High Speed Rail in America: Hope We Can Believe in

Today we learned the consumer confidence number fell nearly ten points since last month.

It's not hard to figure why. The unemployment number for May showed a dismal growth of just 41,000 in American civilian jobs. And people got the word.

All this -- the bad June unemployment number expected Friday, the bad consumer confidence number, the drop in the Dow -- working together, and we're looking at the plausibility of that "second dip" we've been warned about.

I hear this all has the folks in the White House looking past a big defeat in November to what they can do going into 2012.

It's a brutal conundrum. Countries in Europe just made clear at the G-20 that they're in no mood to boost spending to create markets for American goods. They're tightening their belts, trying their best not be accused of doing what Greece did (living beyond their means). So we've got everybody in the world cutting back -- and what's that do to the prospect of an economic expansion? It kills it!

If you're looking for good news, I have one suggestion. Stop listening to Europe, stop listening to the conservatives, do what has worked in the past.

What got us out of the Great Depression was production: massive industrial production to support the allies in World War Two.

We need production for this country now. We need to build rapid rail to catch up to those allies from World War Two. France has the TGV. China is building its rapid rail system. It's time we joined the movement. We need to go back to the future and become a country that builds things. It'll create jobs. It'll catch us up to the rest of the world. It'll cut our reliance on oil. It'll give us hope you can believe in.

Look, Lincoln built the continental railroads even in the midst of the Civil War. Ike built the inter-state highway system in the supposedly do-nothing Fifties.

President Obama... Just do it!

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Comments

[boston997]

02:32 PM on 08/16/2010

I'm curious Chris, what kind of car do you drive?
And how far is your commute everyday?

[igottagetouttathisplace]

12:37 PM on 07/27/2010

The US Congress made a fatal miscalculation after WW2 when it capitulated to the trucking and road construction lobby (civil engineers, highway contractors, portland cement assoc, etc) and didn't include HSR in Eisenhower's interstate highway system. It would have been so easy at that point to build the HSR sub ROW into the the huge 300m ROW an average interstate ended up with. With the ROW problem solved, this country could have phased in construction over many years and easily matched Asia and Europe's domination of the HSR space. A very sad tale of greed and stupidity if ever there was one

Ahh "free" market unrestricted capitalism--where will it take us next?---just can't wait---better than B class movies but not as good as watching the Sunday choir leaders face after he passed gas instead of waving his baton.

Life form 499220.99 from Contestmazuter Galaxy substation 440022 was dead right when he said in Intergalaxy News last week that, and I Quote: "IS THIS PLACE CALLED EARTH A JOKE OR WHAT?"”

[bryan broome]

07:19 AM on 07/06/2010

If a high speed rail system will do away with air transport, then go for it. Else it is just another dumb idea. How about instead of commuting 100 miles to work, get a job closer to home or move to the city you work in. No, that sounds too much like common sense.

[Nuyorican21]

09:55 AM on 07/06/2010

I feel as though subsidizing a housing market was just another subsidy for gas companies and pushed us further into oil addiction.

[Mildmannered]

03:50 AM on 07/06/2010

rapid rail between S.F. and L.A. and between L.A. and LV -- makes sense to me

[Chopin]

04:01 PM on 07/05/2010

Maglev trains R&D in Japan (a learning experience):--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPduAYKk_6I
French maglev trains R&D ("whooosh"):--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Layg7NpyTes
How does it feel like on a highspeed train (at over 200 mph)?:--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVWYRaB8-fw
Highspeed trains around the world . . . except in USA:--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTn7d4KJqx8
CNN report on highspeed trains in China:--
$8 billion from Washington? China is investing $360 billion on highspeed trains.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXbR_Ybwwvk
Rachel Maddow on highspeed trains:--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCI7IgO0vdw

Is your heart beating faster watching these worldwide developments?


1 kilometer = 0.6213 miles
1 mile = 1.6093 kilometer
Kilometer to miles calculator:--
http://www.metric-conversions.org/
.

