FOX's O'Reilly on AMTRAK

[Shawn Ryu]

I dont care about whether Oreilly was right or wrong.

That explains a lot. Some of us are more interested in the facts.

But O"reilly's job isnt to purely inform the audience. He is there to analyze and turn it in to an opinion. he knows Amtrak receives subsidies from the government. So he says he deosnt feel that Amtrak should receive such subsidies. Whats wrong with that? Hes not wrong. Amtrak does receive subsidies.

If O'reilly has a wrong info altogether I will certainly crticize him. I do think that they should use right informations and they do. they are no less accurate than MSNBC.

To be fair to Hannity and O'Reilly, with airplanes and greyhounds, its so easy to have such opinions, that Amtrak doesnt need to exist. I think we all need to realize that. these guys and many feel that Amtrak isnt a viable option of transportation a)it is slower than plane b)takes part of the tax revenues, thus some feel that they are wasted.

Obviously I dont agree. but they arent the only ones. Many liberals feel this way as well.

BTW, Glenn Beck is a hack. I hate that guy.

 

[grounded flyboy]

I thought O'Reilly was talking about two things... infrastructure and operations. I didn't hear him have any complaint with infrastructure... we all expect the government to provide transportation infrastructure such as roads, bridges, runways and rr tracks. His complaint was with at least breaking even with Amtrak. But, even on that point, his thinking is flawed... when is the last time American Airlines or Continental ( both private companies) didn't operate at a loss?? Although, there is a valid argument that regulations are a big contributor to their red ink.

Private industry could probably tweak the fine points of customer service for Amtrak but none of us could afford to take the train or to fly if the tickets cost enough for them to make a profit.

 

[dlagrua]

The facts presented by Bill O'Reilly about Amtrak are indesputable. It's not Bill O'Reillys opinion, Amtrak DID lose $13 billion in the last 10 years. I didn't take this soley as an anti-Amtrak remark but one that illustates that the government is incapable of running anything without losing money. Just look at the Post Office, Medicare, Social Security and all the rest.

As a fiscal conservative but one who is strongly independent I will disagree somewhat and come to the defense of Amtrak. It must be remembered that Amtrak serves the public interest, is Green transportation, gets cars off the highways (saving road repair costs) and energy in the form of gasoline saved. Amtrak also provides jobs for those who work for it and jobs for those that provide the support services. If you add up all of the federal income taxes collected from those who work for or support Amtrak, and figure these into the budget, the loses would still be there but they would be far lower. If we pick on Amtrak we are talking about the crumbs in the overall transportation budget. There are much larger expenditures that can be cut that would make a difference in the deficit. If we cut out Amtrak completely its reduction to the deficit wouldn't even be noticed. It should be remembered that Amtrak is only 2 1/2% of the total US transportation budget.

America needs a passenger rail transportation system. All major cities have them, people depend on them but they all lose money. The freight railroads have no interest in passenger rail and walked away back in the 1960's. Amtrak only stepped in as it was vital that passenger rail be maintained.

We should all come to the defense of Amtrak by writing our representatives and voicing support. If they kill Amtrak then let them first kill all other government agencies and programs that lose more money. We should also ask the question why are we paying taxes????

 

[Kurn]

I saw his show tonite, and he said that Amtrak would be better run by the private sector, lets face it, I love Amtrak but we are broke, and billions of dollars spent aren't helping the regular people out there. If the private sector took over, we could probably see things run more prudently. I don't fly, I take Amtrak, but I know that throwing money at something doesn't make it better.

Uhh,passenger rail WAS run by the "private"sector".That's why we have AMTRAK.

 

[Kurn]

Who says I have problem with her life style?

She isnt brilliant. Shes an idiot.

I'm sure the people that awarded Rachel Maddow her Doctorate thought so,too.

 

[Guest]

How many people commenting (arguing)actually watched the Bill O'Reilly show referenced here?

 

[haolerider]

I saw his show tonite, and he said that Amtrak would be better run by the private sector, lets face it, I love Amtrak but we are broke, and billions of dollars spent aren't helping the regular people out there. If the private sector took over, we could probably see things run more prudently. I don't fly, I take Amtrak, but I know that throwing money at something doesn't make it better.

Uhh,passenger rail WAS run by the "private"sector".That's why we have AMTRAK.

