Saturday, November 22, 2008

The Hammer Drops

Obama has promised to create jobs by building infrastructure. The idea has limited viability because these trades often employ illegal aliens as subcontractors. Of course
we could get good jobs by drilling for oil in the USA but that would upset the green/red Obama base.

This sounds like more hot air and smoke.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Despite liberal whining to the contrary, the USA has the best infrastructure in the world. Polishing bricks on the Yellow Brick Road isn't going to get us out of this economic mess. Especially since NOTHING has been done to cure the fundamental problem of affirmative action lending and housing by the federal government.

Ducky's here said...

National high speed rail network, NOW !!!

beakerkin said...

Duck

All right I will play your game and ask why?

Where is this high speed rail network going to serve? We have this service on both coasts and it doesn't earn money.

Other than the Beak who in their right mind would go NY to Chicago via rail?

SecondComingOfBast said...

I think its a good idea myself. Encourage more people to take rail instead of plane. Are you really being served in a timely manner by being obliged to wait for hours at airports in between connecting flights? There is too much air travel, and if mankind really is contributing to Goreball Warming via fossil fuels, jets are the major culprit. The exhaust they emit is too high up in the atmosphere to be rained out.It just stays there, for the most part.

Plus, think of all the gasoline and oil that is wasted from having to undergo transition to jet fuel? The less people fly the more that is freed up for other uses.

beakerkin said...

Again where are these rail lines supposed to go?

I have used Amtrack to go to DC and Albany but never beyond that. Even when the train to NYC was on my doorsteps in St Albans VT to NYC it just took too long to get home,

Anonymous said...

Ducky's still having "Atlas Shrugged" flashbacks about trains...

Ducky's here said...

Let's start with efficient transportation Beak.

Of course the airlines are a big money maker, right? I can't think of an industry that can burn cash like them.

Now in fact the Northeast corridor is profitable but to build an efficient network, like Europe or Japan, will require subsidies. Rail does,of course not as much as the pork laden highway bill but I never expect a right winger to think beyond their first emotional reaction.

Ducky's here said...

Of topic, Beak. I went to the opening of an exhibit at the Decordova by Laylah Ali.

Very good show that combines text and image in a way that has you questioning either's ability to convey truth but what concerns me is that she is Muslimand some of her drawings definitely reference Muslim iconography.

Should I notify Homeland Security and demand the show be shut down?

beakerkin said...

FJ

Libertarians are the bane of Commies.

Ducky

Lets assume we can turn a profit on both coasts where else shall we go. Perhaps a North South Missisipi Midwest line could turn a profit but coast to coast would not be a good sell.

Rail works best when the trip is under 600 miles.

Ducky's here said...

Oh let's try San Francisco/L.A.

Dallas/Austin/San Antonio/Houston

Extend the Northeast corridor through Richmond to Atlanta to Orlando.

Seattle/Portland/Vancouver

Create a Great Lakes corridor.

Develop the natural travel corridors in the country.

beakerkin said...

Actually the LA - SF bit might work.I was very disappointed that it did not exist. I did use the LA/ SD route which was fun.

Extending the NE corridor if we were going to do that should end in Miami.

A Great Lakes corridor might be possible.

I do not see the last route as possible or practical.

The Merry Widow said...

ducky-We have Amtrak through the middle of Florida...mostly used by tourists who want to take their cars but not drive...the Kissimmee station is in a baaaaad part of town. And it's the closest to Orlando. And it does extend to Miami.
Again, it's mostly tourists, not business travel.

tmw

beakerkin said...

The Duck is talking about extending the high speed rail corridor outside
of the Boston to DC area down the coast.

Anonymous said...

There is no viable life south of DC. Dedicated human transport (high speed rail) only makes sense where the bubbles overlap.

Anonymous said...

A Canadian train down the St. Lawrence to Detroit and Chicago makes more sense.

beakerkin said...

That does sound very do able.

Maybe just rethinking Amtrak local high speed lines like the NE corridor
to eliminate some of the traffic at airports would work.

Always On Watch said...

And all the funding to construct this would come from where?

SecondComingOfBast said...

AOW-

The federal government, at least in part. The government has a role in anything that involves transportation across state lines. If it were done right the reduction in air and automobile traffic would be worth it. Even if you don't buy into the whole Goreball Warming scenario, or do but doubt that mankind is the major culprit, the energy savings would be in the vital national interests. They are even making busses now that run on alternative energy sources. That's the big picture, reducing dependency on fossil fuels as much as humanly possible.

Anonymous said...

My only question is where they're going to get the high strength Reardon metal needed for a high-speed train's rails... ;-)

SecondComingOfBast said...

Actually, the biggest problem isn't where they will get the metal, they'll manage somehow. The biggest problem is how they are going to plan the routes in such a way as to not interfere with other traffic. I keep working out the scenario in my mind with concrete reinforced steel poles supporting suspension wires made out of steel cables, both over and under the trains, but I don't know if that's doable or not. If it is, it would lessen the need for purchase and clearing of land and would be both faster and safer.