Texans Against High-Speed Rail
#126
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#127
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A recent news magazine type podcast was doing a thought experiment - has there ever been a society with no money? And they did dig down into the age of trade. Neolithic Egyptian sites have pretty stones traded from Afghanistan. There was always someone walking out of town to make a buck.
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#128
~>~
As a Texan I see little point in going to either Dallas or Houston, much less traveling between them by any means of transportation.
If you see the need have at it, just don't add your cost and complexity to my budget local/state/federal.
Hideous places both, unless compared to NYC or LA.
-Bandera
If you see the need have at it, just don't add your cost and complexity to my budget local/state/federal.
Hideous places both, unless compared to NYC or LA.
-Bandera
Last edited by Bandera; 02-10-16 at 09:09 PM.
#129
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A recent news magazine type podcast was doing a thought experiment - has there ever been a society with no money? And they did dig down into the age of trade. Neolithic Egyptian sites have pretty stones traded from Afghanistan. There was always someone walking out of town to make a buck.
For or most compact cars the trip would only take about a tank of gas. At today's prices that could be as little as 20 bucks maybe 30.00 door to door. I think you can get a flight for less than $200.00. It would seem as if the cost margin got the HSR might be a bit tight.
#130
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#131
Prefers Cicero
As a Texan I see little point in going to either Dallas or Houston, much less traveling between them by any means of transportation.
If you see the need have at it, just don't add your cost and complexity to my budget local/state/federal.
Hideous places both, unless compared to NYC or LA.
-Bandera
If you see the need have at it, just don't add your cost and complexity to my budget local/state/federal.
Hideous places both, unless compared to NYC or LA.
-Bandera
Last edited by cooker; 02-10-16 at 10:38 PM.
#132
Prefers Cicero
#133
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Being built by by a private company if it doesn't work as expected will in be allowed to close up like any other private interest or will the people of Texas have to save it like the people of the US have to save Amtrak? Will the public get their land back?
I am not committed to believing HSR will not work only that from my experience in my state it is turning into a bit of an albatross.
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At least it wasn't pyramids with trees. Still I thought it was quaint to think of people being born, living and dying in a few square miles because people didn't used to move around much. Well except for the new world discovery thing and maybe the move all the way from the east coast to the west coast. And I guess entire populations of First Nation people moving from a summer city to a winter city didn't count either?
#135
~>~
The San Antonio-Austin "high speed rail" boondoggle collapsed today under scrutiny of it's plausibility, which was Zero despite hyperbole and lobbying.
Score 1.
PS: Both of my grandfathers were railroad men and the technology is quite familiar to me having been responsible for moving several Billions of $ of merchandise via rail on a couple of continents over the years. Texans know the smell of Bull_**** at a distance........
-Bandera
Score 1.
PS: Both of my grandfathers were railroad men and the technology is quite familiar to me having been responsible for moving several Billions of $ of merchandise via rail on a couple of continents over the years. Texans know the smell of Bull_**** at a distance........
-Bandera
#136
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It's the same as expecting people to drive 40 mile commutes for employment. MVs are the amphetamines of transportation.
Those are different forms of travel than commuting and running multiple errands daily over numerous linear miles of distance. You know people didn't cover that much distance daily before MVs. You call any geographical area "sprawl" but the concern with sprawl is that it distances people's homes from work and other destinations that makes alternatives to driving a difficult choice. This has been discussed a million times and you "deniers" persist in sticking your fingers in your ears and singing "la la la." You understand the problem of sprawl and driving-dependency but you just defend and defend it in any way you can for some reason. What's so hard about just admitting it is an objectively valid point that's incredibly difficult to address because of the scale and complexity of the problem?
Those are different forms of travel than commuting and running multiple errands daily over numerous linear miles of distance. You know people didn't cover that much distance daily before MVs. You call any geographical area "sprawl" but the concern with sprawl is that it distances people's homes from work and other destinations that makes alternatives to driving a difficult choice. This has been discussed a million times and you "deniers" persist in sticking your fingers in your ears and singing "la la la." You understand the problem of sprawl and driving-dependency but you just defend and defend it in any way you can for some reason. What's so hard about just admitting it is an objectively valid point that's incredibly difficult to address because of the scale and complexity of the problem?
And desire they did if you bother to read about the success of the Red Cars in LA. Those Red Cars moved workers to what was called the suburbs because they could live better or in better places for less money.
Still the HSR goes to expand on the point. People could live on Houston and Work in Dallas if they wanted. It seems as if several already do with the amount of air traffic that suggests the HSR might have a customer base. I have my doubts that they will gather that many from air travel but you never know. But what it absolutely proves even by its suggestion that living and dying within walking distance of your birth place isn't the norm and hasn't been for a very long time.
Last edited by Mobile 155; 02-11-16 at 08:10 PM.
#137
Prefers Cicero
#138
Prefers Cicero
The San Antonio-Austin "high speed rail" boondoggle collapsed today under scrutiny of it's plausibility, which was Zero despite hyperbole and lobbying.
Score 1.
PS: Both of my grandfathers were railroad men and the technology is quite familiar to me having been responsible for moving several Billions of $ of merchandise via rail on a couple of continents over the years. Texans know the smell of Bull_**** at a distance........
-Bandera
Score 1.
PS: Both of my grandfathers were railroad men and the technology is quite familiar to me having been responsible for moving several Billions of $ of merchandise via rail on a couple of continents over the years. Texans know the smell of Bull_**** at a distance........
-Bandera
#139
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Not a problem for me. I believe only Ford showed any ethics by not taking the bailout. And Chrysler stiffed the public when the went belly up and now that effort to save them is enjoyed by Fiat. I don't believe in too big to fail. GM should have been allowed to fold and replaced by any other company that had the will to produce what ever the public wanted.
So when passenger rail was proven unprofitable I think it should have died an honorable death. Amtrak is little more than a diseased corps of a transportation system that is hardly ever on time and only used by the grace of rented or leased tracks.
If the Texas HSR is to work I believe it has to be profitable or should be allowed to fail. If it fails it should cost the tax payers nothing. But that is simply my opinion. For my State I see no advantage to a HSR because it will be state and federally funded so it will cost the tax payer for something they never asked for.
So when passenger rail was proven unprofitable I think it should have died an honorable death. Amtrak is little more than a diseased corps of a transportation system that is hardly ever on time and only used by the grace of rented or leased tracks.
If the Texas HSR is to work I believe it has to be profitable or should be allowed to fail. If it fails it should cost the tax payers nothing. But that is simply my opinion. For my State I see no advantage to a HSR because it will be state and federally funded so it will cost the tax payer for something they never asked for.
#140
Prefers Cicero
Not a problem for me. I believe only Ford showed any ethics by not taking the bailout. And Chrysler stiffed the public when the went belly up and now that effort to save them is enjoyed by Fiat. I don't believe in too big to fail. GM should have been allowed to fold and replaced by any other company that had the will to produce what ever the public wanted.
So when passenger rail was proven unprofitable I think it should have died an honorable death. Amtrak is little more than a diseased corps of a transportation system that is hardly ever on time and only used by the grace of rented or leased tracks.
If the Texas HSR is to work I believe it has to be profitable or should be allowed to fail. If it fails it should cost the tax payers nothing. But that is simply my opinion. For my State I see no advantage to a HSR because it will be state and federally funded so it will cost the tax payer for something they never asked for.
So when passenger rail was proven unprofitable I think it should have died an honorable death. Amtrak is little more than a diseased corps of a transportation system that is hardly ever on time and only used by the grace of rented or leased tracks.
If the Texas HSR is to work I believe it has to be profitable or should be allowed to fail. If it fails it should cost the tax payers nothing. But that is simply my opinion. For my State I see no advantage to a HSR because it will be state and federally funded so it will cost the tax payer for something they never asked for.
#141
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Rail gad their shot. They got government land grants for ROWs and government bonds to build it from congress. They had passenger rails and slowly but surely they lost money because of Cars, trucks and airlines. Freight lines still benefit from that head start. How much more level do you need it?
#142
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It just makes the oops I can't use that bar name sorry tonks next to the track noisier and more dangerous, I gather.
