Economy continuing to collapse : trucking volume is collapsing and will be going down

[loosecannon]

Do you believe it's possible to substitute high-speed rail freight lines for large bodies of navigable water; thereby, opening up vast regions of the US interior to industrialization?

I doubt it but high speed rail could increase labor mobility. At the moment high speed rail is still evolving and locking in on a transitional form of technology is a hugely expensive error.

What if the financing does NOT come from Wall Street?

In 1919 the State of North Dakota began doing business as the State Bank of North Dakota. You are obviously far more knowledgeable about infrastructure than I am, so I'll just mention that state banks can offer mortgages at 2% interest and cap credit cards at 6% levels.

Could not fifty State Banks modeled on North Dakota finance high speed rail more efficiently than Wall Street?

I prefer financing it the way railroads were first financed. By imposing imminent domain over every square block along the proposed line at market value and then selling every other sq block once the route is set to be constructed at much higher prices. Every location business of any significance would need a location along the route, they could either buy space early or lease it for life. Either way the financing provides for itself.

 

[Neubarth]

High speed rail needs to be much lower cost to make sense for the US. The British Isles would fit into Montana with room to spare. CA has such sparse population relative to the Far East or Western Europe that it isn't funny. The wrong solution for current US problems

Wrong!

 

[Neubarth]

The reality is that California is the most populated state in the Union, AND that population is centered in two and a half areas Los-San is one. The Bay Area is another. The Sacramento area is the half. They need to be connected together via a high speed means of public transportation. It needs to be built while land is not encumbered. In addition, the project will put people to work at a time that we need to come up with public projects.

 

[loosecannon]

all evidence suggests it is a project from hell and will go wildly over budget in a time when the state is dead broke. Why are the folks in Palo Alto putting up such a stink over it?

 

[uscitizen]

I doubt it but high speed rail could increase labor mobility. At the moment high speed rail is still evolving and locking in on a transitional form of technology is a hugely expensive error.

What if the financing does NOT come from Wall Street?

In 1919 the State of North Dakota began doing business as the State Bank of North Dakota. You are obviously far more knowledgeable about infrastructure than I am, so I'll just mention that state banks can offer mortgages at 2% interest and cap credit cards at 6% levels.

Could not fifty State Banks modeled on North Dakota finance high speed rail more efficiently than Wall Street?

I prefer financing it the way railroads were first financed. By imposing imminent domain over every square block along the proposed line at market value and then selling every other sq block once the route is set to be constructed at much higher prices. Every location business of any significance would need a location along the route, they could either buy space early or lease it for life. Either way the financing provides for itself.

the govt giving land in this manner is fine, but taking any private property under imminent domain means that the railroad needs to be govt owned and operated, not private since private property was seized.

 

[loosecannon]

What if the financing does NOT come from Wall Street?

In 1919 the State of North Dakota began doing business as the State Bank of North Dakota. You are obviously far more knowledgeable about infrastructure than I am, so I'll just mention that state banks can offer mortgages at 2% interest and cap credit cards at 6% levels.

Could not fifty State Banks modeled on North Dakota finance high speed rail more efficiently than Wall Street?

I prefer financing it the way railroads were first financed. By imposing imminent domain over every square block along the proposed line at market value and then selling every other sq block once the route is set to be constructed at much higher prices. Every location business of any significance would need a location along the route, they could either buy space early or lease it for life. Either way the financing provides for itself.

the govt giving land in this manner is fine, but taking any private property under imminent domain means that the railroad needs to be govt owned and operated, not private since private property was seized.

oh I agree. If the government provides the financing, they should own it.

 

[Neubarth]

the govt giving land in this manner is fine, but taking any private property under imminent domain means that the railroad needs to be govt owned and operated, not private since private property was seized.

In California the Government can take land under eminent domain and still turn it over to a private company for a project that the state wants.

 

[loosecannon]

according to the SC they can do that anywhere.

But it's a maligned practice to do so.

 

[uscitizen]

the govt giving land in this manner is fine, but taking any private property under imminent domain means that the railroad needs to be govt owned and operated, not private since private property was seized.

In California the Government can take land under eminent domain and still turn it over to a private company for a project that the state wants.

Yep, But it is still WRONG.
Several/most states still allow this. Good for politics/contributions.

