Modeling the Cleveland and Pittsburgh during the PennCentral era starting on the Cleveland lakefront and ending in Mingo junction
CMStPnPSchlimm, Al-Jezzerra America has an agenda for the United States in how they report the news and it is not a "live happily ever after" agenda. I would not trust anything they report on......anymore than I would if it was on RT.
I don't 'trust' Al Jazeera any more than I would than an article on FoxNews. However, Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Cay Johnson has a long record of excellent journalism and he cites the relevant academic study with links. He has a strong background in economics, business and tax accounting.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
CMStPnP schlimm TVA states on their own site they charge 8.97 cents per kWh on average through April 2014. Thats about what we pay in Texas with electrical deregulation, maybe a little less...without the TVA. We are also the largest Wind Energy producer in the United States.
schlimm TVA states on their own site they charge 8.97 cents per kWh on average through April 2014.
Thats about what we pay in Texas with electrical deregulation, maybe a little less...without the TVA. We are also the largest Wind Energy producer in the United States.
Off topic but Texas also has it's own stand alone Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy and State Militia.........kind of on the fringe of the structure of the Reserve forces of the Pentagon. For some strange reason which I will never understand why we are paying for all that as state taxpayers. However if the President Federalized DoD run Armed Forces the Texas Governor would still have a fairly substantial Armed Forces under his command in manpower. Not sure about arms or equipment.....that might be lacking.
Goes back to state paranoia about a Fed government takeover of the state I guess.
schlimm "A new analysis shows that people pay 35 percent more for electricity in states that abandoned traditional regulation of monopoly utilities in the 1990s compared with states that stuck with it. Residential customers in the 15 states that embraced wholesale markets paid on average 12.7 cents per kilowatt-hour last year versus 9.4 cents in states with traditional regulation." http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/5/free-market-dogma-has-jacked-up-our-electricity-bills.html
"A new analysis shows that people pay 35 percent more for electricity in states that abandoned traditional regulation of monopoly utilities in the 1990s compared with states that stuck with it. Residential customers in the 15 states that embraced wholesale markets paid on average 12.7 cents per kilowatt-hour last year versus 9.4 cents in states with traditional regulation."
http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/5/free-market-dogma-has-jacked-up-our-electricity-bills.html
Schlimm, Al-Jezzerra America has an agenda for the United States in how they report the news and it is not a "live happily ever after" agenda. I would not trust anything they report on......anymore than I would if it was on RT.
In my experience here in Texas we have some of the lowest electrical rates in the country because we have our own grid apart from the rest of the United States and are self-sufficient.
schlimmTVA states on their own site they charge 8.97 cents per kWh on average through April 2014.
High rates?
In the Chicago area, ComEd charges residential customers 11.57 cents per kWh + a monthly flat fee of $15.95.
By contrast in Knoxville, KUB passes on what they pay TVA per kWh and adds an additional 25% of that to cover their expenses. So a customer pays 8.965 cents + a $14.00 fee.
TVA states on their own site they charge 8.97 cents per kWh on average through April 2014.
Apparently you don't live in tva service area. I do. Poor reliability, over staffed and high rates
It is a federally-owned corporation of your government, the Tennessee Valley Authority, authorized in 1933. Speaking of Reagan, he was fired by GE (sponsor of the GE Theater, which he hosted on TV) in 1962 in response to his publicly referring to the TVA (TVA being a major customer for GE turbines) as one of the problems of "big government".
Kay Bailey Hutchinson was a Texas Republican Senator and she was a staunch Amtrak supporter. Same with former New Mexico Republican Pete Domenci. Both Senators actually rode the Amtrak trains in their respective state instead of just viewing them on a post card.
So I am not sure I would say all Republicans vote against Amtrak instinctively.
There are a few idiots on the Republican side just as there are on the Democrat side (John Murtha International Airport.....really? How many planes land there?.....How much did that cost?)
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/23/murtha.airport/
I think the concern here across both political parties is that we are spending a LOT and awful LOT of money on "Can't touch this" Social Programs yet seeing meager results if any. We have Rand Paul running around saying Audit the Fed, Audit the Fed..........You know what? When are we going to Audit Unemployment programs or Social Security for that matter?
Also, I would like to know what happened to the $8 Billion in Amtrak funding that the House approved earlier this year, that was to stretch to 2020. Did that not pass the Senate? What happened to it?
As a kid I was taught that TVA was a great idea and a great success. Later I found out that its cheap electricity played a part after 1945 in many northern businesses moving south for the cheaper power and cheaper-yet labor. Still, I think TVA was a great thing and it's a lasting monument to the New Deal.
So, since it's a successful government agency, how about we let the TVA operate Amtrak?
(By the way, who actually owns and operates the TVA?)
WizlishHypocrisy about what?
[M-W] Hypocrisy = "behavior that does not agree with what someone claims to believe."
For free market conservatives to vote against the privatization of a government-owned and operated service in an economic sector that is largely private, is a textbook example.
schlimmNot sure what the GOP pols' views are currently, but their hypocrisy abounded as recently as 2013:
Hypocrisy about what? From the story:
"For the first time that I'm aware of, you've got a Democratic administration proposing the sale of TVA and simultaneously you've got significant, conservative federal representatives in the House and Senate defending their local socialist project," Smith said. "There's a lot irony in it and little bit of humor actually."
Meanwhile it's Democrats who point out that debt makes the privatization unpalatable, and that non-power aspects of TVA (including the 'flood control' that was one of the nominal reasons why TVA was formed) would be spun off...
Sing with me: "If buttercups buzzed..."
On the other hand, it's pretty easy and technically nonhypocritical to figure this out: "If it's Obama's idea, it must be BAAA...AAA...AAD!"
