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New Book & Author Interview today - "Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America"
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<p>[quote user="schlimm"]</p> <p>Be specific. The author (again in an excerpt) only points out the facts about gauge. Where does he find fault with the gauge chosen? I was not able to listen to the interview. Did he say something specifically critical about gauge there? The fact remains the choice of gauge was based on chance and the fact that the Union won the war. I get the feeling you are just peeved because he isn't giving mere glowing praise. He's not a railroad enthusiast. He's a respected historian.</p> <div style="clear:both;"></div> <p>[/quote]</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">No, I am not wanting praise for the industry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps Mr. White is just telling the story of gage standardization from the perspective of it being a problem that was solved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the problem is that I am really not sure why he brings it up because he does not come right out say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">Is he just another historian tell the history of pioneering railroads?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It hardly seems that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His book is called <i>Railroaded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>The term, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">railroaded</span> has a meaning that implies cheating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In cheating, someone cheats and someone gets cheated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see nothing in the excerpts or in the audio interview where the author actually comes right out and gives examples of this cheating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He says Greenville Dodge engaged in grassroots lobbying that was really creating “Astroturf.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems like an obvious criticism of Mr. Dodge, but Author White gives nothing to support his accusation of Mr. Dodge. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">But clearly the title, <i>Railroaded</i> and the NPR production title, “How trains railroaded the American Economy,” seems to be referring to the early railroads cheating and thus shaping today’s economy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He does not say whether he thinks the cheating made the economy better or worse, but the implication is that the cheating made today’s economy worse than it should be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">But as I say, I do not know exactly what Mr. White is getting at because he does not make that clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have met a lot of people who hate corporations seemingly almost as a fashion statement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such, they don’t have to give a convincing argument for the basis of their feelings about corporations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a part of making this a fashion statement, they always act like they are talking to people who share the same view, so there is no need for a convincing argument.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>White reminds me of one of those people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></p>
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