 

[georgephillip]

I prefer financing it the way railroads were first financed. By imposing imminent domain over every square block along the proposed line at market value and then selling every other sq block once the route is set to be constructed at much higher prices. Every location business of any significance would need a location along the route, they could either buy space early or lease it for life. Either way the financing provides for itself.

the govt giving land in this manner is fine, but taking any private property under imminent domain means that the railroad needs to be govt owned and operated, not private since private property was seized.

oh I agree. If the government provides the financing, they should own it.

This is probably going to sound beyond bizarre, so I'll just throw it out and DUCK!

Could the Pentagon be diverted from defending global Empire to building the First American Republic by taking responsibility for the construction of high-speed rail (freight and passenger) from Maine to Maui?

If tens of thousands of Imperial troops come home (many multi-tour combat vets) wouldn't it be a good idea to have good paying jobs waiting?

Also in many congressional districts 20% of the local dollars in circulation come from defense spending. This would seem to offer a pool of highly motivated, well trained labor that might quickly adapt to creating new infrastructure as opposed to blowing it up.

Could national high-speed rail and universal fiber-optic internet be accurately presented as the first line of National Defense in the 21st Century?

The REAL American Century????????

 

[loosecannon]

well high speed rail from Maine to Maui does sound a little beyond bizarre! Why not just build high speed rail to the moon? It is loaded with rare "earth" minerals!

Beyond that your idea sounds brilliant and remarkably sane. Which is why we will never pursue it!

NEXT!

 

[uscitizen]

well high speed rail from Maine to Maui does sound a little beyond bizarre! Why not just build high speed rail to the moon? It is loaded with rare "earth" minerals!

Beyond that your idea sounds brilliant and remarkably sane. Which is why we will never pursue it!

NEXT!

a couple of years ago we sold enough board ft of lumber in the USA to build a bridge 30 feet wide to the moon.
Some engineering difficulties would have to be overcome of course.

 

[georgephillip]

If humanity is actually able to manufacture molecules of any substance currently in existence, does that represent the biggest threat/benefit/change we have seen in the last 100,000 years?

If we have the ability to engineer fuel for internal combustion engines along with food for ourselves and our domestic animals, what doesn't change?

Possibly high-speed rail and universal fiber-optic internet are precursors to the Rise of Man...?

 

[william the wie]

If humanity is actually able to manufacture molecules of any substance currently in existence, does that represent the biggest threat/benefit/change we have seen in the last 100,000 years?

If we have the ability to engineer fuel for internal combustion engines along with food for ourselves and our domestic animals, what doesn't change?

Possibly high-speed rail and universal fiber-optic internet are precursors to the Rise of Man...?

While interesting what does this have to do with trucking volume collapsing? Why not make this a separate thread and PM me on where to find it if you would please.

 

[loosecannon]

If humanity is actually able to manufacture molecules of any substance currently in existence, does that represent the biggest threat/benefit/change we have seen in the last 100,000 years?

If we have the ability to engineer fuel for internal combustion engines along with food for ourselves and our domestic animals, what doesn't change?

Possibly high-speed rail and universal fiber-optic internet are precursors to the Rise of Man...?

alchemy? I suppose it is possible. But would it be cost effective? 6.8 billion mouths to feed, bodies to cloth, homes to provide, interests to satisfy....

You speak of a world in which pure energy alone as an input coupled with technology can produce any product using virtually any resource supply whether earth, sea water or atmosphere.

But where will we get that energy and at what cost? And what would be the cost of fully sustaining a single human life 100% artificially?

And could we ever know how to do that as well as nature?

And what if such a technology allowed the population to quadruple to 31 billion? Would all of this actually be progress or regress?

 

[loosecannon]

well high speed rail from Maine to Maui does sound a little beyond bizarre! Why not just build high speed rail to the moon? It is loaded with rare "earth" minerals!

Beyond that your idea sounds brilliant and remarkably sane. Which is why we will never pursue it!

NEXT!

a couple of years ago we sold enough board ft of lumber in the USA to build a bridge 30 feet wide to the moon.
Some engineering difficulties would have to be overcome of course.

that is always the bottom line.

 

[KissMy]

 

[william the wie]

I have no idea what this post has to do with this thread but I'm glad to see it. Any clue as to how IL gets an A+ rating. That state has been technically insolvent and in default on some of its debts for over a year, which, silly me, I thought was at best a DDD+ rating. WTF?