State of the Union

[Oldsmoboi]

I dont think government should subsidize any mass transit and many other things for that matter...

let the free market decide. but I am a Libertarian

Then the free market will decide that you don't get highways either.... or even a road up to your house... or garbage removal....or 911 coverage..... or Air Traffic control.... or water service... or meat without maggots.... or eggs that aren't tainted.... or children's toys without lead paint.... or..... well you get the idea.

Like i said the government should repel invaders and enforce contracts, i believe in a night watchman state

We'd have a hard time repelling invaders if we couldn't move our armies around efficiently via highways or airports or RAILROADS.

 

[haolerider]

I dont think government should subsidize any mass transit and many other things for that matter...

let the free market decide. but I am a Libertarian

Then the free market will decide that you don't get highways either.... or even a road up to your house... or garbage removal....or 911 coverage..... or Air Traffic control.... or water service... or meat without maggots.... or eggs that aren't tainted.... or children's toys without lead paint.... or..... well you get the idea.

Like i said the government should repel invaders and enforce contracts, i believe in a night watchman state

Would that nightwatchman be an employee of the government or private enterprise?

 

[Oldsmoboi]

Since we're getting so much snow lately. I wonder how snow removal would work. Would the government hire contractors to drive their own plows? Or would a bunch of people on the street have to all chip in to get someone to come plow their street and only their street? Would everyone, everywhere, suddenly be forced to join a home owner's association?

 

[Kurn]

People want whats best for them, so the people on this board want government subsidized travel and thats ok. But lets call it what it is. I am going to Chicago and on to New Orleans on a government welfare transit program.

How am i wrong?

Ya mean you're gonna fly?

 

[Oldsmoboi]

People want whats best for them, so the people on this board want government subsidized travel and thats ok. But lets call it what it is. I am going to Chicago and on to New Orleans on a government welfare transit program.

How am i wrong?

Should be a nice drive.

 

[Bob Dylan]

People want whats best for them, so the people on this board want government subsidized travel and thats ok. But lets call it what it is. I am going to Chicago and on to New Orleans on a government welfare transit program.

How am i wrong?

Well, without government subbed transportation you could float down the Mississippi on a raft just like Huck and Jim, those were the days for sure, damn Government!

 

[Oldsmoboi]

People want whats best for them, so the people on this board want government subsidized travel and thats ok. But lets call it what it is. I am going to Chicago and on to New Orleans on a government welfare transit program.

How am i wrong?

Well, without government subbed transportation you could float down the Mississippi on a raft just like Huck and Jim, those were the days for sure, damn Government!

You can't even do that anymore without government subsidy. Locks and damns ya know....

 

[dlagrua]

Uplifting, positive and creative speech by Obama. Interesting ideas and good intentions for a country that is broke. He mentioned one point of investment being high speed rail. OK sounds good but no explanation on where the money is going to come from and while some people are complaining about the 2 1/2% of the transportation budget cost to keep Amtrak running.

 

[pebbleworm]

The United States is only broke by choice- stop hemorrhaging cash in Iraq and Afghanistan, and restore taxes that had been cut to benefit only the richest SOB's in the nation and we would once again be on a sound financial footing. And to see your tax dollars at work, the former vice president of Afghanistan was found entering the United Arab Emirates with 52 million US dollars in cash. Wonder where that came from?

http://afghanistan.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2010/11/28/afghanistan-vice-president-carries-52-million-in-cash-to-uae/

 

[Green Maned Lion]

The United States is only broke by choice- stop hemorrhaging cash in Iraq and Afghanistan, and restore taxes that had been cut to benefit only the richest SOB's in the nation and we would once again be on a sound financial footing. And to see your tax dollars at work, the former vice president of Afghanistan was found entering the United Arab Emirates with 52 million US dollars in cash. Wonder where that came from?

http://afghanistan.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2010/11/28/afghanistan-vice-president-carries-52-million-in-cash-to-uae/

I'm tired of statements like this.

"We'd be fine if only we stopped spending on _________". No.

We would be fine if we:

Stopped spending on things that serve no purpose except to "improve" that which doesn't need to improve.

And stopped demanding the lowest tax rates in the industrialized world,

And stopped dodging all our taxes,

And stopped spending, spending, spending, spending,

And stopped electing people who have the IQ of a tape worm,

And...

Generally took our whole dysfunctional carnival of a government and dug a huge hole in the ground and threw it in and put lots of cement and concrete and steel and reinforced concrete, and more steel on top of it and then sprinkled salt on top just in case.

Our problems are huge, wide spread, systemic and just as complex as the government harboring them. There is no single solution, no simple solution, and no solution that would not be extremely painful to endure.

 

[pebbleworm]

Ooooh. I'm put in my place. What does your mouse have to say on the topic?

 

[oldtimer]

Ooooh. I'm put in my place. What does your mouse have to say on the topic?

Now pebbleworm put away your d-Con.

:giggle: :giggle:

 

[Ryan]

People want whats best for them, so the people on this board want government subsidized travel and thats ok. But lets call it what it is. I am going to Chicago and on to New Orleans on a government welfare transit program.

How am i wrong?

Ya mean you're gonna fly?

People want whats best for them, so the people on this board want government subsidized travel and thats ok. But lets call it what it is. I am going to Chicago and on to New Orleans on a government welfare transit program.

How am i wrong?

Should be a nice drive.

Well played, gentlemen.

 

[Shanghai]

Dream on! Private money would not be building the infrastructure we have now - or that we need in the future. What you have described would leave us with toll roads, toll bridges, toll airports, toll, toll, toll. Do you really want that?

It is not a dream in the New York Metro area. This is what we have!!

The tunnels and bridges from NJ to NY cost $8.