[igottagetouttathisplace]

12:17 PM on 07/27/2010

Great Post F&F

[Chucktheman]

10:04 AM on 07/05/2010

I agree we need to be building our infrastructure. Along with high speed rail we need CNG filling stations, Lithium cell charging and replacment stations etc. It would be nice if we could build all three at once and get more bang for the buck in the constuction phase. Until the people who control Washington figure out where the money trail ends for the war machine, we will not be able to control our budget. Xe Halliburton Blackwater and the rest of the 300 companies that make up this massive money sucking machine, peel back the fabric of our society like the layers of an onion and keep up from moving forward. If we put that money into the manufacturing base here in the US and not overseas as has been the prctice of the last administration, this nation can prosper again. Regulating the greed that has the most lobbying power wont be easy. They fight us with our own money. The corruption in the system goes high and deep. All you have to do to see it is look at the politicians from any party. See who continues to defend the private holdings which support the war machine. Check out those holdings and they are always connected to the root company. I think if I were involved in all that I would have a heart problem too. We will see who our real leaders are and which ones are simply bought and paid for.

[WisdomFirst]

09:01 AM on 07/05/2010

Also, Chris, two things: (1) I always watch your show; I really like it. I feel that when Bush was in Office, you were kind of a cheerleader, and I was very disappointed by that, but since then, you seem to have come around, and I feel that's genuine. (2) I wish you would give more emphasis sometimes, when talking about the money needed to do x, y, or z, about the 800-some military bases we have scattered across the planet. Some of these bases HAVE to be closed, and the money for them redirected for U.S. stimulus works.

[WisdomFirst]

09:07 AM on 07/05/2010

More accurately, around 6,000 military bases in the U.S. and its territories, and approx. 737 bases in 130 countries, AND, the "unknown unknown" bases elsewhere that are being kept secret from the American people but for which we, of course, fund as well. Just think of what even one percent of that redirected money could do for our economy with infrastructure rebuilding.

[braziliancongo]

10:45 AM on 07/05/2010

Sorry, anti-war sentiments are not wanted here.

[WisdomFirst]

08:56 AM on 07/05/2010

Right on, Chris. All I ever hear (and not much of it, by the by) about high-speed rail in the U.S. is a bunch of talk, talk, talk. Where is the critical mass on this issue? As you say, it would be a win-win-win -- catching up to the TGV,etc., jobs, lessening reliance on oil. What's not to like?

[darter22]

08:51 AM on 07/05/2010

Maybe we could take some of the $700 billion we spend on our gold plated war machine and spend it on transportation infrastructure instead.

[silverliner4]

08:45 AM on 07/05/2010

Didn't Lil' Bush's transportation secretary, Norman Mineta, say that American wasn't Japan or Europe and we should get used to that? We can't and won't do anything anymore. America is finished, folks. Has been for awhile but no one has told us yet. It's embarassing watching us play out the string while sniping at each other.

[Vige]

08:39 AM on 07/05/2010

1. Chris needs to put "Let Me Finish" needs to join "Hardball Award" in the toilet.
2. Chris needs to learn to do research before opening his mouth.
3. Chris needs to get over himself because his navel is not the center of the universe.

An article dated April 16, 2009 that is a recap of a speech the President gave.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/16/obama.rail/

The president's plan identifies 10 potential high-speed intercity corridors for federal funding, including California, the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, the Southeast, the Gulf Coast, Pennsylvania, Florida, New York and New England.

His plan would be funded in part through the recently passed $787 billion stimulus plan, which includes a total of $8 billion for improvements in rail service. Obama has also proposed a separate five-year, $5 billion investment in high-speed rail as part of the administration's suggested fiscal year 2010 budget.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Obama pledged to support a national network of faster passenger trains. The administration has already dedicated $1.3 billion in federal funding for Amtrak.

Here in Florida we received our grant on January 28, 2010.

