Poll: High-Speed Rail for $53b

[kwc57]

Tokyo-Osaka
Paris-Lyon
Two very busy lines... but not profitable...they only break even...

Which explains why we dont have it - the market doesn't want it.

Keep getting full body cavity searches to get on overpriced airline flights that are constantly delayed or cancelled and the market could shift.

 

[Mr.Fitnah]

What does high speed rail run on?

The same tracks as the freight trains, what could possibly go wrong?

 

[Faccops]

Very true. Remind me again how many times this has happened to a passenger train in the US. Why would a HSR train be more enticing to a terrorist that a regular passenger train. When we start NOT doing things because we worry about the possibility of how a terrorist COULD attack it, they have won.

It probably hasn't happened much, because it's not a very popular method of transport, so it's not so inviting of a target. But I agree this isn't a good reason not plunk down our tax $ on trains.... it's sounding like trains are a very cost-ineffecient / expensive mode of transport. That alone gets my NO vote.

 

[westwall]

What does high speed rail run on?

The same tracks as the freight trains, what could possibly go wrong?

No, HSR runs on very expensive special rails systems.

 

[westwall]

Tokyo-Osaka
Paris-Lyon
Two very busy lines... but not profitable...they only break even...

Which explains why we dont have it - the market doesn't want it.

Keep getting full body cavity searches to get on overpriced airline flights that are constantly delayed or cancelled and the market could shift.

What makes you think rail travel will be exempt

TSA: AMTRAK, TSA and Local Law Enforcement Deploy Across Northeast Corridor Rail Stations

 

[The T]

What does high speed rail run on?

The same tracks as the freight trains, what could possibly go wrong?

Yep. The rail is only as good as the maintenance practices of the company that maintains it.

 

[The T]

Angry Egyptian Camel man wants more camel power. Surely Obama can find a way to build more choo choo trains AND supply more camels?

Or at the very least provide a subsidy for Railborne Camel Cars?

 

[daveman]

It's high time we began a long trudge to catch up with Europe, Japan and China.
It'll be years before we see high speed in operation. They've had it for years already.

Thanks to conservatives, the US is falling behind more forward thinking countries. Germany is advanced in solar energy. China is working hard to try to eclipse (no pun intended) all other countries in the development of solar power technology. All of Europe is developing an integrated wind power grid. Brazil already has an advanced system of ethanol powered cars and trucks which keeps it from being dependent on ME oil. Of course, none of these ideas would have gotten very far without the partnership of the respective gov'ts in all these countries.

Unfortunately, the modern day conservative mentality is to try to stand in the way of American success if Obama can take any credit for it at all. Some conservatives are like children in that sense. Given the choice between American success under a Democrat administration or American failure as our country loses ground to China, India and others in the new global competition, they choose failure in the hope that will allow them to regain power. Those are signs of shortsighted selfishness and emotional immaturity.

A sign of shortsighted selfishness and emotional immaturity is insisting we do unaffordable things that have already proven to be unsuccessful because they'll make the left "feel good".

 

[Synthaholic]

Government-provided transportation isn't mentioned in the Constitution.

Neither is Socialism For Soldiers, dumbass.

My goodness, but you're a stupid, stupid little man.

Yeah, I know - it's your Entitlement Mentality. Doesn't matter if it's in the Constitution, right?

 

[daveman]

You have an interstate highway system linking all the major cities across the nation. You build the HSR on pylons in the median between opposing lanes. The land is already there, use it and follow the road routes. There would only be minimal right of way needs where the rail would split for the road coming into stations in the cities.

There's plenty of room in the medians...until you get to an overpass.

 

[daveman]

Can we afford not to come up with alternatives to oil intensive modes of transportation?

Isn't the private sector already doing/developing that via electric cars that continue to get more popular?

As somebody said: the U.S. just has too many square miles for high speed trains to be our solution.

You have a defeatist attitude.

Wishing won't make it so.

 

[Political Junky]

They do well in Europe. The problem is speed.

There are only two HSR systems worldwide that don't require extensive government subsidies to remain in operation.

Tokyo-Osaka
Paris-Lyon

Two very busy lines... but not profitable...they only break even...

“High-speed rail is good for society and it’s good for the environment, but it’s not a profitable business,” said Mr. Barrón of the International Union of Railways. He reckons that only two routes in the world — between Tokyo and Osaka, and between Paris and Lyon, France — have broken even.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/30/b...l=1&adxnnlx=1297285439-0nEwN/6P0PVM4WaPc16bgg

Breaking even is great.

 

[The T]

It's high time we began a long trudge to catch up with Europe, Japan and China.
It'll be years before we see high speed in operation. They've had it for years already.

Thanks to conservatives, the US is falling behind more forward thinking countries. Germany is advanced in solar energy. China is working hard to try to eclipse (no pun intended) all other countries in the development of solar power technology. All of Europe is developing an integrated wind power grid. Brazil already has an advanced system of ethanol powered cars and trucks which keeps it from being dependent on ME oil. Of course, none of these ideas would have gotten very far without the partnership of the respective gov'ts in all these countries.