I am always amazed at the naive approach to the private sector always being the silver bullet. As noted, the reason we have Amtrak is that the private sector decided they could not make enough money running passenger rail, so they bailed out. Not one freight railroad, but all of them. If the private sector was so anxious to get into the passenger rail business, they would be making overtures to get into the business; however I don't see that critical mass of interest for taking over Amtrak. Now, maybe there are certain sections of Amtrak that might be of interest - like the NEC, but then, any potential private sector company would be responsible for updating the infrastructure along the route and that would be a huge investment.

 

[Shawn Ryu]

Who says I have problem with her life style?

She isnt brilliant. Shes an idiot.

I'm sure the people that awarded Rachel Maddow her Doctorate thought so,too.

Theres a difference between memorizing books and actually being smart. A person with a college degree can be a moron, a douchebag, while a high school dropout can be a total genius.

 

[Nickrapak]

Who says I have problem with her life style?

She isnt brilliant. Shes an idiot.

I'm sure the people that awarded Rachel Maddow her Doctorate thought so,too.

You really don't need to be brilliant to get a doctorate. You just need to have enough money and willpower to work and get it. Hell, my uncle is a PhD, and he spent 10 years of his life shilling Amway!

Also: Public transportation is a money loser. Look at how much trouble the airlines (ex SWA) are in. If they had to build their own terminals and pay ATC, they would be in the red as much as Amtrak, if not more. The problem with the "tea party" conservatives is that they see direct subsidies as an easy target.

You can save a hell of a lot more money over Amtrak by charging usage fees for all Federal highways (i.e. Toll Roads!) Apparently, this is "unfair" though if you reference the debate we had here in PA over I-80 tolling.

 

[caravanman]

Hi,

We don't get Fox in the UK, but we have other similar low intellect channels...

Getting back to simple basics, is it every citizens job to make a profit from every activity, 24/7?

The govt. represents the citizens, why should the govt. be expected to make a profit from its citizens?

If citizens want a passenger rail system they must pay for it through taxation in some way, it must be judged as a service, a benefeit to society as a whole, not a simple profit or loss figure. Do police or fire departments expect to make a profit? They are public services too...

Funny how the wealthy mostly don't take trains. They have multiple travel options due to their wealth. Persuading rich folk to pay for something they will not use will be problematic, and expecting Fox to support anything that benefeits the less well off in society seems a stretch too!

Ed

 

[saxman]

Also: Public transportation is a money loser. Look at how much trouble the airlines (ex SWA) are in. If they had to build their own terminals and pay ATC, they would be in the red as much as Amtrak, if not more. The problem with the "tea party" conservatives is that they see direct subsidies as an easy target.

You can save a hell of a lot more money over Amtrak by charging usage fees for all Federal highways (i.e. Toll Roads!) Apparently, this is "unfair" though if you reference the debate we had here in PA over I-80 tolling.

Well to be fair Delta made quite the profit last quarter, the other airlines, not so much. And while I'll agree that an individual airline does not have to build and finance runways, their own ATC system and terminals, they do pay some quite hefty fees in landing fees, gate and terminal rental space and other taxes to help support the ATC system. But some people say that a rail line should go in and pay for all of that is just absurd.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

We don't get Fox in the UK, but we have other similar low intellect channels.

Fox is just one of the many world-wide tentacles of NewsCorp. See this link to get an idea of how big this has become. Berlusconi, eat your heart out.

Getting back to simple basics, is it every citizens job to make a profit from every activity, 24/7?

Yes, they absolutely are. What many on the right fail to mention is that one of the main problems with running an efficient and effective government in America are all the fraudsters who fund and fill our candidacies, lobby those who win, reward those who fund, fleece our coffers, and then use their ill gotten gains to create and pass the next round of carefully crafted loopholes. Our system is completely broken and Fox News isn't doing their job of pointing out the failures. Instead they're busy shielding half of our government from prying eyes and shaming those who speak out against them. If we keep going down this same path we'll eventually end up with a truly free market, which probably sounds great to some folks, until they realize it's markets like Nigeria that they're actually idolizing.

Do police or fire departments expect to make a profit? They are public services too.

