Are traffic and public transportation examples of socialism?
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit Campaign
around by politicians and voters alike to attack/punish someone with
ideas like BULLET TRAINS* or BRINGING CAMERAS TO TAME TRAFFIC.
Our failure is to grasp that bullet trains or bikes can alleviate our
congested traffic while cameras can bring some discipline to our wild
drivers. Notice though that bicycles are the least socialist of the
transportation modes and that we don't require a complex
infrastructure to work.
Please spare the S!@# word. ;)
(* The bullet train from Tampa to Orlando was defeated. In reality we
need it from Miami to Orlando, and perhaps to the Keys)
-------------------------------------------------------
Don Klipstein
>You know the taboo word... S!@#. Meaning "socialism" is a word tossed
>around by politicians and voters alike to attack/punish someone with
>ideas like BULLET TRAINS* or BRINGING CAMERAS TO TAME TRAFFIC.
>
>Our failure is to grasp that bullet trains or bikes can alleviate our
>congested traffic while cameras can bring some discipline to our wild
>drivers. Notice though that bicycles are the least socialist of the
>transportation modes and that we don't require a complex
>infrastructure to work.
>
>Please spare the S!@# word. ;)
>
>(* The bullet train from Tampa to Orlando was defeated. In reality we
>need it from Miami to Orlando, and perhaps to the Keys)
I see a bit of a problem with bullet trains in USA. If gubmint is
going to give funding to a major public works project, especially a
rail one, especially in or anywhere near any long-established major
cities, labor costs will be huge. The labor is likely to be done by
building-and-construction trades unions at $30-40 per hour plus benefits
including 100%-employer-paid "Cadillac plan" health insurance for the
workers and their families.
What I think is worse still about modern practice by unions - they
fight to reduce productivity, with restrictive work rules and more
productive workers not being allowed to be paid more per hour than less
productive ones of same seniority. Work rules do get so restrictive in
some workplaces that only union carpenters are allowed to drive screws
into building structures for hanging bulletin boards. I remember
Philadelphia having had a city union work rule that city trash truck
drivers and pothole repair crew truck drivers were not allowed to do
work other than driving.
Historically, working class and median wages increased as a result of
increasing productivity. Unions tend to think they can get their
workers (and themselves) more money by decreasing productivity.
Meanwhile, in longer-established major cities, construction unions
work like country clubs. There has been a complaint in Philadelphia
that graduates of Philadelphia's public highschools had a higher rate of
getting into Harvard than of being admitted to these unions. Oh, in
"union towns", usually employers do not do the hiring for construction
work - they go to "union halls" and the union does the hiring.
Several years ago, the Philadelphia metro area was considering
electrifying an existing rail line from Norristown to Reading. (From
downtown Philly to Norristown, electric trains already run.) The cost
was going to be 1 or 2 billion $ merely to electrify about 50-55 miles
of existing railway, to move something like a projected 35,000-40,000
passengers daily! (IIRC)
If I remember these figures correctly, that much taxpayer money can
easily buy a new car and a new bike for every daily passenger, also 2
years of car insurance even in a Philadelphia zip code with being
covered to commute over 20 miles each way by car. Good chance also
enough gasoline to drive an average modern car for 2 years at
USA-average miles-per-year rate.
Heck, $2 billion can buy new cars, new bikes, Philly insurance and
gasoline, plus every-3,000-mile oil changes, once-per-2-years radiator
purge-and-refill, a replacement set of car tires and a dozen bike tires,
a replacement battery (with labor), a replacement water pump (with
labor), 6 replacement bike chains, 2 bike helmets, and a timing belt
replacement and all other scheduled maintenance of a car and a bike for
6 years for 40,000 people!
--
- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)
Edward Dolan
news:slrnim6gm...@manx.misty.com...
> In <6ad04d46-c94b-4943...@y31g2000prd.googlegroups.com>,
First of all, I NEVER respond to TM. But I will respond to those who respond
to him if it is an intelligent post and not mindless mush about god,
religion and other nonsensical subjects.
[...]
I think you are saying some sensible things Don. High speed rail is never
going to work in this country. Either the population densities are not right
or the expenses are exorbitant. Large metros do need some kind of mass high
speed transit however. The subway system in New York City is a miracle. If
only every large metro had such a system.
Even a smaller metro like the Twin Cites is all messed up. It is already
approaching grid lock. The day when everyone can just drive to where ever it
is they want to go is near an end. Buses do not seem to work all that well.
The old trolley system that the Twin Cities had at the turn of the last
century was ideal and should never have been done away with.
The private automobile really only works well for rural areas and smaller
towns. We have to come up with something better than that for our urban
areas.
Regards,
Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota
Rod Speed
> Don Klipstein <d...@manx.misty.com> wrote
> First of all, I NEVER respond to TM.
Obvious lie.
> But I will respond to those who respond to him if it is an intelligent post and not mindless mush about god, religion
> and other nonsensical subjects.
Another lie.
Wrong, as always.
> We have to come up with something better than that for our urban areas.
Wrong, as always.
Edward Dolan
news:8shev...@mid.individual.net...
> Edward Dolan wrote
>> Don Klipstein <d...@manx.misty.com> wrote
>
>> First of all, I NEVER respond to TM.
>
> Obvious lie.
The hell you say! How do we know you are not lying?
>> But I will respond to those who respond to him if it is an intelligent
>> post and not mindless mush about god, religion and other nonsensical
>> subjects.
>
> Another lie.
The hell you say! How do we know you are not lying?
[...]
