Do You Support Federal Funding For California's High-Speed Rail?

[ConservaDerrps]

They ought to be building it from L.A. to Las Vegas...

They OUGHT to be building it half way to Hawaii and offering reduced fare to illegals.

You're a disgusting, racist piece of shit. Teabagger.

 

[Contumacious]

Do You Support Federal Funding For California's High-Speed Rail??

According to Supreme Court Justice Benedict Roberts my opinion don't matter .

.

 

[beagle9]

I totally support this project. It's the kind of thing we should be doing on a national level. We're looking at least 4000 new jobs being created. I thought Republicans loved jobs being created? No?

http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/assets/0/152/159/0150b8aa-a61b-4aeb-9c18-6223d8fe429f.pdf

Except that it would loose money and just become another money pit. If there was a profit to be made with high speed rail, a private customer would be building the system right now. In stead, you want to tax 300 million people to subsidize high speed transportation for the 10 or 12 people who would benefit from another government boondoggle.

Yes, just look at the city busing situation in the nation right now, that is also a good example of this kind of thinking by the liberals or the so called do-gooders while in Washington.

 

[paulitician]

I totally support this project. It's the kind of thing we should be doing on a national level. We're looking at least 4000 new jobs being created. I thought Republicans loved jobs being created? No?

http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/assets/0/152/159/0150b8aa-a61b-4aeb-9c18-6223d8fe429f.pdf

Who will pay for all these supposed jobs? A $68 Billion Taxpayer burden is a very low cost estimate at best. It will end up costing much much more. And why should all American Taxpayers be forced to fund a California project?

Democrats believe it is entirely possible to create jobs by hiring a crew to dig a hole and another crew to fill it in.

Jobs were created No?

Government does not come in on-budget. Their $68 Billion number is a farce. And California is broke anyway. No Federal Funds should be flushed on this one.

 

[candycorn]

They ought to be building it from L.A. to Las Vegas...

I think that would be a much better idea. Or Chicago to Vegas. The key is to get the speed.

I just looked it up: On United, a flight from LAX to LAS is 1:09 in length and costs you $47 (before fees and taxes of course). Lets call it $75.00.

The distance on the highways from LAX to LAS is 282 miles and takes 4:43.

High speed rail, if it is going to compete successfully with planes will have to be cheaper and move faster. Currently, the fastest train in the world is the LGV in France which travels at 351 mph. We would need it to go slightly faster than 282 miles (or slightly less given that the freeways are not a direct shot to Vegas).

So it would have to be 282 miles (give or take) for about $50 bucks. If the project cost $500 Billion, you would need 10 million passengers to make the trip before it paid for it's own construction. Likely a non-starter without heavy federal subsidies. According to Wiki, about 60 million passed through LAX from all points. The percentage heading to Vegas is unknown but suffice to say it would take several years before the construction is paid off much less the upkeep.

Still, I think the project deserves at least some study before it is shit-canned.

 

[paulitician]

Do You Support Federal Funding For California's High-Speed Rail??

According to Supreme Court Justice Benedict Roberts my opinion don't matter .

.

Sad, but true.

 

[beagle9]

They ought to be building it from L.A. to Las Vegas...

They OUGHT to be building it half way to Hawaii and offering reduced fare to illegals.

You're a disgusting, racist piece of shit. Teabagger.

Your the kind of supporter Obama has with that filfthy mouth of yours ?? Go figure that one out would ya.. As Obama would tell ya next if he read this, Uhhhh I don't need your help uhhhh to make me look a little bit worser than I already do thank you, uhhhh but thank you if ya know what I mean..LOL

 

[Katzndogz]

If a high speed rail in the US follows the European model, it will lose billions every year. Transportation in Europe is heavily subsidized and loses money on every ticket sold.

Amtrak Inspector General: Europe’s Trains Lose Billions » The Antiplanner

Last year, Amtrak’s Inspector General hired a European consulting firm to examine such claims. The resulting report demolishes any notion that European railroads make money.



