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I think HSR makes more sense when connecting cities that are urban. It doesn't make sense when connecting suburban metros. A trip from Orlando to Tampa won't assure a car-free expedition being that both cities have lackluster public transit systems. Once you arrive in Tampa or vice versa, you will have to end up renting a car or paying for a Taxi in order to get to your destination. Both cities lack rail transit. This isn't the case in the NE corridor. Cities in the NE could allow passengers a car-free journey given the access to robust public transit systems.
The US has to develop massive intra-city transit before it gets into the business of inter-metro transit.
What Is your opinion on funding the new high speed rail program? Liberals are for it due to the fact that it would be environmentally friendly, while conservatives on the other hand think it is useless spending. I personally am a HUGE fan of it (due to the pro urban trend it would help set up).
I think spending untold billions on an infrastructure project with no demonstrated need for it at a time when we are in a debt crisis is the height of folly.
SS is primarily a retirement insurance program. That's how insurance works... some get out more than they pay, others get out less than they pay.
Almost everyone pays gas taxes. Most directly, but others indirectly.
And I agree school funding is an issue. There are too many people without kids funding the needs of families with kids.
But with rail, the 1% who use it are supported by the 99% who don't.
Re: schools. Everyone benefits from a public school program. I could say that everyone pays school taxes, most directly, but others indirectly. Everyone benefits from a good road system too.
Where are you pulling your percentages from? 1% of what population?
True, but we've gone too far. There are way too many kids in college and we graduate way too many kids with wasted educations who have none of the skills that are in short supply.
I agree with this. We need to start pushing vo-tech careers too.
No, regular ole math and basic economics tell me that new, better transportation system that boosts real estate values, encourages business growth and creates thousands of jobs is a good thing.
An eastern and western seaboard high speed rail system would probably work nicely. In Florida they're setting up a private high speed rail system which is hopefully also going to spur the development of local rail between the downtowns of the dense SE urban core, and the I-4 corridor. Extending a line up through to Jacksonville and beyond to points north would be a great idea.
So all of those environmental concerns wouldn't matter.
Yeah, because at the current rate of road expansion and development, where we're paving over everything, there's never any concerns with the environmental impact.
Nope. Just rail. Rail will bring down the entire eco-system, despite the fact that existent lines are already in place, or can be double tracked and expanded using 1/10th the space of a highway.
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