Obama Calling For $53B For High Speed Rail

Antisyzygy writes "President Obama is calling for $53B to be appropriated for the construction of high-speed rail in the United States over the next 6 years. Assuming Congress approves this plan, the funding would be spent on developing and/or improving trains that travel at approximately 250 miles/hour, as well as spent on connecting existing rail lines to new developed high speed lines."

Comments

Re:Its not the speed that is the problem.

[spun]

Obama spent all the money? Nope. Bush spent all the money. Bush started two wars and increased spending while slashing taxes. The bailout was Bush's baby. You might be able to legitimately claim that Obama hasn't done enough to fix the budget problems, but most people would like the government to create jobs during a recession rather than cut them, don't you think?

Wrong

[unassimilatible]

"Obama spent all the money? Nope. Bush spent all the money. "

Two years into record deficits this is just a childish statement. Obama's deficits are much higher than Bush's.

"but most people would like the government to create jobs during a recession rather than cut them, don't you think?"

No, not based on the most recent election. They want smaller government and less public employees. The government can only "create" public sector jobs, which steal from the private sector, i.e., tax dollars, and hurt growth, or through taxing for "stimulus," i.e., sedative. The idea that government central planning can allocate private resources and create jobs better than the private sector is ludicrous. It's like trying give yourself a transfusion from the left arm to the right arm, whilst spilling half the blood on the floor in the process.

If government got the hell out of the way, the economy would grow just fine. Smart people, i.e., those who aren't Keynesians, would not like the government to "create" jobs.

Re:Its not the speed that is the problem.

[Richard Dick Head]

Just like anything run by the "Ace of Spades" (e.g. Africa, Atlanta, Amtrak), you get defensive service, low-quality product, a definitive focus on showy maneuvers and increasingly polished "game" instead of actual improvement or change in response to demands, and of course an attitude problem that is generally epidemic due to the fact that it requires a man present to turn a child into an adult.