If you take a look you'll see that at one time American firefighters were indeed privately funded and they wouldn't help save your house unless you paid an extra fee in advance. After watching house after house burn down due to lack of prepayment the American people demanded changes. But that was before our news media betrayed us helped swing us back to the hard-right view of everyone for themselves. Now we're heading back toward the same way of thinking that got us into this mess. I'm not sure if America is incapable of learning from our history, but sometimes I wonder.

 

[Oldsmoboi]

I dont care about whether Oreilly was right or wrong.

That explains a lot. Some of us are more interested in the facts.

But O"reilly's job isnt to purely inform the audience. He is there to analyze and turn it in to an opinion. he knows Amtrak receives subsidies from the government. So he says he deosnt feel that Amtrak should receive such subsidies. Whats wrong with that? Hes not wrong. Amtrak does receive subsidies.

If O'reilly has a wrong info altogether I will certainly crticize him. I do think that they should use right informations and they do. they are no less accurate than MSNBC.

To be fair to Hannity and O'Reilly, with airplanes and greyhounds, its so easy to have such opinions, that Amtrak doesnt need to exist. I think we all need to realize that. these guys and many feel that Amtrak isnt a viable option of transportation a)it is slower than plane b)takes part of the tax revenues, thus some feel that they are wasted.

Obviously I dont agree. but they arent the only ones. Many liberals feel this way as well.

BTW, Glenn Beck is a hack. I hate that guy.

How much profit did the interstate highway system make last year? How much profit did the road in front of your house make last year? How much does it cost the state to build those roads, maintain them, patrol them, enforce speed restrictions, clear snow, salt them? What is the net profit after all of that? If it's not a net profit, where does that money come from?

 

[PJRACER]

Hello to all members: I am truly sorry for introducing this post, about four pages ago. I didn't realize it would create such an uproar, I was just asking a question. Thats a rookie for you....and if I have upset any of the old timer members on this forum, I am sorry. I hope you members haven't gotten to the point of disliking other members for their position taken in this debate??? and think it should probably come to an end. Maybe getting back to what you do best.....helping fellow members and newcomers like myself, prepare themselves for AMTRAK travel....and answering questions pertaining to problems with one route or the other. It has certainly helped me in that regard over the past 4 or so months...and I have yet to experience my first travel via AMTRAK. We are very anxious for our departure in August. Really hope there are no hard feelings as a result of this topic. PJRACER

 

[oldtimer]

Who says I have problem with her life style?

She isnt brilliant. Shes an idiot.

I'm sure the people that awarded Rachel Maddow her Doctorate thought so,too.

Also those that made her a recipient of a Rhodes Scholar award!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Here's an idea for all you free market types/anti-govt. zealots:

Lets turn the United States into Mexico or Russia where it's everybody for themselves, yeah, that's the ticket! Unlimited opportunities to get rich, corruption,a free market delight except legit business and prudent people are fleeing since the governments cant provide the stability needed to ensure that a capitalistic system really will work!

The no-nothings that bash Government don't have a clue how our society/system really works, they do the footwork for the greedheads and the criminals that are lotting our society, as others have said name one private enterprise that ever suceeded without government subsidies/tax breaks etc. Take all the time you want, meanwhile the New Robberbarons have the Foxes guarding the henhouse, if it wasnt for the Government we'd all be dead by 50, sick, broke and probably citizens of another Evil Empire and for damn sure there wouldnt be any Amtrak or rail of any type except freight and perhaps the Superrich's Private Varnish that we used to see when Railroads were King!

 

[pennyk]

Hello to all members: I am truly sorry for introducing this post, about four pages ago. I didn't realize it would create such an uproar, I was just asking a question. Thats a rookie for you....and if I have upset any of the old timer members on this forum, I am sorry. I hope you members haven't gotten to the point of disliking other members for their position taken in this debate??? and think it should probably come to an end. Maybe getting back to what you do best.....helping fellow members and newcomers like myself, prepare themselves for AMTRAK travel....and answering questions pertaining to problems with one route or the other. It has certainly helped me in that regard over the past 4 or so months...and I have yet to experience my first travel via AMTRAK. We are very anxious for our departure in August. Really hope there are no hard feelings as a result of this topic. PJRACER

you are not to blame at all. I think this kind of thing happens and if it gets way off topic, a moderator will close discussion on the thread. I guess you now realize (if you had not previously realized), that although members of this forum enjoy traveling by train, they do not always agree on everything else.

