QUOTE: Originally posted by futuremodal As for China's need for more mass transit, you have to remember that in under modern-day Chinese communism, once you are funneled into a job track, you are for the most part in that track for life.
QUOTE: Originally posted by futuremodal As for China's need for more mass transit, you have to remember that in under modern-day Chinese communism, once you are funneled into a job track, you are for the most part in that track for life. Thus, it is easier for the central planners to fit mass transportation systems into their economy without worry of low usage. Don't forget, in the US if you are tired of working at the chemical plant after 10 years and want to follow your dream of taking up fish farming or selling insurance, or you have a yen to spend the next few years hiking around the Rockies, the only thing stopping you is you. The government cannot stop you from changing jobs or exiting the workforce for a spell. In China, if you want to change to a different job, you have to get permission from the government overlords. And "feelings of burnout" or "following my dream" are not acceptable reasons.
QUOTE: Originally posted by zardoz And in this fine country, a pig-headed senator from Mississippi (Lott) wants to tear up CSX's line through his state and replace it with a highway (April 6 Trains News Wire).
QUOTE: Originally posted by andrewjonathon People maybe surprised to know that China already has the world's second largest network of freeways.
QUOTE: By the end of 2004, their network of freeways extended over 34,200 km (~21,000 miles) and they were building an additional 4,000 -5,000 km per year. Predictions are the total length of their freeway system will surpass the US sometime during the 21st century.
QUOTE: Originally posted by rvos1979Sadly, I'm one of those young people, and the way this country is heading, I'd probably have better luck trying to dig a hole in the middle of the ocean by myself than fixing this country's problems.[8][8][:(]
QUOTE: Originally posted by zardoz And in this fine country, a pig-headed senator from Mississippi (Lott) wants to tear up CSX's line through his state and replace it with a highway (April 6 Trains News Wire). What do the Chinese know that those of us from the US do not? Other than their foresight and willingness to invest in the future. In so many ways, our elected leaders are heading our country deeper into decline, one which our children will be hard-pressed to recover from.
Randy Vos
"Ever have one of those days where you couldn't hit the ground with your hat??" - Waylon Jennings
"May the Lord take a liking to you and blow you up, real good" - SCTV
Have fun with your trains
QUOTE: Originally posted by futuremodal QUOTE: Originally posted by TomDiehl ATTENTION WAL-MART SHOPPERS: See what your purchases are financing. ATTENTION CLASS I RAILROADS: See whom your monopolistic pricing policies are subsidizing.
QUOTE: Originally posted by TomDiehl ATTENTION WAL-MART SHOPPERS: See what your purchases are financing.
QUOTE: Originally posted by futuremodal [My stand: If either or both of these lines are used primarily to haul freight, then I would say they are on to something higher up on the evolutionary scale. But if it is strictly for passenger services, then it is in fact a social regression being represented.
QUOTE: Originally posted by eastside I'd hardly call China the exemplar to emulate. If maglev trains are such a good idea, why aren't they being used in Germany, where China bought its system, or Japan, which has been developing one for over the past two decades?
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
QUOTE: Originally posted by eastside QUOTE: Originally posted by futuremodal So, the question I have then is this: Are China's environmental laws superior to ours (on an economic basis)? What few environmental laws China has on its books are largely ignored or not enforced, but that's besides the point. If China weren't a one-party totalitarian state and had a functioning legal system, we might be able to compare laws. As it is administrative fiat not the law rules. What you really want to compare is the political systems. So I would say yes, if you want to get projects through with a minimal amount of unpleasantness from the citizenry, a totalitarian state is far more efficient than a democratic state.
QUOTE: Originally posted by futuremodal So, the question I have then is this: Are China's environmental laws superior to ours (on an economic basis)?
QUOTE: Originally posted by futuremodal Remember, individual transportation systems are higher up on the evolutionary chain than mass transit systems. Mass transit systems are the stuff of the "Metropolis" remakes.
Quentin
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