Florida Loses $2.4 Billion For High-Speed Trains

[Flaylo]

High speed rail is an economic loser. It has never worked, outside of one or two well traveled corridors. The guv was right. An expensive boondoggle that would have cost taxpayer money for no benefit.

Bitch prove your claim or shut the fuck up, I'm not obligated to believe your bullshit because you say its so. No wonder you rightwingers believe everything goddamned thing your pundits say.

 

[JRK]

Florida Loses $2.4 Billion For High-Speed Trains

The project, which would have connected Tampa and Orlando with high-speed trains, was rejected by Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican. He said he didn't want to obligate the state to pay for what could be expensive operating costs for the line.

However, the Florida Department of Transportation on Wednesday released a study showing the line connecting Tampa to Orlando would have had an operating surplus in 2015, its first year of operation.

This is what happens when you have a governor who runs the state like businessman and a very bad one at that, instead of like a politician. There would have been job creation in this but Repugs never promised job creation in their campaigns did they? Its clear they don't fucking care.

Do not care?
Where was the 2.5 billion coming from?
printed money?
was you going to pay for it?
operating surplus? does this mean the 2.5 billion would have been paid back?
Why does the word operating surplus seem to me a word that has no meaning

 

[JRK]

High speed rail is an economic loser. It has never worked, outside of one or two well traveled corridors. The guv was right. An expensive boondoggle that would have cost taxpayer money for no benefit.

Bitch prove your claim or shut the fuck up, I'm not obligated to believe your bullshit because you say its so. No wonder you rightwingers believe everything goddamned thing your pundits say.

Using the lords name in vain in a public forum puts you in the very stupid and very ignored world I live in.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Tell that to Europeans, Japanese, and Chinese.

How many of those make money?

Our airlines don't make a profit. Would you discontinue them?

Southwest, which is nonunion... does quite well.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

High speed rail is an economic loser. It has never worked, outside of one or two well traveled corridors. The guv was right. An expensive boondoggle that would have cost taxpayer money for no benefit.

Bitch prove your claim or shut the fuck up, I'm not obligated to believe your bullshit because you say its so. No wonder you rightwingers believe everything goddamned thing your pundits say.

 

[Skull Pilot]

What good is a government boondoggle that "creates" jobs if the project ends up as a perpetual drain on the economy because it can't run without continual massive infusions of tax dollars?

There is not one public transportation system that I know of that actually runs solely on the revenue it generates.

And since i will probably never use a high speed rail in Florida, why should any of my tax dollars pay for it? If people in Florida want a high speed train then let them pay for it.

 

[Claudette]

High speed rail is an economic loser. It has never worked, outside of one or two well traveled corridors. The guv was right. An expensive boondoggle that would have cost taxpayer money for no benefit.

Yep. And a good portion of the citizens here don't want it because it only covers a small portion of the State, will create a few temporary jobs, and then the Taxpayers will get stuck with it.

It's a bad deal like everything else coming out of the Disctrict of Criminals these days.

I live down here in Florida and I agree with you 100%. I back the Gov on this one.

High speed rail sounds great but who pays for it if no one uses it??

We the taxpayers of Florida of course.

AMTRAK looses money every year and I have no doubt that a high speed rail in Florida would do the same.

High speed rail would be good for NYC, Boston and places like that where you have a big influx of people that are working in those cities. I think it could be a viable option in that scenario.

 

[JRK]

Its deficit spending

If we are going to deficit spend that much there are better things we can do for the economy than that

I know some of my Liberal friends in Florida are insanely pissed off about this
It was going to save the universe

DRILL BABY DRILL

 

[Harry Dresden]

Another thing to add:

The Florida rail from Orlando-Tampa is unnecessary. But other areas like the Midwest (Chicago-St. Louis, Chicago-Cincinatti) and West Coast (LA-San Diego) are needed.

LA to San Diego has been talked about for years....were is it?......same with going to Santa Barbara.....were is it?.....LA to Vegas was voted down because most of the voters said that if they are going to Vegas they want to get there quick they will fly for what 80 bucks and many enjoy getting out and doing the drive....im not saying a HSR system would not be needed somewhere around here,but the S.Cal region needs to concentrate on the local driving,the morning and evening drives the freeways are pretty congested....

 

[Big Fitz]

Why trains? If we are going to move backwards with ancient, restrictive technology, why not have a national initiative to invest in rickshaws? They work in CHINA!!! Think of all the jobs!

Now, that's the height of conservatism.

The conservative definition of "new technology".

And the string of fools come out to self congratulate a very ignorant 'zinger'.

Please explain how going backwards to a technology that is anti-freedom, "green", heavily unionized, and builds class enmity, conservative?

You'd create jobs, increase the health of people, get cars off the street, cut petroleum use, clean the air, limit population movement, prevent sprawl, increase union membership and create more government. Sounds very liberal to me.

