greyhounds There's no way for the public to tell the difference.
There's no way for the public to tell the difference.
A bigger problem is that many don't even try, they just blindly believe whatever the TV says. No follow-up at all.
But as if that weren't enough, some then feel the need take to Twitter to share with the entire world what they just "learned"...
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
mudchicken FRA's prime function is to correct deficiencies, safety and otherwise, in the railroad environment. Part of that effort is built on trust between the railroads, employees and the FRA." Injecting a bunch of clowns with a political agenda into an apolitical system is looking for trouble and a certain step backwards." No system is perfect, and the FRA has issues, but allowing certain grandstanders to impede the process with their unimformed, belicose statements (like certain forum pests) creates more problems and obscures the clear path to some solutions.
FRA's prime function is to correct deficiencies, safety and otherwise, in the railroad environment. Part of that effort is built on trust between the railroads, employees and the FRA." Injecting a bunch of clowns with a political agenda into an apolitical system is looking for trouble and a certain step backwards."
No system is perfect, and the FRA has issues, but allowing certain grandstanders to impede the process with their unimformed, belicose statements (like certain forum pests) creates more problems and obscures the clear path to some solutions.
Seems like another lesson in History might be about to bite the dust??
Do not forget for one moment... It was the political 'hyper-ventilating', and knee-jerk political "need to do something" after the September 2008 UPRR/Metrolink collision at Chatsworth, Ca. and aftermath that created the 'enviornment' that caused the Political firestorm that brought the rush to install PTC, nationwide, and let the politicians crow that they had really solved THAT problem,
link @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Chatsworth_train_collision
Norm48327 The media has long played to emotions. The "if it bleeds, it leads" theory is their mantra. Facts be damned, just make it look bad so the public thinks it's a major story even though it's not. Wheel falls off rail, plane turns on wrong taxiway, whatever they can use to sell their product is published. Accuracy is not important; just scare the sheep. Stories of minor aviation incidents are blown out of proportion for such purposes and railroad incidents run a close second. The media lost all credibility many moons ago. Even the local weekly is suspect.
The media has long played to emotions. The "if it bleeds, it leads" theory is their mantra. Facts be damned, just make it look bad so the public thinks it's a major story even though it's not. Wheel falls off rail, plane turns on wrong taxiway, whatever they can use to sell their product is published. Accuracy is not important; just scare the sheep. Stories of minor aviation incidents are blown out of proportion for such purposes and railroad incidents run a close second. The media lost all credibility many moons ago. Even the local weekly is suspect.
A man after my own heart.
I could tell people many true tales of media malpractice. Some journalist try to do it right, many don't. There's no way for the public to tell the difference. And sensationalism gets published over nuanced truth most every time.
Norm
Paul_D_North_JrI don't know the definition of a safety audit - I anticipate it's for large, systemic problems - but if it could include the minor "one-of" matters, then amend the bill to exclude them, so only the more significant ones have to be notifiied. - PDN.
- PDN.
When political bodies get ahold of safety audit type data their first inclination is to view every 'transgression' as akin to Capital Murder kidnapping and rape combined when the transgression is really littering with one gum wrapper.
Politics is for grandstanding - not working out problems.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
I don't know the definition of a safety audit - I anticipate it's for large, systemic problems - but if it could include the minor "one-of" matters, then amend the bill to exclude them, so only the more significant ones have to be notifiied.
And perhaps even the railroads involved would prefer to keep it between them and the FRA, especially if the issues are relatively minor and are being remedied immediately.
Such pubilicity would certainly give any anti-rail activists plenty of fodder to push their agenda. "Zomygosh! ABC railroad carries crude oil and Joe Switchman wasn't wearing the proper safety gear! The horrors!"
NYS used to do audits of fire districts (the districts how have to hire a CPA). The results were published in the newspaper, leading to stories that highlighted minor issues (the item came to $5,001, so should have gone out to bid) that served only to make the districts look bad.
If the FRA findings are significant, then maybe there should be publicity (including notifying Congress), but if it's minor, one-time, fixed-on-the-spot stuff, nah.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Probably mostly for more opportunities for press conferences/ releases/ 30-sec. sound bites, etc.
For some - apparently the NJ Representative quoted in the article - it'd be a 'heads-up' so they know what's going on in their districts. Evidently there'd been an ongoing safety audit at NJT for a while, and he didn't know about it - not a good thing for any manager to have happen. And hard to see how he could have known, unless he asked FRA every day/ week/ month for "What's going on in my district ?" - which is another way, granted, but also burdensome for all involved.
FRA's prime function is to correct deficiencies, safety and otherwise, in the railroad environment. Part of that effort is built on trust between the railroads, employees and the FRA. Injecting a bunch of clowns with a political agenda into an apolitical system is looking for trouble and a certain step backwards.
To me - this highlights that Congress has not been doing their job in the past and want the FRA to do it for them in the future.
WASHINGTON — The House Transportation Committee on Wednesday approved a bill that obligates the Federal Railroad Administration to notify Congress when it begins or completes a comprehensive safety audit of an intercity passenger or commuter ra...
http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2017/03/29-fra-safety-audit
Brian Schmidt, Editor, Classic Trains magazine
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