Why all the anger over high speed rail?

[tufsu1]

interesting article

http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/04/21/harrod.high.speed.rail.trains/index.html?hpt=T2

[blandman]

Great article, thanks!

[CS Foltz]

Nice article tufsu! People seem to forget just what "Rail" did in our early history and what it permitted! As in travel from one side to the other! We need to get back to that option or atleast the possibility! Eco minded people should take heed..........but what do I know other than Mr Scott is not the one!

[dougskiles]

Do you think this:

You see, none of these governors actually wishes to turn away the federal money. Each of these governors seeks to redirect those federal funds to highway projects. They are not opposed to government funding of transportation, they are opposed to funding of rail transportation.

has something to do with these governors being elected by those with strong ties to the automobile industry?

[JeffreyS]

For those of you who think Mr. Scott should read this. He knows but he also knows the cro-magnon he reports to in the Tea Party cant won't get it. Best for the country or not is never in consideration it just feels like socialism.

[Noone]

tufsu1. Thanks for the article. I'm warming up more for the streetcar for Jax. Bring it back. I know the story is high speed rail. But a few years back we were at the Zoo and did the train. It was a loop. We used it to get around. I know easier said then done. but looking forward to how the conversations and ideas will be discussed.

[tufsu1]

Noone...the connection between high speed rail and other passenger rail is there...bottom line is folks like Governor Scott don't very much like public transportation....in fact, it is taking a full court press from the communities and chambers of Central Florida on the Governor just to potentially save SunRail.

[jcjohnpaint]

tufsu1. Thanks for the article. I'm warming up more for the streetcar for Jax. Bring it back. I know the story is high speed rail. But a few years back we were at the Zoo and did the train. It was a loop. We used it to get around. I know easier said then done. but looking forward to how the conversations and ideas will be discussed.

I agree.  I think this revolution will be won on the local levels first. 

[Ocklawaha]

Hate to correct your evolution Jeffery but he doesn't report to Cro-magnons (Homo sapiens sapiens)  the Cro Magnon Man is the earliest known modern man, Scott reports to Neanderthals. If we'd just pave the railroads we'd get all the support the oil sucking far right could pump up.

OCKLAWAHA

[Dashing Dan]

Do you think this:

You see, none of these governors actually wishes to turn away the federal money. Each of these governors seeks to redirect those federal funds to highway projects. They are not opposed to government funding of transportation, they are opposed to funding of rail transportation.

has something to do with these governors being elected by those with strong ties to the automobile industry?

Doug:  

In Wisconsin it looks  more like an inside job.  Here's an article from the Trains Magazine website:

Railroad executive faces felony charges for campaign donations
Published: April 11, 2011
wisconsin-southern-Johnny-M
Photo by Johnny Mitchell

MILWAUKEE â€" Prosecutors charged Wisconsin & Southern President William Gardner with two felony counts in connection with campaign finance violations, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has reported. Gardner issued a statement today taking responsibility for the violations and said he’ll plead guilty.

Gardner stands accused of reimbursing Wisconsin & Southern employees who donated money to certain campaigns, mostly gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker. The Republican won election last fall. Gardner also stands accused of giving W&S corporate money to Walker’s campaign. State law prohibits direct corporate donations.

“At the time the contributions were made, I did not realize I was violating the law,” Gardner said. “I never would have asked my employees, friends, or family to break the law.”

The charge carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. However, Milwaukee County Attorney Bruce Landgraf said a plea deal has been reached. “Because he was cooperative and accepted responsibility at the outset, providing much of the evidence against himself, we are not recommending jail time,” he said.

Wisconsin & Southern operates more than 700 miles of track, mostly state-owned, in the southern half of Wisconsin and reaching into the Chicago area.

In one of the comments on this article, it was noted  that a proposed passenger train to Madison would have gone over a state owned line he (Gardner) operates freight over.

Here's another comment on the same article:

This incident gives the appearance of an executive donating funds to a politician to buy the politician's support for continued state grants and loans to the executive's company (and--this is speculation--possibly to reward the politician for opposing a passenger rail project that might have been inconvenient for the company.) I find it remarkable that Gardner received merely a slap on the wrist.

[spuwho]

Road construction firms have a larger stranglehold on politicians than any railroad.

That is why we build asphalt roads to last 10-13 years instead of concrete roads that last 30.

Why have taxpayers pay for a road just once in its life when you can make them pay twice?

[tufsu1]

partially true...concrete roads cost much more to build than asphalt....the road building lobby includes representatives for each....in Florida, the decision on concrete vs. asphalt is usually made based on the % of heavy vehicles

[Ocklawaha]

partially true...concrete roads cost much more to build than asphalt....the road building lobby includes representatives for each....in Florida, the decision on concrete vs. asphalt is usually made based on the % of heavy vehicles

Not only that but the base counts for a lot of the decision and price, for example Oklahoma or Antioquia (my "state" in Colombia) and large parts of Georgia are red clay, get it wet and the water runs off, get it soaked and it has the support capability of cream of mushroom soup. Cha Cing!

Passenger rail BTW, formed it's first real INDUSTRY lobby in decades just a couple of years ago, still an infant.

OCKLAWAHA

[FayeforCure]

For those of you who think Mr. Scott should read this. He knows but he also knows the cro-magnon he reports to in the Tea Party cant won't get it. Best for the country or not is never in consideration it just feels like socialism.

Jeffrey, it is actively being branded as socialism.

Sadly, I came to the conclusion recently that the US is all about M&M:

1. Make Believe
2. Money

Democrats seem less suseptible to "make believe" than Republicans..........that whole "socialism" thing is sooooooo laughable. The US is just sooooooo far behind the rest of the world in taking care of its own, it is outrageous,

The fact that we were looking for a better healthcare system in the US, that doesn't leave almost 60 million people without ANY healthcare insurance, and another 50 million with junk insurance, does NOT constitute a move towards socialism.

It constitutes a move towards the civilization of a modern society.

[JeffreyS]

The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government. :Thomas Jefferson

Taking care of our own isn't just Socialism it is also the American Way.  I am not a true Socialist in fact I am a capitalist business owner who employs 25 people and have aspirations of be modestly rich or even the filthy kind.