 

[rdean]

Another thing to add:

The Florida rail from Orlando-Tampa is unnecessary. But other areas like the Midwest (Chicago-St. Louis, Chicago-Cincinatti) and West Coast (LA-San Diego) are needed.

LA to San Diego has been talked about for years....were is it?......same with going to Santa Barbara.....were is it?.....LA to Vegas was voted down because most of the voters said that if they are going to Vegas they want to get there quick they will fly for what 80 bucks and many enjoy getting out and doing the drive....im not saying a HSR system would not be needed somewhere around here,but the S.Cal region needs to concentrate on the local driving,the morning and evening drives the freeways are pretty congested....

Everyone enjoys 10 hours of driving.

 

[Skull Pilot]

Now, that's the height of conservatism.

The conservative definition of "new technology".

And the string of fools come out to self congratulate a very ignorant 'zinger'.

Please explain how going backwards to a technology that is anti-freedom, "green", heavily unionized, and builds class enmity, conservative?

You'd create jobs, increase the health of people, get cars off the street, cut petroleum use, clean the air, limit population movement, prevent sprawl, increase union membership and create more government.

Looks like a cure for obesity AND unemployment as i see it.

 

[rdean]

Some people won't fly, ever. The actual travel time is a little more, but the cost will drop as more of the trains are used. There is less hassle than going to an airport.

Funny thing about those costs, they only go up. Ridership never reaches the level it needs to end government subsides, even when they offer massive discounts to entice people away from those planes no one likes.

Check out the map of HSTs all over Europe.

Remember, this isn't new technology. Europeans have been building HSTs for years. There is plenty of data for study. And now there is talk of a HSP from China to London.

The horse and buggy is not new technology either, but you do not see many people using them. You know why?

Take a look at a calendar sometime, we live in the 21st century, not the 19th. Did you know that they had a 100mph + train back in 1893? That they got faster shortly after the turn of the century?

Museum of Science and Industry | What's Here | Exhibits | Transportation Gallery | The Exhibit | 999 Steam Locomotive

That means that this technology has been around for as long as they have had trains? Why do you want to go backward instead of forward? Are you secretly a conservative that wants to make progressives look stupid? You can tell me, i promise not to tell anyone who does not post on USMB.

Conservatives think "steam engines" are "high speed trains"?

Ok, that sheds an entirely different light on the "debate".

 

[driveby]

Florida Loses $2.4 Billion For High-Speed Trains

The project, which would have connected Tampa and Orlando with high-speed trains, was rejected by Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican. He said he didn't want to obligate the state to pay for what could be expensive operating costs for the line.

However, the Florida Department of Transportation on Wednesday released a study showing the line connecting Tampa to Orlando would have had an operating surplus in 2015, its first year of operation.

This is what happens when you have a governor who runs the state like businessman and a very bad one at that, instead of like a politician. There would have been job creation in this but Repugs never promised job creation in their campaigns did they? Its clear they don't fucking care.

Florida isn't Europe, clown....

 

[Flaylo]

Florida Loses $2.4 Billion For High-Speed Trains

The project, which would have connected Tampa and Orlando with high-speed trains, was rejected by Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican. He said he didn't want to obligate the state to pay for what could be expensive operating costs for the line.

However, the Florida Department of Transportation on Wednesday released a study showing the line connecting Tampa to Orlando would have had an operating surplus in 2015, its first year of operation.

This is what happens when you have a governor who runs the state like businessman and a very bad one at that, instead of like a politician. There would have been job creation in this but Repugs never promised job creation in their campaigns did they? Its clear they don't fucking care.

Florida isn't Europe, clown....

Who said it was you dumb ass motherfucker? Get a geography lesson or learn not to build a strawman.

 

[Big Fitz]

Some people won't fly, ever. The actual travel time is a little more, but the cost will drop as more of the trains are used. There is less hassle than going to an airport.

Funny thing about those costs, they only go up. Ridership never reaches the level it needs to end government subsides, even when they offer massive discounts to entice people away from those planes no one likes.

Check out the map of HSTs all over Europe.

Remember, this isn't new technology. Europeans have been building HSTs for years. There is plenty of data for study. And now there is talk of a HSP from China to London.

The horse and buggy is not new technology either, but you do not see many people using them. You know why?

Take a look at a calendar sometime, we live in the 21st century, not the 19th. Did you know that they had a 100mph + train back in 1893? That they got faster shortly after the turn of the century?

Museum of Science and Industry | What's Here | Exhibits | Transportation Gallery | The Exhibit | 999 Steam Locomotive

That means that this technology has been around for as long as they have had trains? Why do you want to go backward instead of forward? Are you secretly a conservative that wants to make progressives look stupid? You can tell me, i promise not to tell anyone who does not post on USMB.

Conservatives think "steam engines" are "high speed trains"?

Ok, that sheds an entirely different light on the "debate".

