Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
[quote user="John WR"] [quote user="blue streak 1"]Congressman MICA was in a meeting of the Transportation sub committee.  John Robert Smith former mayor of Meridian and at one time on the Amtrak board testified.[/quote] One important think Mayor Smith shows is that Congressman Mica does not represent responsible Republicans on this issue.  The fact of the matter is that political leaders in the Florida panhandle, southern Alabama, southern Mississippi and Louisiana all want the Sunset Limited back and believe there areas have been harmed economically by taking it away.  These areas are among the most conservative areas in the country and they support Amtrak.    Congressman Mica has to play to the teapartiers in his own district who are unhappy with his positions on other issues and who can challenge him in the primaries.  [/quote] It would be nice to have a statistically valid poll re: whether people along the Gulf coast really want a return of the Sunset Limited. Moreover, it would be nice to have a before and after poll.  The before poll would not mention the fact that the Sunset Limited lost $42.0 million before depreciation and interest in 2012; the after poll would be taken after the pollsters told the potential respondents of the potential loses.   The Sunset Limited ran through the cities dotting the Gulf Coast in the wee hours of the night.  I understand that it was lightly patronized.  Moreover, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana sponsored a day train from Mobile to New Orleans.  It was a flop. Some ideologies oppose or support government support for passenger rail irrespective of its merits, i.e. a viable solution in short corridors; a financial drain over long distances.  Some opponents of long distance passenger trains believe honestly, with solid financial and operation support, that they are a wast of money, pious platitudes to the contrary notwithstanding, and the nation's resources, limited as they are, could better be devoted to higher payout solutions.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag