GabbyGirl: although Trump could change this, the substantial curtailment or removal of a route requires a 180-day Train-Off notice, and provision for public comment.
So you get 6-months. And the uproar from such a cancellation would probably result in some of those trains regaining funding through various means. At least temporarily. Trumps budget doesn't forbid Amtrak from running LD trains, it defunds them. They can be funded through other means, and it is likely Congress itself would reverse some or all of that, once it actually goes into effect.
The problem at this moment is that the various people who fight for this stuff are being stupid (literal defintion: being in a stupor and failing to respond in a reasoned manner) and assuming it won't get far enough that a budget will actually pass doing so. If it actually does, they will likely cease being so stupid.
The US Capitol building is an expensive and beautiful edifice representing US power and prestige. However, all Congress really needs is two lecture halls of appropriate size, as seen in college campuses, and a few office buildings to house their staff and a few hearing rooms. Few people would consider the Capitol a waste, but in terms of bare bones requirements, it certainly is. It's need is ephemeral.
Except that the US Capitol wasnt always overrun with excess space; the Supreme Court was also housed there until they moved into their own digs. In fact, thats a better example of overkill, since when does a court need such a massive edifice which looks more like a memorial than a functional building? Yet, I would imagine part of the reason was to impart an air of confidence and everlasting hope at a time in the nations history when despair was rampant and hope in short supply.
To extrapolate another example, my state capitol is undergoing a multi-year renovation which will triple the number of committee meeting rooms. Previously, there was adequate space for most of upper-level state government for most of the year. But when the legislature is in session, rooms which are normally offices became cramped meeting spaces. Point being, when you need the space you need the space, even if you dont need it 365 days/year. Would it be that we lived in the Harry Potter universe where buildings could automatically expand and contract based on the needs at any given time.
So it is with Amtrak. There are probably non-passenger citizens who step outside a bar or on their porch for a smoke (or while waiting at a crossing) during a station stop in January and February and see empty seats in the coach cars and think What a waste! No wonder the federal budget wants to eliminate long distance trains. But they dont realize that during June/July/August the cars are full, or that unlike the airlines, Amtrak cant just move equipment around to fit the amount of passengers at any given time.
But on the other hand, having such weapons available if China or Russia can get serious about underwater boats... so is it waste?
Or are all the missles a waste if the 'Little Fat Kid' in North Korea decides to see if some of his new toys down the line will get rid of some of his bullies?
I wasn't talking about the space present in the Capitol building. I was talking about its grandiose design and ornamentation and expensive materials. An appropriately sized brutalist structure with 8ft ceilings made out of brick would do the job just as well. The question is, is it a waste to spend money on the purpose of demonstrating might, power, beauty, hope, and wealth?
I personally think that our country building a Capital building (Capitol is the name of our nations Capital building) that showed the hopes and dreams our nation had at the time it was built was not a waste. At the time we were a tiny little nebbish who defeated a large navy run by an arrogant and inept king. We were insurgent antimonarch liberals who had a lot of infighting (then as now) and we needed to demonstrate- to ourselves as well as others - that we really were a nation of United States (to quote Lincoln) "conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."
It was a radical idea at the time. We were small and weak, our federal government very weakly funded and always on the brink of financial collapse (it would remain so until the creation of income tax). To capture the belief of its people, our country built a magnificent structure, creating a building- an independant city, even- to rally around.
This building, being more than was absolutely required to run a bare-bones government, could be considered waste- but its purpose had purpose. Understanding the value of self-esteem, which we have come to not have- even patriots ring hollow these days- is the key to understanding how to make America great.
We aren't close to united. We sit around kvetching about who gets what, and how we pay taxes for things that don't directly help us, and god forbid, supporting our fellow man. Because people define freedom as the right to be a rotten human being without being given the respect (or rather lack of respect) a rotten human being deserves.
I'm ranting, but I do wish to point out that I am doing so non politically. This problem is entirely bi-partisan. Support for Amtrak is a matter of denying minuscule amounts of money in order to provide additional transportation. It's about denying things to people because providing this costs you less than a buck a year, and god forbid anybody ever contribute and share for what in the long term would be mutual benefit.
And that's the problem with our country- we have learned to discourage long term investment even if it's cost for all involved is much greater to all involved. I love how we save money on road investment. I've replaced four front tires and had 3 suspension alignments this year in honor of all the money we save. End rant.
