BaltACD: A splendid and succinct expression of the essential difference between investment in infrastructure and the future and just spending. Also the distinction between the short-term and long-term.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
Infrastructure projects are not built to serve today; they are built to be the framework for the future and the one thing we know about the future is that in this country there will be more people to transport between our major metropolitan area....more people than our existing highway and airline structures can effectively handle. We can either build to handle tomorrow efficiently or wonder in the future why we didn't build what was needed when the opportunity existed to do it at it's most economical time. It is always more economical to undertake a project today than in the future.
In being the framework for the future infrastructure can't be built complete on day 1. It takes 9 months from conception to grow a viable human, it takes another 18 years of expenditures in time, money and efforts which do not return a immediately direct profit to build that human into a being that has the skills to deal with the world on it's own from a entry level position, let alone be in a position to return healthy self sustaining income.
Why should we expect HSR to be fully formed and immensely profitable...more than expect from our own personal contributions to the future.
The Interstate System was announced in 1956, and even today there are some legs of it's original routing's that have yet to be built (admittedly, local politics have played a big part in the uncompleted legs). Major infrastructure projects, no matter if they are highway, rail, airway, or waterway, are pure politics at every level from their conception to completion and sustaining maintenance.
The longest journey begins with the first step and the biggest infrastructure projects begin with the first shovel of dirt.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
oltmannd One of the best I've read (probably because I agree with it... ) http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2011-03-31-editorial31_ST_N.htm
One of the best I've read (probably because I agree with it... )
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2011-03-31-editorial31_ST_N.htm
They seem to have made a sincere effort to be objective. Now if only the comments under the article would do the same.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
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