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#143
C*pt*i* Obvious
HSR is inevitable, car ownership will start to decrease as it will become less affordable for the masses. Texas and California both have a deeply entrenched car culture. Consider these states as a testing ground for further nationwide implementation. In China, car ownership is increasing, however this is mostly because of the tax revenue it creates. Nothing happens on a massive scale by accident.
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HSR is inevitable, car ownership will start to decrease as it will become less affordable for the masses. Texas and California both have a deeply entrenched car culture. Consider these states as a testing ground for further nationwide implementation. In China, car ownership is increasing, however this is mostly because of the tax revenue it creates. Nothing happens on a massive scale by accident.
Last edited by Ekdog; 02-12-16 at 06:43 AM.
#145
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Even if we don't give a damn about anything but money:
[h=1]Pollution crisis is choking the Chinese economy[/h][h=2]The Asian colossus is losing 6.5 percent of GDP to pollution-rated costs.[/h]
Last edited by Ekdog; 02-12-16 at 06:42 AM.
#146
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1.6 million deaths due to air pollution in China. Can they afford not to move away from the car-centric model defended by so many in this forum?
https://www.cnbc.com/2016/02/11/pollution-crisis-is-choking-the-chinese-economy.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2016/02/11/pollution-crisis-is-choking-the-chinese-economy.html
#147
~>~
-Bandera
#148
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Do you mean by putting the public right-of-way of all roads up for bid to corporate investors who would transform them into either toll roads, rail lines, or both?
If you did that, you'd have to regulate the sale to prevent automotive interests from pooling their money for the sake of creating roads with low enough tolls (or free of charge) that promote driving over trains, etc.
MV sales, service, and insurance makes a lot more money than train ticket sales so if you allow business competition to control road right-of-way, the car companies will use their market position to exclude rail and promote driving by lowering the tolls, as they have done with the interstate highway system.
They will even pay smart marketing minds to spin it as a benefit to consumers and commerce to have big business pay for the highways and allow private individuals to use them for free.
If you did that, you'd have to regulate the sale to prevent automotive interests from pooling their money for the sake of creating roads with low enough tolls (or free of charge) that promote driving over trains, etc.
MV sales, service, and insurance makes a lot more money than train ticket sales so if you allow business competition to control road right-of-way, the car companies will use their market position to exclude rail and promote driving by lowering the tolls, as they have done with the interstate highway system.
They will even pay smart marketing minds to spin it as a benefit to consumers and commerce to have big business pay for the highways and allow private individuals to use them for free.
Last edited by tandempower; 02-12-16 at 09:48 AM.
#149
Prefers Cicero
Maybe, but you don't have to lay track in the air. You don't have to put your rail lines where only the people that cannot afford to fight you live.
Rail gad their shot. They got government land grants for ROWs and government bonds to build it from congress. They had passenger rails and slowly but surely they lost money because of Cars, trucks and airlines. Freight lines still benefit from that head start. How much more level do you need it?
Rail gad their shot. They got government land grants for ROWs and government bonds to build it from congress. They had passenger rails and slowly but surely they lost money because of Cars, trucks and airlines. Freight lines still benefit from that head start. How much more level do you need it?
It's true that rail ceded most of it's long-distance passenger business to cars and planes over the course of the 20th century, but they had a lot of help from government - for example, as mentioned the interstates are one of the costliest government projects anywhere, ever, and certainly LAX or O'Hare or whatever only exist at their current massive size because governments sided with proponents over opponents, and kicked in a lot of funds too.
Now, all around the world, passenger rail is making a comeback, as both the general public and governments start to buy into it again, and inevitably it will claw its way back into a competitive position in the USA again as well, although obviously not as readily as it is doing so in Europe, China, Japan etc.
Last edited by cooker; 02-12-16 at 08:19 PM.
#150
Prefers Cicero
The entire infrastructure from ports through the railway system is badly outdated and in need of an overhaul/upgrade, essential elements of the economy that are well worth investment/re-think. Yes, a more efficient freight rail system would serve real world needs quite well.
-Bandera
-Bandera