Wizlish CSSHEGEWISCH When it comes to the evils of socialism, I've noticed that nobody in the GOP is taking shots at the Tennessee Valley Authority. It's only 'evil' if it doesn't appear to make money or 'pull its own weight'. Or if it benefits your opponents or something you want to demonize expediently.
CSSHEGEWISCH When it comes to the evils of socialism, I've noticed that nobody in the GOP is taking shots at the Tennessee Valley Authority.
It's only 'evil' if it doesn't appear to make money or 'pull its own weight'. Or if it benefits your opponents or something you want to demonize expediently.
Not sure what the GOP pols' views are currently, but their hypocrisy abounded as recently as 2013:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/16/republicans-blast-obama-proposal-to-sell-tennessee-valley-authority/
So where do the so-called 'free market' fans stand on infrastructure?
CSSHEGEWISCHWhen it comes to the evils of socialism, I've noticed that nobody in the GOP is taking shots at the Tennessee Valley Authority.
When it comes to the evils of socialism, I've noticed that nobody in the GOP is taking shots at the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Jim200 There was also the amendment to stop funding Amtrack by Republican Tom McClintock from central California. 147 Republicans voted with McClintock including some who had long distance trains which served their district. Fortunately, 90 Republicans and 182 Democrats defeated the amendment. Later, McClintock and 45 other Republicans changed their minds and voted for H.R. 749 to fund Amtrak. It is hard for me to understand how they could be for Amtrak funding and against Amtrak funding at the same time. Perhaps, that is what it takes to get elected these days.
There was also the amendment to stop funding Amtrack by Republican Tom McClintock from central California. 147 Republicans voted with McClintock including some who had long distance trains which served their district. Fortunately, 90 Republicans and 182 Democrats defeated the amendment. Later, McClintock and 45 other Republicans changed their minds and voted for H.R. 749 to fund Amtrak. It is hard for me to understand how they could be for Amtrak funding and against Amtrak funding at the same time. Perhaps, that is what it takes to get elected these days.
Depending on their districts, they may fear a challenge from the far right, who probably consider Amtrak evil socialism.
Most recently, H.R. 749: the Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of 2015, passed the House on 3/4/2015. The vote: 316 For, 101 Opposed, 15 Not Voting.
By party: GOP: 132 For, 101 Opposed, 11 Not Voting.
Dem: 184 For, 0 Opposed, 4 Not Voting.
The GOP appears to be very divided on funding Amtrak.
schlimm A McIntosh Let us recognize one glaring fact: with regards to the one thing Amtrak needs most, that is, a stable source of funding that is predictable, both parties have failed miserably. The false equivalence logical fallacy strikes again! And the consequence of some cognitive dissonance.
A McIntosh Let us recognize one glaring fact: with regards to the one thing Amtrak needs most, that is, a stable source of funding that is predictable, both parties have failed miserably.
Let us recognize one glaring fact: with regards to the one thing Amtrak needs most, that is, a stable source of funding that is predictable, both parties have failed miserably.
As does the great potato masher - plan your next capital purchase without knowledge that your funding exists past next week.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
I think you may have answered your own question in regards to the ATA, but let me expand on my comment. All of the recent actions to zero out Amtrak come during periods where the ATA is trying to push for expanded weight or size limits on trucks.
To get there you have to lobby that trucks and consequentially automobiles pay their full way for the use of highways, incrementally that is revenue per mile traveled. Of course they ignore the leverage from taxes on the use of the local road system, particularly for trucks as they don't pay for the local road system in the same way automobile users do through property taxes unrelated to roads.
Once you make this jump to ignore the HTF leveraging from taxes on road assets not paid for by the HTF there is nothing to say that National Network (Long Distance) routes should get any subsidy. Unfortunately, highways run a large deficit on an incremental cost to revenue basis, which is why the ATA has good lobbyists I suppose.
dakotafred All you Democrats on here need to realize two things: 1. Lots of Republicans, including reps in Congress, support Amtrak, including LD. How else do you suppose Amtrak has lasted all these years, including through Republican administrations and Republican congresses? 2. To the extent there is partisan, Republican, pressure on Amtrak, that's at least partly because, after you Democrats are done throwing sweetmeats to your various tax-money consuming constituencies, there isn't much left for our old heroic endeavers like infrastructure, space and lots of other stuff that used to make us special. Instead of blaming Republicans, how about blaming yourselves?
All you Democrats on here need to realize two things:
1. Lots of Republicans, including reps in Congress, support Amtrak, including LD. How else do you suppose Amtrak has lasted all these years, including through Republican administrations and Republican congresses?
2. To the extent there is partisan, Republican, pressure on Amtrak, that's at least partly because, after you Democrats are done throwing sweetmeats to your various tax-money consuming constituencies, there isn't much left for our old heroic endeavers like infrastructure, space and lots of other stuff that used to make us special.
Instead of blaming Republicans, how about blaming yourselves?
Fred: I think Tom's and my point concerned the more recent, ultra-conservative faction in the GOP, which has stated its intention is to privatize Amtrak. The GOP and the Democrats have funded it throughout its history. And after all, Amtrak was started by the GOP.
A few facts:
1. In all eight budgets of Ronald Reagan, Amtrak subsidies were all eliminated.
2. Geo. W. Bush zeroed out the Amtrak subsidy in his 2005 budget.
3. Candidate Romney proposed elimination of any subsidy for Amtrak.
Elimination of the Amtrak subsidy would mean elimination of all Amtrak services beyond the NEC.
Fred: I'm not sure whether your comment was aimed at me or not, but I'll take a shot at it. If I thought the Cato Institute represented the heart of traditional Republican thinking, or that it represents all of the Republican Party, then I might blame the Party. But I don't, so I don't.
Tom
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