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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by Scottydog Mr Antigates, I have really a tough time seeing what bids you so strongly against passenger rail travel. Do you own any freight rail stock? You say Amtrak is a hidden tax on the people, but if we were to be charge the true cost of air travel, it would be in the thousands. The cost of maintaining airports would have to be included as would the now large security costs. There would also have to be a charge for future airport expansion. As for the highways, if they were all turned into toll roads to produce enough true money for their maintainence, you wouldn't be able to travel on them. The government subsidizes all of these so why not rail passenger services. The ufortunate thing is, Amtrak needs congress to come across big time. Why do you think congress rushed in to bail out the airlines? Was it so we, the people could get to where we were going to in a hurry? Bull! It is so they can ride in big comfortable seats in first class drinking cocktails as soon as they board for free and eating off china plates all at the taxpayers expense. I don't hear you bitching about that. Passenger rail service must,and I say, must be preserved in this country. [/quote] I guess my intent isn't coming through all that well..[:)] If I were to take a step back from the thread, take a deep breath (Ahhhhhhhh-hhhhhAAAA) and without respect to thread context, state my "beef", it would be that 3 wrongs don't make a right and adding another (HSR) as a forth sure don't either. The Highway system is a given, it aint going away, no matter how misguided it may have been to sell it to the taxpayer under the guise of "The Defense Highway system", it's "there" and does not require the capitalization of a used SD-40-2 or of a new Dash 9 to use it. For better or worse, it's worth keeping The Air Travel industry, serves the purpose of the impatient (look around you my friend, that quality suits most everyone you are likely to meet in a days time) better than the rail industry can hope to. If you read the "coast to coast by rail and air " article in the winter issue of classic trains, All the hardwriting you should ever need to see on any wall, is write there (excuse the pun). I wanted to take Amtrak on the earlier outlined trip I took from LA to Ft Wayne In, but found the total price, including sleepers, to be way out of line, For some reason AMTRAK wants me to pay more for that bunk than Holiday Inn wants to charge for a room, and I said "phooey" . For less cost I could fly, and arrive the same day, forgoing the need for any lodging. and be at my destination. I'll be the first to concede that both the highway and air systems are subsidized by my tax dollar. But, cutting even deeper into my pocket to better subsidize the rail paradigm of travel is a non starter for me. I DON'T WI***O PAY MORE OF MY HARD EARNED MONEY TO SUBSIDIZED MORE TRAVEL OPTIONS, when what we already have to choose from CAN suit my needs quite nicely. It's NOT AMTRAK that I am against, it is the knowledge of who will be expected to fund an enhanced AMTRAK, ME. Given the choice, My reply is "thanks, but no thanks" And HSR? Evern worse because the entities who want the public Dole to put them in business in the first place, have been very careful to not let their identities , nor the level of their own commitment be known,. That in itself should tell you something
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