Public Transit

I really like the idea of Public Transit; always have. So it's gratifying to see Townhall printing an article by Paul Weyrich in support of building more rail transit. He begins by reminding us that some 50 years ago the interstate highway system as we know now it didn't exist. We built it, and now everybody can see it's benefit. We need to take the next step.

Now a certain percentage of all federal Highway Trust Fund dollars goes to build primarily rail systems, although the Bush Administration has been pushing so-called bus rapid transit. Bus rapid transit is cheaper to build than rail but people don't like to ride buses and greatly prefer rail. Even if the so-called bus rapid transit were to become successful operating costs would continue to be far higher than rail. Cities such as San Diego, Sacramento and Portland run four-car articulated trains at rush hour. Each train can carry around 700 people. There is but one motorman. To carry the same number of people would require ten buses, each with a driver.

. . . The truth is we are a far better nation because of the Interstate System. And especially now that transit is part of the equation, there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. That light is a rail car. It beckons us to leave our automobiles and to ride transit. No decent transit in your area, you say? Hopefully in the next 50 years we will remedy that.

Many Townhall readers are pretty supportive of this idea, which is surprising. But of course there are few to uphold the traditional conservative value of loving big oil.

What a moron!

I get so tired of idiots like Weyrich talking about how great rail is.

It is very simple. Railroads are useful in particular situations, such as bulky cargo going from one place to another single place on a regular basis. There is a good reason why they were largely replaced by cars, and those reasons only get stronger with time.

Quit throwing federal money down the mass transit toilet. We don't want it.

Spend the money on killing more terrorists, more often.

I do wonder how often we need to kill each terrorist.

At any rate, I'd like to endorse Rail Transit. And as a self-proclaimed Blog-O-Fascist, I command all of my subjects to likewise support Rail Transit! Or at least thing warm thoughts about it!