando is also not in Mica's district either, but the Orlando folks seem to turn to Mica to help them get federal funding for their projects!

You do know that the Sunrail project extends 61 miles?  A good portion of phase 1 (Deland, Deltona, Seminole County, etc.) falls within District 7. So what is the complaint again?

Huh? Did you even look to see if the article was about your pet project Sunrail? NO, it was about LRT. Please read again:

Orlando, Orange County Resurrect Light Rail Idea
POSTED: 7:12 pm EST February 14, 2005
UPDATED: 7:32 pm EST February 14, 2005


Orlando and Orange County are teaming up to bring the idea of a light-rail train back to life.

It would connect Orlando International Airport to the Orange County Convention Center on South International Drive, and then run along Interstate 4 and into downtown Orlando.

The idea of a light rail train was approved by Orlando but rejected by Orange County Commissioners in 1998, mostly over cost issues, WESH NewsChannel 2 reported.

Now, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and County Mayor Rich Crotty have written letters to U.S. Rep. John Mica, asking him to obtain federal funding to get the idea going again.

An environmental study would cost an estimated $6 million, design would cost $120 million and it would cost about $1.2 billion to build.

http://www.wesh.com/travelgetaways/4196924/detail.html

Be careful what you accuse me of,.....it doesn't become you to say something that isn't.

[thelakelander]

I see we just can't get off Mica's jock strap.  My earlier point about moving Amtrak back to DT is that the plan to bring Amtrak to the FEC is in place.  However, moreso than going after Mica to jump on board, we need a push from our local officials.  For all we know, if JTA and Mayor Peyton went to Mica to ask him to back a plan to get the Amtrak station back to the Prime Osborn, he could support such a plan.  Because its a move that benefits commuter rail which is something that's right down Mica's alley.  At least Orlando's local officials have the vision to lobby for the support of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Republican Leader.  Can anyone confirm that Mayor Peyton has asked for a similar request made by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and was rejected?

[thelakelander]

Don't know but its a weird picture to imagine.

[Ocklawaha]

Ugh! Retch! Puke!

If Orlando is planning to use I-4 for LRT rather then CSX or another right-of-way (OUC, Medians etc) then the Light Rail, is going to have the same trouble attracting riders as HSR. Under I-4 downtown might work.
Downtown via CSX/under I-4 - to Tradeport area - to OIA. Florida just doesn't get it that people don't live, work or walk along freeways...it's illegal!

OCKLAWAHA

[Ocklawaha]

Support or Attack? Either way it is ugly. The daily Mica attacks have become a strain, and it appears that there is no relief in sight. Run for office if you want, but run on YOUR ideas, and ideals, and not half way up someone else's butt. Explain why your view are different and leave it at that.

Peace Stephen, this would be welcome.

OCKLAWAHA

[DavidWilliams]

This is an honest question...I reacted a couple of days ago with disdain for Amtrak. But, how many people use it? I am 43 and I am not sure if I know (or have ever known) anyone that has taken even one trip. I have never heard anyone say so. That may have to do with the logistics of it (now and then)....Just asking.

Interestingly enough, I find the bar (err lounge?) car kind of fascinating when I see it pass while I am waiting at the tracks. Once I am independently wealthy, I could take a month long trip up the East coast.