Designed and built in the 1950's for Russian rail lines. Put back into service post Soviet collapse by private operators in 1990, and some are still being used today.

Burns coal or oil like a BITCH but is one helluva locomotive.

Don't forget, till after the Bullet train and high speed electrics, the fastest locomotive in the world was a coal fired A4 Mallard that reached speeds of 126mph. Most diesels won't do this speed, and most tracks aren't in condition to handle it anyway in most countries. Course, Maglev beats em all but costs a FORTUNE in comparison to build and is even less proven.

 

[Big Fitz]

Florida Loses $2.4 Billion For High-Speed Trains




This is what happens when you have a governor who runs the state like businessman and a very bad one at that, instead of like a politician. There would have been job creation in this but Repugs never promised job creation in their campaigns did they? Its clear they don't fucking care.

Florida isn't Europe, clown....

Who said it was you dumb ass motherfucker? Get a geography lesson or learn not to build a strawman.

The US can never build a european style railway system for two VERY critical reasons:

Geographical size
Population density

This is why Japan and Europe have excellent rail systems. They have the ridership and they are small. Can you imagine a functioning commuter rail in Kansas? I sure as hell can't. I know you coasties don't give a shit about flyover country, but this is the kind of place the majority of Americans live; in small cities and large towns. They don't live blocks from a rail station, they live 3-30 MILES away if they're lucky. The population density is not there to cover the costs to supply the needs of the community.

In the 19th century, the great plains had populations close to rail hubs at first. Farmers and remote agricultural communities from Walnut Grove to Sleepy Eye, who can't live next to them, are forced to use other means to get around, mostly horse and buggy back then. You are proposing to fill the world again with railroads to service all of North America (Canookia is even worse BTW once you leave Toronto). I find it humorous to remember the Colorado Southern Galloping Gooses of the early 1900's. A bus essentially that ran on the rails. Great for small mining towns many miles apart in the mountains... but that's when the whole town was a short walk away and they were very unhelpful for daily travel.

Fantasy. Utter fantasy. This is why the dream must fail. Rail is good for a few basic things. Long distance freight hauling, and intermediate distance high speed passenger rail between high to extreme density population hubs. Everything else is best served by car or truck.

 

[driveby]

Florida Loses $2.4 Billion For High-Speed Trains




This is what happens when you have a governor who runs the state like businessman and a very bad one at that, instead of like a politician. There would have been job creation in this but Repugs never promised job creation in their campaigns did they? Its clear they don't fucking care.

Florida isn't Europe, clown....

Who said it was you dumb ass motherfucker? Get a geography lesson or learn not to build a strawman.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Dickhead, his statement was that high speed rail never worked so I'm challenging him to back his shit up, take your strawman and shove it up your dumb, funky, fucked up ass.

How is it a straw man to point out that every place high speed rail exists it is subsidized by the government? So, again, does a government an industry that requires government subsidies to exist at all, never mind survive, meet your definition of working? If it does, you can never again complain about any government bailout of banks or the fat cats that run them, because you believe that makes them successful.

A government subsidy is a bail out, which is why intelligent people oppose them both.

i don't give a fuck about your bitching and paranoia about the big, bad federal government you mindlessly believe exists, I challenging the lie that high speed rail has never worked which Rabbi stated, your paranoid bullshit has nothing to do with this stated claim so shut the fuck up with your strawman because thats what it is.

You do not believe that the government exists? Why am I even talking to you then?

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Some people won't fly, ever. The actual travel time is a little more, but the cost will drop as more of the trains are used. There is less hassle than going to an airport.

Funny thing about those costs, they only go up. Ridership never reaches the level it needs to end government subsides, even when they offer massive discounts to entice people away from those planes no one likes.

Check out the map of HSTs all over Europe.

Remember, this isn't new technology. Europeans have been building HSTs for years. There is plenty of data for study. And now there is talk of a HSP from China to London.

The horse and buggy is not new technology either, but you do not see many people using them. You know why?

Take a look at a calendar sometime, we live in the 21st century, not the 19th. Did you know that they had a 100mph + train back in 1893? That they got faster shortly after the turn of the century?

Museum of Science and Industry | What's Here | Exhibits | Transportation Gallery | The Exhibit | 999 Steam Locomotive

That means that this technology has been around for as long as they have had trains? Why do you want to go backward instead of forward? Are you secretly a conservative that wants to make progressives look stupid? You can tell me, i promise not to tell anyone who does not post on USMB.

Conservatives think "steam engines" are "high speed trains"?

Ok, that sheds an entirely different light on the "debate".

I present you with the fact that over 100 years ago trains were the fastest form of transportation. People still chose to drive and/or fly because it is more convenient that trains. Trains do not go anywhere there are no tracks. Cars can go almost anywhere, even places horses cannot. Planes can take off and land places it would be impossible to build rails to.

We live in the 21st century, not the 19th. You are the one that is looking backward here.