I agree with that - it should have begun when the law requiring it was enacted in 2008.
Funding does not cover for the engineers malfeasance - provided that was indeed the case.
As for the rest of that drivel, here's FRA's report to Congress 01Aug2012
Whether you accept this as fact or not...
I personally haven't found one that's 100% accurate 100% of the time. Same with most progressive media sources (although, Chris Matthews and Rachel Maddow on MSNBC are probably the most honest and accurate - even if Rachel is far far left).
I fact check topics I'm interested in no matter what...
Right - because opinions don't require facts.
A little birdie told me that they had been fighting the FCC for rights to use these frequencies. Surely you can't blame that on lack of funding? That's government obstruction.
Actually, I've read otherwise.
Speed Control Was Installed Not On...
Wow - I misspoke. This will teach me to look it up first.
The red lines are where PTC is fully functional. The black circle is the site of the crash.
I admit to being wrong. It's your turn to admit to being an idiot - you didn't look it up either.
You'll have to show evidence of that. Congress just pared another $200+ million off their operating budget and ridership is down (not that it ever covered more than a fraction of real costs) - I agree that the money is being mishandled, IMO it's being unwisely spent at the congressional level...
So, you have no real working knowledge of what the device does or how it works.
It's not an option, the engineer can neither enable nor disable the device. It can't be overridden. The engineer MUST respond to the alarm or the train just stops.
Amtrak enables the use of the device - provided...
4 deflections and a missed point.
Just answer the question. If a device existed that would prevent you from slamming into the car in front of you in any scenario you could possibly imagine (that particular goalpost is now in cement), would you not be wise to use it? Seems like a simple question...
I'll stipulate to that. Engineers actually memorize their lines. From what the NTSB has related so far the train accelerated into the turn, and trains don't do that on their own. The NTSB has said that the engineer's phone had been used during they day of the crash, but hadn't yet determined...
3 deflections in a row. Not bad!
What if your brakes failed - that happens, and sometimes unexpectedly. Or how about if you simply lost steering altogether - that actually happened to me once. If there was a device that could possibly save your life against mechanical failure AS WELL AS human...
That's really shortsighted. It has been a "lack of preparation" brought on by constant reductions in operating budget due to the misguided notion that lack of ridership equals system failure. And the constant reductions in operating budget were a direct result of shoddy Republican leadership.
Did you not even read the details in your own link? Or do you just form an opinion and hold onto it until it's shot to pieces?
If there is a "magical" device which would keep you from ramming into the car ahead of you, would it be wise to actually use it? And, if you had been mandated to use it...