Then yesterday in Tampa he outlined where $8 billion in grants will go: A Tampa-Orlando-Miami route in Florida is first up, with projects in California, Illinois and elsewhere to follow.
http://www.worldhum.com/travel-blog/item/president-obama-high-speed-rail-plans-20100129/

[Chopin]

01:57 PM on 07/05/2010

$8 billion for Amtrak? . . . $800 billion are being wasted and pouring into Afghanistan war and occupation. There's no money to do both. Unless you are spokesperson for the Obama administration, you would have to admit that upside down priorities do not make rational sense, and this plan is not genuinely serious. What America needs is a "Manhattan Project" size re-orientation of national priorities and investments from war to peace. It is that simple, and it is no less than that simple. Economists can work out the budgets, and generals in the Pentagon can work on the logistics of de-militarization. . . . Until then, it's smoke and mirrors, and YOU KNOW IT, and so does any thoughtful person.

[Tara Ella]

05:29 AM on 07/05/2010

I believe that high speed rail can bring a lot of economic benefits, especially in countries where there is a considerable distance between cities (like America).

[TheMadKing]

05:26 AM on 07/05/2010

With what money, Chris?

[icemdown]

01:44 AM on 07/05/2010

You know it's desperation time when a true liberal believer like Matthews credits the WWII military build up for pulling America out of the Great Depression instead of FDR's social programs. Also remember that we didn't have a choice after December 7th, 1941. It was either go to war or salute the flag of the rising sun.
Here are just a few of the reasons why highspeed rail in the U.S. wouldn't be practical at this time: The EPA, The Sierra Club, The Endangered Species Act, The Jones Act, State Legislatures, local municipalities, The U.S. Congress, and OSHA just to name a few. The land grab alone would be a logistical nightmare not to mention the NIMBY groups created by it. I would love to see a liberal vs. liberal fight, but I doubt this idea ever gets off the ground. Try again Chris, you've still got a few months to come up with something.

[atexasdem]

02:15 AM on 07/05/2010

If you have ever been to Japan you would know, they are far more packed than the US. Their islands are smaller than the US and they don't have the massive distances that we have. Meanwhile thirty years ago the developed and built 200 MPH bullet trains. So you are saying that the US is incapable of that. Maybe that's what has happened to us. We've become incapable. We'd rather sit back and dream of what once was instead of what could be.
I suppose that is the definition of a "conservative". A conservative dreams of what once was. A progressive dreams of what can be.

[sagebrush5]

02:46 AM on 07/05/2010

Your last 2 sentences sum it up in a nutshell. Exactly.

[bernhart]

02:51 AM on 07/05/2010

A progressive is someone like Pres Wilson who preached "democracy" to other cultures but was a racist to the core.
A progressive is someone who DOES NOT care what happens to people NOW but who envisions a world without oil, crime, racism, global warming etc. .
If rails were meant for America, we would already have one; HAVE YOU HEARD OF AMTRAK??

[RichardVinthagen]

10:06 AM on 07/05/2010

I the sixties USA put a man on the moon in some ten years and now, it cannot build a rail road?

[icemdown]

08:27 PM on 07/06/2010

Cape Canaveral Air Force base couldn't even be built today becase it would've violated the Wetlands Act, not to mention the Endangered Species Act. We can build it, but we will be fighting ourselves the entire time with bureacratic red tape.

[rodealer]

12:35 AM on 07/05/2010

High speed Rail needs Long Straight Tracks. The simple truth is that private property would have to be taken by Eminent Domain. Fat chance of that happening. Besides Private Citizens going to Court Towns and Cities would do the same if a loss of Taxes was involved. Imagine trying to get through New Jersey. Reality People, Reality!!!

[icemdown]

01:45 AM on 07/05/2010

Correct.

[atexasdem]

02:23 AM on 07/05/2010

You are a true conservative. You believe that Americans can't do anything. That America's days of glory are in the past. We'll I'm not a conservative. I believe that America's greatest days are in the future. That working together we can build a new and even greater America. An America with modern transportation systems, with state of the art communication systems.With reliable electricity. With clean and pure water. With technological breakthroughs. With world leading treatments of disease accessible to all.
Yes your right, I'm a dreamer. I'm what's called a "progressive". Go ahead and demonize me. You see I believe in what America can be rather than what America once was. Your absolutely correct, I'm neither a "tea bagger" or a "conservative".