Obama, down in Florida, giving away my money: “We’re not going to quit until hard work and responsibility are rewarded”. To the contrary, it’s laziness and irresponsibility that is rewarded under the current governmental scheme and I’m pretty sure everyone knows that, so why does he say the opposite?
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A couple of his unicorns just flew over and dropped something on my lawn; doesn’t look (or smell) like money, however.
Need to downsize government to better reward taxpayers, workers and capitalists
Trains to nowhere are a huge waste of money when have laughable pothole-laced roads in every major city in US
Business travelers fly btwn cities; rent cars; and often visit companies based in distant suburbs, not CBDs; so trains are useless in CA or TX or FL or IL
Obese families need own super-sized SUVs for leisure travel, not trains
Only commie elitists from NYC or Wash ride trains for commuting or pleasure
Why ?
Because he knows that the media (or is that “Media” ?) will never call him on it.
My “hope & change” comes in 3 years.
Here’s why:
http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/article.cgi?article=352
I must admit, the gal does speak sooth.
This guy has a set of balls saying the sh*t he does…and getting away with it. Calling out the Supreme Court over turning over a century old law and allowing foreign corps funding elections was complete BS. These law were not touched. That was what Alito was referring to. Most of the stuff coming out of this windbag is nothing more than soundbites to be used by the complacent media.
Keep the change Nobama.
This high speed rail just might be one of THE biggest debacles to hit Florida yet. First of all, with the exception of Miami, which does have sort of a half-arsed local rail system, neither Tampa nor Orlando have any local rail (unless you consider their little downtown show trolleys that go maybe five blocks). So, what do people do when they get there? How do they then get from point A to point B?
Secondly, given that Orlando and Miami are two of the more violent burgs in the US, Tampa’s going to regret being hooked up this way. Gives new meaning to the term “Bullet Train”. Gangway!!!
Thirdly, who benefits? Will the trains be manufactured in Florida? No. Will Floridians be “workin’ on the railroad”? Wrong again. The bridge construction in Dallas was outsourced to an Italian company, which brought in Italian workers. Expect the same thing to happen in this case. My guess is, at the very best, is that most of the guys holding the shovels will be low-wage illegals, the same folks who built a lot of the crappy new housing in Florida.
Fourth, CSX owns much, if not most, of the track that will be involved. As usual, Tallahassee is cutting a crappy deal to make Florida bear the liability for CSX’s track, as well as making the improvements. Not good for Floridians, but one helluva deal for CSX. Free speech for the corps, boo-yah!
Finally, I think I read somewhere (might have been on this blog, even) that France’s high speed rail is on the ropes. Florida will be stuck with white elephant. Or not, because then it will probably sell it to some foreign corp from Islamabad or Beijing.
But hey, I suppose there’ll be a few jobs for Floridians repairing tracks, taking tickets, providing security, etc. Like in 2020. Maybe.
Stimulus. (snort)
Wherever you are in the US, call your Senators and Reps and tell them you resent the money being wasted like this. It would be better spent on local light rail in many areas than on this ill-conceived boondoggle.
It’ll be the same bullcrap we’re building here in Connecticut, the New Haven -Hartford line, bringing real meaning to the term “bridge to nowhere”. No one wants to go to either destination, there will be no riders, but “high speed rail” sounds so sexy and eco that the politicians can’t resist. I could get angry about this waste, but I’m wearing down.
I’m tellin’ ya. This is bi-partisan piggery at the trough par-excellence. Every pol in Florida, at the state and federal levels, is dangling gobs of saliva over this and lining up to see who can bend Florida over the furthest for CSX.
People who live in Tampa, Orlando or Miami generally don’t want to go to one of the other two burgs if they can help it. But let’s assume you are maybe some sales rep for a company covering both the Orlando and Tampa territories for example. Will this work for you? No. You’re going to need a car when you get from point A to point B. You’ll have to rent one. Might as well take your own and make the drive.
And what’s going to happen when the train breaks down in the middle of the Everglades on a humid summer’s day? Now THAT will be a moment. Skeeters and gators. Fun stuff.
Now, a hydrofoil or airboat system across the inland waterways, that might make some sense. The channels are already there. So are the airboats. And it would employ some of those crusty old Florida crackers who know how to drive that watercraft. Some gang-banger starts acting up, all it takes is a good hairpin turn and he’s gator food.
I took the Southern Crescent round trip between New Orleans and Washington D.C. I had plenty of time so I didn’t mind the delays and enjoyed reading and looking out of my window in my little roomette. I met some interesting folks and avoided the scarier ones, probably paid the same as an expensive airfare and took well over a day. No communists or elitists sighted, I thought it was great. It was like being out of touch with the modern world which was fine for a while. What it wasn’t was modern, efficient travel.
“It’ll be the same bullcrap we’re building here in Connecticut, the New Haven -Hartford line, bringing real meaning to the term “bridge to nowhere”. No one wants to go to either destination…”
You are absolutely right about that, CF, but the high-speed line that we really need here, from New Haven (or even Boston) to Grand Central, will never ever, ever be built in our lifetimes.
Why? Because the powers of political corruption and greed are stacked against any commonsense solution to our present transit problem.
Many European countries have managed to build modern high-speed train systems that put to shame anything that we have in the USA.
Why can’t we do the same? Because of corrupt politicians and union leaders.
Let’s throw these bums out and start over. Our country would be so much better off in so many ways if we had a modern, working train system in the European model. Travelers would have an attractive alternative to the indignities they suffer at airports.
Obama’s high-speed train initiative is weak and empty, just a bunch of studies and surveys. What we need is a plan to upgrade or replace our antiquated train tracks and equipment within our lifetime.
Europeans have the latest railroad technology. Are we asking too much of our spendthrift government to provide us with what France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, etc. already enjoy?
Ditto to the train fans. As a former Houston resident: high speed rail connecting Dallas, Austin and Houston would be a really smart investment. Herb Kelleher wouldn’t let it happen, but he got Love Field.
Arouet,
I think you might be right. That’s one area where it really might make a difference. I know people go around that triangle (I’d try to include Ft. Worth and San Antonio) all the time and Texas highways can be long and lonely. I just wonder if the Texans would want it.