The report found that European countries provide both on-budget and off-budget support to the railroads. Off-budget support, including things like pensions, debt service, and past capital investments, won’t be found in any of the railroads’ annual financial reports. When counted, however, Germany’s state-owned railroad lost an average of $23 billion per year in the past decade, while France’s lost $10 billion.

The report also found that statements of net revenues typically count government support as revenues. Thus, claims that the income of rail lines exceeds costs are true only if you count subsidies as a part of the income.

Some countries also have two types of rail companies: one manages the infrastructure and the other operates the trains. The train operators might be able to report a profit only because the infrastructure companies are heavily subsidized. British trains, for example, have been privatized and operate at a profit — but they run on infrastructure that receives an average of $4.6 billion in state subsidies per year.

It's one of the reasons why the economies of Europe are in such trouble. You can't have an economy that continually loses money.

 

[LoneLaugher]

How China's bullet trains are powering its economy - Rediff.com Business

 

[Ernie S.]

I totally support this project. It's the kind of thing we should be doing on a national level. We're looking at least 4000 new jobs being created. I thought Republicans loved jobs being created? No?

http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/assets/0/152/159/0150b8aa-a61b-4aeb-9c18-6223d8fe429f.pdf

Except that it would loose money and just become another money pit. If there was a profit to be made with high speed rail, a private customer would be building the system right now. In stead, you want to tax 300 million people to subsidize high speed transportation for the 10 or 12 people who would benefit from another government boondoggle.

Hmm. Sounds like a lot of unsubstantiated speculation. Which is also known more commonly as "Bullshit." So why don't you rustle up a few links that support, with actual data now, not Right Wing heeby-jeeby feelings about shit, how it would lose money and become another money pit.

Otherwise, I'll call it California being once again ahead of the curve on cool shit.

Simple math tells me it's bullshit. $68 million and 4000 jobs? that works out to $17,000/job, barely minimum wage and you haven't bought land, steel or rolling stock. Conservaderrp is full of shit, as usual.

 

[Katzndogz]

A rail line will never be profitable. Just like in Europe. Aside from the costs to build it, the cost to maintain it will forever exceed the ticket revenues.

 

[blackhawk]

Given the financial situation of California do you really think they could complete it and turn a profit with it? Given the history I would say no which is also why I would say no to federal dollars to help fund it. If they want it that bad let Jerry Brown and the Democratic legislature raise taxes some more they never seem to have a problem doing that in California.

 

[Ernie S.]

They ought to be building it from L.A. to Las Vegas...

They OUGHT to be building it half way to Hawaii and offering reduced fare to illegals.

You're a disgusting, racist piece of shit. Teabagger.

I'm a realist

And you're an idiot.

 

[Avorysuds]

I totally support this project. It's the kind of thing we should be doing on a national level. We're looking at least 4000 new jobs being created. I thought Republicans loved jobs being created? No?

http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/assets/0/152/159/0150b8aa-a61b-4aeb-9c18-6223d8fe429f.pdf

Wow, 4,000 jobs for only the price of 68 Billion (that will prolly go well over 100 billion). Man Conservatwerp, you might be on to something.

68,000,000,000 divided by 4,000 jobs, divided by 10 years to build.... Only 1.7 Million dollars a job..... per year.

I think we have a runner up for the most stupid person on the boards, It’s TM VS Conservatwerp.

 

[Katzndogz]

How China's bullet trains are powering its economy - Rediff.com Business

See what you can do if labor costs are kept down instead of having a Davis-Bacon Act! Or, unions. Or workplace safety laws. Or, don't have to give break times.

 

[paulitician]

If Californians want it, they should pay for it themselves. It really is that simple.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Theres a lot worse things the feds could waste money on.

If it were viable, it'd already be. The fact that it requires taxpayer money says it is already doomed. It's viable only in the minds of leftist fools.

 

[hjmick]

How China's bullet trains are powering its economy - Rediff.com Business

See what you can do if labor costs are kept down instead of having a Davis-Bacon Act! Or, unions. Or workplace safety laws. Or, don't have to give break times.

Everything is better with bacon...

 

[Sallow]

Yep.

 

[Avorysuds]

Yep.

Watch as in a one word question I destroy Swallow Pro train stance...

Swallow.... Why?