 

[ThayerATM]

Pretty scathing commentary by Bill O'Reilly of FOX News on AMTRAK and the fact that AMTRAK has lost 13 Billion (with a B) over the past 10 years and O'Bama wanting to "invest" (means spend) more government money (we don't have) on high speed rail....where 80% of Americans can access (doubtful) and get where we want to go faster than a speeding bullet. Did anybody see tonights show??? He was pretty nasty about AMTRAK and being run by the government. Pretty much saying that the government can not run anything successfully. I'll let the members take it from there.

I'm not going to dignify O'Reilly or FOX news with my presence or attention. They're free to say whatever they want. They just do not matter.

 

[dlagrua]

Here's an idea for all you free market types/anti-govt. zealots:

Bill I believe that you mistake those like myself as anti-government. To clarify things most people are not anti-government but would like to work towards having a better corrupt free government

Some government, including Amtrak is necessary to serve the public interest. The argument becomes the amount that government will spend to do this and on what programs.

 

[ThayerATM]

Pretty scathing commentary by Bill O'Reilly of FOX News on AMTRAK and the fact that AMTRAK has lost 13 Billion (with a B) over the past 10 years and O'Bama wanting to "invest" (means spend) more government money (we don't have) on high speed rail....where 80% of Americans can access (doubtful) and get where we want to go faster than a speeding bullet. Did anybody see tonights show??? He was pretty nasty about AMTRAK and being run by the government. Pretty much saying that the government can not run anything successfully. I'll let the members take it from there.

Bill O'Reilly is a bitter old man toeing the party line... nothing to see here move along folks.

Guy's I get it, I am not really a big fan of O'Reilly either but the issue is the many Americans do like and listen to him. They need to hear the other side of the argument that talks about how Amtrak is an asset to the private sector by providing reliable connections in areas like the North East which allow for companies to do more business, and create more jobs. I doubt there is little question in anyone’s mind that the economy of the NEC area would be less productive without Amtrak. In addition LD trains provide critical transit connections to areas that are under served. They give these areas a life line to the rest of the country and again make their local economies more productive.

Amtrak loses money on its operations yes, but I would be willing to bet (and I wish someone can do this study) that they deliver more tax revenue though its existence than the cost of its subsidy.

Lastly Amtrak is a big boost to international tourism, All of us can remember dozens of examples of meeting tourist who wanted to travel our country by rail. Their positive experiences will again, help foster good will in their nations, and there by indirectly improve American economic and political relation around the world.

It is these arguments we need to make to conservatives! Insults might make you feel good but they do not address the issue! Please people we need talk and act like passenger rail is an important issue to conservatives as well and we need to do it by making conservative arguments for it. No, you will never be able to convince an ultra-libertarian but there are many who will listen if you make the right type of argument.

Anyone who spends any time watching, or listening to, FOX News is doing so in order to fan the flames of their own prejudices.

Amtrak can stand on its own merits. O'Reilly just doesn't matter. hboy:

 

[Shawn Ryu]

If you dont like Oreilly, ignore him. Thats the only way to make him go away.

And seriously, people are bashing Murdoch for trying to make money? I should criticize each and every one of you for making money and spending it on your own comfort, how about that?

I am not anti government, I dont trust them and they need to be in check.

 

[The Journalist]

I am not anti government, I don't trust them and they need to be in check.

I almost agree...except replace "government" with "big business."

Is that inherently less sensible?

Edit: Hit Post too soon.

 

[Rail Freak]

If you dont like Oreilly, ignore him. Thats the only way to make him go away.

And seriously, people are bashing Murdoch for trying to make money? I should criticize each and every one of you for making money and spending it on your own comfort, how about that?

I am not anti government, I dont trust them and they need to be in check.

Everything should be in check, don't you agree???

 

[caravanman]

Hi,

Not everything in check, I think some things should be in cheek, like tongues, for example...

ed

 

[Shawn Ryu]

The guy worked hard for his money. Sure he was rich when he was born, but he didnt sit on his ass, he worked hard to become his own man. Why does society frown upon people like that? The guy never killed for his fortune as far as I know. He didnt steal from the poor. he was simply smart and hard working. What is so bad about that?

and yes, some big businesses should be kept in check. Kept in check to make sure the competition is fair. Fair competition benefits us, the consumers.