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Old 10-12-2010, 01:08 PM   #19 (permalink)
nmgolfer
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: New Mexico
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When ever talk of high speed rail crops up, Southwest Airlines (and the other regional carriers) enlist Boeing and and all the other stake holders to lobby against it. That is the American way. Yes once built rail is the most efficient form of transportation but it requires enormous investment in tax payer subsidized infrastructure and is nowhere near as convenient as our personal passenger vehicles once completed.

How do you get to the train station? How do you get where you're going once the train reaches its nearest station? What a pain figuring all that out... Easier to just drive or Fly, walk over and rent bing bang done!

In our state the Governor decided we needed rail (Politicians love things they can point to and call their own) even though the transportation corridor it serves is not overcrowded and bus service could have better fulfilled the exact same (imaginary) need for a tiny fraction of the cost. But back then, the state was running a surplus the feds were handing out money for these sorts of boondoggles and so he extended his hand. But its still ancient technology... the train is slow and makes numerous stops along the way... Nice for tourist brochures but thats about it. Thinking persons quickly conclude its easier and less costly to drive.

So now times have changed, the state is broke (like all others accept North Dakota which has a state run bank), teachers salaries are on the chopping block and as could have been predicted and with the cost of gasoline no longer stratospheric, commuters don't ride the train... Its not covering its expenses and taxpayers are being asked to pony up for the governor's white elephant.

High speed rail is a pipe-dream of central planning focused socialists who believe they, not individuals should decide how and when people get from point A to point B. American ingenuity should be focused on reducing cost, improving efficiency and safety of PERSONAL transportation, not a move backwards towards stifling collectivist cookie cutter mass transportation. Southwest Airlines does an admirable job of meeting the needs of regional commuters and buses on existing infrastructure can fill any gap.
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