Why liberals love trains.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

High Speed to Insolvency

by George F. Will

Generations hence, when the river of time has worn this presidency’s importance to a small, smooth pebble in the stream of history, people will still marvel that its defining trait was a mania for high-speed rail projects. This disorder illuminates the progressive mind.

Remarkably widespread derision has greeted the Obama administration’s damn-the-arithmetic-full-speed-ahead proposal to spend $53 billion more (after the $8 billion in stimulus money and $2.4 billion in enticements to 23 states) in the next six years pursuant to the president’s loopy goal of giving “80 percent of Americans access to high-speed rail.” “Access” and “high-speed” to be defined later.

Criticism of this optional and irrational spending — meaning: borrowing — during a deficit crisis has been withering. Only an administration blinkered by ideology would persist.

The three governors want to spare their states from paying the much larger sums likely to be required for construction-cost overruns and operating subsidies when ridership projections prove to be delusional...

California will. Although prostrate from its own profligacy, it will sink tens of billions of its own taxpayers’ money in the 616-mile San Francisco–to–San Diego line. Supposedly 39 million people will eagerly pay much more than an airfare in order to travel slower. Between 2008 and 2009, the projected cost increased from $33 billion to $42.6 billion.

Randal O’Toole of the Cato Institute notes that high-speed rail connects big-city downtowns, where only 7 percent of Americans work and 1 percent live. “The average intercity auto trip today uses less energy per passenger mile than the average Amtrak train.” And high speed will not displace enough cars to measurably reduce congestion. The Washington Post says China’s fast trains are priced beyond ordinary workers’ budgets, and that France, like Japan, has only one profitable line.

So why is America’s “win the future” administration so fixated on railroads, a technology that was the future two centuries ago? Because progressivism’s aim is the modification of (other people’s) behavior.

Forever seeking Archimedean levers for prying the world in directions they prefer, progressives say they embrace high-speed rail for many reasons—to improve the climate, increase competitiveness, enhance national security, reduce congestion, and rationalize land use. The length of the list of reasons, and the flimsiness of each, points to this conclusion: the real reason for progressives’ passion for trains is their goal of diminishing Americans’ individualism in order to make them more amenable to collectivism.

Time was, the progressive cry was “Workers of the world unite!” or “Power to the people!” Now it is less resonant: “All aboard!”

http://www.newsweek.com/2011/02/27/high-speed-to-insolvency.html

[^_^ 5,021]

... the real reason for progressives’ passion for trains is their goal of diminishing Americans’ individualism in order to make them more amenable to collectivism.

George Will is such a dingbat.

[Dakine10 5,452]

High Speed to Insolvency

by George F. Will

Forever seeking Archimedean levers for prying the world in directions they prefer, progressives say they embrace high-speed rail for many reasons—to improve the climate, increase competitiveness, enhance national security, reduce congestion, and rationalize land use. The length of the list of reasons, and the flimsiness of each, points to this conclusion: the real reason for progressives’ passion for trains is their goal of diminishing Americans’ individualism in order to make them more amenable to collectivism.

Time was, the progressive cry was “Workers of the world unite!” or “Power to the people!” Now it is less resonant: “All aboard!”

http://www.newsweek.com/2011/02/27/high-speed-to-insolvency.html

Makes no sense. Either this is a joke, or this author is living proof of just how far the US education system has regressed.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

George Will is such a dingbat.

I'll bet he hates flying coach.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

The Nazis had plenty of rail cars for the jews.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

The Nazis had plenty of rail cars for the jews.

Who do you think the Progressives have in mind for the US?

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Who do you think the Progressives have in mind for the US?

any CEO who makes more money than his lowest paid employee!

[Danno 1,228]

I knew the Left would love this one.... complete with personal insults.

There is a reason they tax the tax money raised from road tax and spend it, not on improving roads but in building the utopia of the LEFT.

Sustainable living and all it's expressions.

Just think of the energy to be saved if they can gather the masses back to the city center.

Why building roads only encourages the masses to seek the suburban dream.. and what is that dream? Having a mini estate complete with yard and open spaces.

How dare we consume the energy to travel to and from.... and equally as bad, turn Holy Mother earth into a vinyl-sided jungle.

They will coax us into town homes and apartments where we can walk to the market, take a commuter train to work and as a bonus we can snatch the neighbors morning paper much easier. (I never said it was all bad).

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

any CEO who makes more money than his lowest paid employee!

Van Jones?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMa3l23-rRc

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Who do you think the Progressives have in mind for the US?

To put all the RWN's into re-education camps.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Or maybe high speed rail like they have in Europe and Japan is the fastest way to get from point A to point B

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Or maybe high speed rail like they have in Europe and Japan is the fastest way to get from point A to point B

That requires having to sit extremely close to strangers, and that makes purse-lipped, OCD's like George Will break out in hives.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

I knew the Left would love this one.... complete with personal insults.

There is a reason they tax the tax money raised from road tax and spend it, not on improving roads but in building the utopia of the LEFT.

Sustainable living and all it's expressions.

Just think of the energy to be saved if they can gather the masses back to the city center.

Why building roads only encourages the masses to seek the suburban dream.. and what is that dream? Having a mini estate complete with yard and open spaces.

How dare we consume the energy to travel to and from.... and equally as bad, turn Holy Mother earth into a vinyl-sided jungle.

They will coax us into town homes and apartments where we can walk to the market, take a commuter train to work and as a bonus we can snatch the neighbors morning paper much easier. (I never said it was all bad).

Strategic Hamlets?

[Zero Sum 305]

Or maybe high speed rail like they have in Europe and Japan is the fastest way to get from point A to point B

God forbid some Americans learn something from other places.

[Danno 1,228]

Or maybe high speed rail like they have in Europe and Japan is the fastest way to get from point A to point B

Last time I checked, the density factor is a lot different in the USA than it is in Japan... or even Europe for that matter.

TRain lines make sense in a few parts of the country... it's not a national plan.