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A Maglev Train System for Florida?
Artifice_Eternity writes "For 20 years, citizens of Florida have been pushing for high-speed rail, as an alternative to the state's ever-growing, yet ever-crowded highways. A previous plan, the Florida Overland eXpress (FOX), was
killed by governor Jeb Bush in 1998. The voters responded by passing a referendum to require the building of a "bullet train," starting by November 2003.
The new
Florida High Speed Rail Authority is focusing first on the busy Miami-Orlando and Tampa-Orlando corridors, but eventually hopes to serve the whole state.
And they are seriously considering maglev technology! If the Florida HSR system did use maglev, it would be the largest one in the world. (Right now, maglev is in use on test tracks in
Germany and Japan, with a 30-kilometer system under construction in Shanghai.)
However, I like this humorous proposal best: it takes the idea of a "bullet train" literally, using the Jules Verne approach to propulsion."
Would be nice if they would run it along I4 (which they probably will, since it's the main artery from Tampa to Orlando)... traffic there is horrible.
Assuming it's not too expensive to ride, I would see it getting alot of business from us college students in Orlando who have family along the routes... gas isn't exactly cheap for a 400 mile drive one way
There are only 10 kinds of people in this world... those who understand binary and those who don't
Nonsense. I remember signing the petition to have the issue put on the ballot. I remember voting on it. I remember it being passed.
Here in FL, with enough signatures, any issue (as long as it deals with a single point) can be put on the ballot. Any issue. This was one of them. It wasn't like big money bought the signatures and bought the voters.
Burn Hollywood Burn
I voted against this in 2000.
Simply put: Florida doesn't have the money. I'm not sure if the old rail route between Miami and Tampa is still operational (I took it a couple of times, years ago), but it was more than adequate. It wasn't very popular, though, IIRC.
The reason the referendum passed? It was vaguely worded and there was virtually no publicity given to it. I remember seeing it on the ballot, thinking "Hmm.. that would be pretty neat," and damn near punching it. And then I realized that it would be simply another bloated fund for our local politicos to exploit -- another holy grail for South Florida's thriving embezzlement industry. No thanks.
I hope Jeb lays the smack down again.
Only several billion dollars?
That is cheap.
The West-side Light Rail in Portland cost several billion dollars.
This is my two cents about Government funded work.
For every penny the government spends on a project like this, someone is getting work, a job, etc.
For the Light Rail in Portland, there are local survey teams, earthmovers, concreate people, electrical workers, artists, contractors all getting to work. The trains come from the Czech Republic, so we get to throw some money at them that should have gone there during the Marshall Plan.
It's not like welfare where the money goes into a blackhole.
And I think now that it's a good time for a state government like Florida's to spend some money on infrastructure, good lord they need it.
It's the perfect place for high speed trains. Throw up a couple new nuke plants for the power.
For every penny the government spends on a project like this, someone is getting work, a job, etc.
This is such a common myth. Where does the money come from to pay for this? From taxpayers. What would most taxpayers do with this money if they were allowed to keep it? Spend it -- "someone wouldbe getting work, a job, etc."
The effect of taxes is to merely change the kind of work that will be done. And this work is for the benefit of the five largest cities and not for the rest of the state.
Taxes don't create jobs, they merely change the kind of jobs that will be done.
Nonsense. I remember signing the petition to have the issue put on the ballot. I remember voting on it. I remember it being passed.
Marge: But Main Street's still all cracked and broken...
Bart: Sorry, Mom, the mob has spoken!
All: Monorail!
Monorail!
Monorail!
Police officers are not part of the general populace when they've got their badge on, and are held to a different standard of accountability, not unlike the code that soliders have to follow.
Here in NY state, there was a spark a while back about a black man named Diallo who got shot down by officers. After a trial (that got moved upstate to right here in Albany), the officers were absolved of their charges--the jury found that they really did think that this was their man, and they really did think that he was pulling a gun.
'course, they all probably got written up internally for "excessive use of force," and each and every one of those cops has to live with the knowledge that they killed an innocent... I would be surprised if none of the officers took some psychiatric aid, and if they're all still working at NYPD.
(A google search, btw, lists over 54k results for "Cop goes to jail".)
For the most part, police officers who go to trial go quietly, and I suspect that many of them plead guilty--who the hell wants to life with "bad cop" floating around in the general conciousness attached to their face?
Its time to get rid of the police part of the police state-- let private security agencies represent us and defend us-- and make everyone equal under the law. (And no more agents of the state getting first crack at the evidence so they can tamper with it. Completely lacks objectivity that.)
That's wrong on so many levels...
Thanks for listening to my rant. while I was born in the south, I left after I realized just how corrupt the states are.. Florida, LA, Miss, Texas-- hell cops were drowning people in Brayes Bayou and shooting them, while drunk, on the freeway when I left Texas (and of course, no charges are filed.)
So, you're a witness to police getting drunk and murdering someone? Call the local DA right now--there's no statute of limiations on murder. Oh, that DA's corrupt? Then call them first, and then the FBI. Oh, you didn't see it firsthand? Then have your friend who did call.
Oh, wait--you mean you didn't actually see it, and you don't know anyone who did? Then it's heresay, gossip, and not enough to build any kind of case whatsoever. It probably didn't happen, or if it did it was resolved internally and no one bothered to tell you because it's none of your damn business.
Sorry about the counter-rant; knee-jerk antiestablishmentism irks me greatly, especially coming from people who don't get out and do anything about it.