Unfortunately, the modern day conservative mentality is to try to stand in the way of American success if Obama can take any credit for it at all. Some conservatives are like children in that sense. Given the choice between American success under a Democrat administration or American failure as our country loses ground to China, India and others in the new global competition, they choose failure in the hope that will allow them to regain power. Those are signs of shortsighted selfishness and emotional immaturity.

A sign of shortsighted selfishness and emotional immaturity is insisting we do unaffordable things that have already proven to be unsuccessful because they'll make the left "feel good".

Indeed. The left lives off symbolism and never wants to deal with real consequences. That's someone else's fault and/or problem.

 

[daveman]

Neither is Socialism For Soldiers, dumbass.

My goodness, but you're a stupid, stupid little man.

Yeah, I know - it's your Entitlement Mentality. Doesn't matter if it's in the Constitution, right?

You must have me confused with...you.

Defense spending is in the Constitution, no matter how much you stamp your feet and pout.

However, the Constitution does not authorize the Federal government to build transportation systems. Period. End of story. I know this will come as a shock to you, but just because Obama wants something doesn't make it Constitutional.

 

[daveman]

Thanks to conservatives, the US is falling behind more forward thinking countries. Germany is advanced in solar energy. China is working hard to try to eclipse (no pun intended) all other countries in the development of solar power technology. All of Europe is developing an integrated wind power grid. Brazil already has an advanced system of ethanol powered cars and trucks which keeps it from being dependent on ME oil. Of course, none of these ideas would have gotten very far without the partnership of the respective gov'ts in all these countries.

Unfortunately, the modern day conservative mentality is to try to stand in the way of American success if Obama can take any credit for it at all. Some conservatives are like children in that sense. Given the choice between American success under a Democrat administration or American failure as our country loses ground to China, India and others in the new global competition, they choose failure in the hope that will allow them to regain power. Those are signs of shortsighted selfishness and emotional immaturity.

A sign of shortsighted selfishness and emotional immaturity is insisting we do unaffordable things that have already proven to be unsuccessful because they'll make the left "feel good".

Indeed. The left lives off symbolism and never wants to deal with real consequences. That's someone else's fault and/or problem.

As long as a leftist can feel good about himself for doing something, that's all that matters.

 

[The T]

My goodness, but you're a stupid, stupid little man.

Yeah, I know - it's your Entitlement Mentality. Doesn't matter if it's in the Constitution, right?

You must have me confused with...you.

Defense spending is in the Constitution, no matter how much you stamp your feet and pout.

However, the Constitution does not authorize the Federal government to build transportation systems. Period. End of story. I know this will come as a shock to you, but just because Obama wants something doesn't make it Constitutional.

The only thing the Constitution allows for is to post roads. Anything else requires Amendment.

 

[Synthaholic]

the rest of the world is also passing us by in killing christians and mutilating woman.. Should we catch up with those as well?

Moron alert!!!

You're right...I am a moron for paying for everything you want. You're so worthless in life that you can't figure out to provide for yourself. How long will it be before you have the government tax us to provide somebody to feed you and wipe your ass?

I agree with the bolded.

 

[Synthaholic]

oh wow....our FUTURE......wait...........the suspense...............is TRAINS....!!!

can we say CRAZY..... (of course most lib ideas are crazy)

if this was circa 1800...then TRAINS would be cutting edge....but this is now....

and have none of you people learned the big lesson yet.....?

...whatever BO promotes it is bound to be something that will HURT our country.....

(our REAL future lies in outer space but of course BO killed that particular effort.....)

so you ask....WHY are trains NOT our future....?

LOOK AT THE FACTS.....

the most optimistic forecasts predict that high speed trains at 110 to 220 mph will take few cars off the roads....at best they will replace for profit private commuter airlines...

they are also not very environmentally friendly....the planners for the Florida line predict it would use more energy and emit more pollution than the cars it would take off the road...California predicts HSR would reduce pollution and lessen green house gas emissions by only a mere .7 to 1.5%....

since Japan introduced its bullet trains it has lost HALF of its market share to the auto....same thing has been happening in Europe....the rail's market share of transportation there has dwindled from 8.2% to a mere 5.8%....

COSTS.....this is what BO is not telling you....we will be throwing piles of good money after bad....this system will cost WAY MORE than you think......and don't forget it is up to the STATES to continue paying and maintaining these money-guzzling subsidized rail systems....can we say increased state taxes....? of course BO doesn't care about laying on all you people all those extra COSTS....in fact it has been his MO to financially cripple the people of America....

in short...high speed rail projects are of little benefit to taxpayers....they are high cost, high risk projects that promise little or no congestion relief, energy savings, or other environmental benefits....

http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-625.pdf

You're absolutely correct. Transporters are the way to go! Look to the future! Live long and prosper!

 

[Faccops]

Breaking even is great.

Maybe so, but here in America we have this problem that we're spread out over a large geographical area. Like all but those two exception, I don't think we'd break even. We'd probably have hemorrage-like losses.

 

[Synthaholic]

When the righties said they wanted their country back, it meant back to the Stone Age technologically. speaking.

"Our opponents say they want to take America back. I say let’s take America forward." - Rep. Alan Grayson​