The Verazzano bridge $13.

The Whitestone & Throgs Neck bridges cost $7.

The Midtown tunnel $7.

The NJ Turnpike & Garden State Parkway - Toll.

I read that Pennsylvania wants to put tolls on Interstate 80

across the state.

The bridges and tunnels are operated by the city or the Port Authority of NY & NJ.

The Port Authority is a quasi-private company and received no taxpayer funds.

 

[henryj]

It's a lot of fun reading this and the O'Reilly post. There are so many 'socialist' types on here it boggles the mind. Everyone wants the government to do everything for them. One famous quote was that no one could afford to travel if the Government did not subsidize transport. Amazing. Lets have the Government just subsidize everything. You know, houses, washing machines, new cars and more model trains for me. Heck, I can't afford any of that so let the Government just give it to me. Free movies, free concerts, free museums. Lets get it all for free, right? Free groceries, free beer, free wine. Why not? You people are just nuts.

 

[Oldsmoboi]

It's a lot of fun reading this and the O'Reilly post. There are so many 'socialist' types on here it boggles the mind. Everyone wants the government to do everything for them. One famous quote was that no one could afford to travel if the Government did not subsidize transport. Amazing. Lets have the Government just subsidize everything. You know, houses, washing machines, new cars and more model trains for me. Heck, I can't afford any of that so let the Government just give it to me. Free movies, free concerts, free museums. Lets get it all for free, right? Free groceries, free beer, free wine. Why not? You people are just nuts.

What you're really saying is that you support a massive hike in gas taxes, because that's the only way the road and highway system will stop getting subsidized.

Government should provide only the structure for you to build your success on, not the success itself. In doing so, it allows for EVERYONE to be successful if they want to and work for it, not just those lucky enough to be born with the last name of Hilton.

 

[NETrainfan]

IMO, polarization of political ideology is not going to help our nation become stronger, more efficient etc. A house divided against itself...isn't it time for us all to work together to improve transportation, health care, job growth?- Obama seems to be working toward cooperation, even if he disagrees with certain people. We (my husband & I)are firm supporters of the growth of Amtrak for the benefit of ALL. (And we're from Maine-so how about the popularity of Amtrak in Maine? As Maine goes...wouldn't that be good?)

 

[The Davy Crockett]

IMO, polarization of political ideology is not going to help our nation become stronger, more efficient etc. A house divided against itself...isn't it time for us all to work together to improve transportation, health care, job growth?- Obama seems to be working toward cooperation, even if he disagrees with certain people. We (my husband & I)are firm supporters of the growth of Amtrak for the benefit of ALL. (And we're from Maine-so how about the popularity of Amtrak in Maine? As Maine goes...wouldn't that be good?)

Yes, especially if it the version of the saying that is NOT: "As Maine goes, so goes Vermont." :unsure:

 

[Ryan]

Way to take people's positions and extend them to an extreme, Henry. In polite company, that's referred to as "hyperbole" or "constructing a strawman".

 

[Devil's Advocate]

It's a lot of fun reading this and the O'Reilly post. There are so many 'socialist' types on here it boggles the mind. Everyone wants the government to do everything for them. One famous quote was that no one could afford to travel if the Government did not subsidize transport. Amazing. Lets have the Government just subsidize everything. You know, houses, washing machines, new cars and more model trains for me. Heck, I can't afford any of that so let the Government just give it to me. Free movies, free concerts, free museums. Lets get it all for free, right? Free groceries, free beer, free wine. Why not? You people are just nuts.

Wow, way to jump off the deep end Henry. :huh:

On the other hand, thanks for showing everyone in a single concise post what might take me hours to explain about what's wrong with the critical thinking skills of average Texans. :wacko:

I'm not sure what's wrong with our state, but it sure isn't getting any better over time. <_<

 

[NETrainfan]

henry- Socialism is a theory with a spectrum of political structures. We live in a democracy where the people decide- with representation- what they want to do with their tax money. Never heard of subsidized washing machines.

 

[henryj]

henry- Socialism is a theory with a spectrum of political structures. We live in a democracy where the people decide- with representation- what they want to do with their tax money. Never heard of subsidized washing machines.

Well unfortunately for passenger trains the 'people' have spoken and they want their tax money back. lol. I don't know why you would rolleyes on the washing machine thingy. Didn't we just have cash for clunkers followed by cash for appliances followed by cash for improving your home efficiency and on and on. I am not against socialism if thats what the people want. But it's fighteningly expensive as any European knows. As for the gas tax comment, originally the gas tax was to pay for highways. It is only recently that the gas tax does not generate enough money. In Europe gas tax is much much higher than here. I assume it pays not only for highways, but also transit. If Government is to provide the infrastructure on which we are to build our economy then it needs to do it fairly across the board. We could debate this forever, but in the end we will probably find that we basically agree on what we want, just not on how to get there.

 

[Ryan]

I don't know why you would rolleyes on the washing machine thingy. Didn't we just have cash for clunkers followed by cash for appliances followed by cash for improving your home efficiency and on and on. I am not against socialism if thats what the people want.

Unfortunately, none of those things are socialism. If you're going to keep talking about it, you should at least learn what it is.

 

[henryj]

I don't know why you would rolleyes on the washing machine thingy. Didn't we just have cash for clunkers followed by cash for appliances followed by cash for improving your home efficiency and on and on. I am not against socialism if thats what the people want.

Unfortunately, none of those things are socialism. If you're going to keep talking about it, you should at least learn what it is.

Well Ryan why don't you just explain it all to us. Tell us what Solialism is. And how it differentiates from communism and capitalism.

 

[Ryan]

It's Socialism - with a "c". I don't know what Solialism is, nor am I interested in doing your research for you.