>> I think you are saying some sensible things Don. High speed rail is
>> never going to work in this country. Either the population densities
>> are not right or the expenses are exorbitant. Large metros do need
>> some kind of mass high speed transit however. The subway system in
>> New York City is a miracle. If only every large metro had such a system.
>
>> Even a smaller metro like the Twin Cites is all messed up. It is
>> already approaching grid lock. The day when everyone can just drive
>> to where ever it is they want to go is near an end. Buses do not seem
>> to work all that well. The old trolley system that the Twin Cities
>> had at the turn of the last century was ideal and should never have
>> been done away with.
>
>> The private automobile really only works well for rural areas and smaller
>> towns.
>
> Wrong, as always.
The hell you say! How do we know you are not lying?
>> We have to come up with something better than that for our urban areas.
>
> Wrong, as always.
The hell you say! How do we know you are not lying?
Now go fuck yourself like a good little boy. You should know how to do it by
now.
Fucking Regards,
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit Campaign
> In <6ad04d46-c94b-4943-8700-003c9357d...@y31g2000prd.googlegroups.com>,
Gee, it sounds like the mafia! Well, they seem to control their trade.
But many projects are wasteful at the design phase, and then you can
tell there's been "contractors" that have been made happy while the
public is made unhappy.
I have such a mixed path facility nearby, which is full of these
"flaws" that make it both dangerous and wasteful. For one, lighting
has been overdone to the point of blinding the cyclist --when there's
any at night-- and dogs, pedestrians and bicycles mix together in
uneasy company. And they have a maintenance team, including
landscapers servicing the 1 mile golden path. Then security must be
included and they pay a security company (another contract) to send
these two guys --no guns-- to sit on their asses. A simple solution
would have been to place cameras. They also have a fancy work of art
at one end --three turtles-- and a crappy carpet --that destroys your
bikes-- connecting to the park at the other end.
So at this rate --corrupt unions and juicy contracts-- NOTHING of
value will ever get done in America.
By the way, the solution is both BICYCLES (no bike facilities, TAKE
THE LANE) and EXPRESS BUSES crisscrossing our sprawl, just like in
Curitiba.
m...@privacy.net
> I see a bit of a problem with bullet trains in USA.
yeah...lets build more highways!!
I'm sure that is cost effective
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit Campaign
More highways, more SUVs, more oil.
Actually they are promoted because they are wasteful. The more
wasteful the more money going around.
Rod Speed
m...@privacy.net
the Bullshit Campaign" <nolionn...@yahoo.com>
wrote:
>More highways, more SUVs, more oil.
>
>Actually they are promoted because they are wasteful. The more
>wasteful the more money going around.
of course
and no matter how much oil we drill for in the USA....
it will NEVER feed demand at current population growth
that's why we must develop alternate and RENEWABLE
energies
these idiots who think otherwise don't understand
logarithmic math
Rod Speed
> His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit Campaign" <nolionn...@yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>> More highways, more SUVs, more oil.
>> Actually they are promoted because they are wasteful.
>> The more wasteful the more money going around.
> of course
> and no matter how much oil we drill for in the USA....
> it will NEVER feed demand at current population growth
> that's why we must develop alternate and RENEWABLE energies
Not necessarily, nukes would be fine.
They can even produce hydrogen for use as a transport fuel when that makes economic sense.
Edward Dolan
Learn how to edit a post or get lost - you god damn ignorant son of a bitch!
[...]
>> that's why we must develop alternate and RENEWABLE energies
>
> Not necessarily, nukes would be fine.
How about I drop a nuke on your stupid head, you fuckwit imbecile!
> They can even produce hydrogen for use as a transport fuel when that makes
> economic sense.
>
>> these idiots who think otherwise don't understand logarithmic math
Do you even have a clue how dumb that is - you fuckwit imbecile!
Rod Speed
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit Campaign
> > wrote:
> >> More highways, more SUVs, more oil.
> >> Actually they are promoted because they are wasteful.
> >> The more wasteful the more money going around.
> > of course
> > and no matter how much oil we drill for in the USA....
> > it will NEVER feed demand at current population growth
> > that's why we must develop alternate and RENEWABLE energies
>
> Not necessarily, nukes would be fine.
>
> They can even produce hydrogen for use as a transport fuel when that makes economic sense.
>
> > these idiots who think otherwise don't understand logarithmic math
"REVOLUTIONS FOR THE PLANET" NEEDS BICYCLES, not stupid hydrogen. But
you can set up your own hydrogen SUV and try it in the outback where
if you go BOOM, you don't kill innocents.
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the Bullshit Campaign
> On Feb 22, 10:41 pm, Ron Peterson <r...@shell.core.com> wrote:
>
> > On Feb 21, 9:23 am, "His Highness the TibetanMonkey, aka Comandante
>
> > Banana" <comandante.ban...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > > Our failure is to grasp that bullet trains or bikes can alleviate our
>
> > Bullet trains aren't energy efficient. Monorails are a better
> > solution.
>
> > Many in China are complaining about the high cost of bullet trains.
>
> > --
> > Ron
>
> The bullet trains are a small part of rail traffic. We convert our
> rail beds into bike paths! We just float along like spoiled children
> spouting slogans.
Wait, we travel in one of these...
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Indian_railways_hand_cart_1978.jpg
Notice there's no unions or public officials sucking up contracts.
m...@privacy.net
>Not necessarily, nukes would be fine.
absolutely nukes are fine!
we should have started building them 10 years ago!
m...@privacy.net
wrote:
>"REVOLUTIONS FOR THE PLANET" NEEDS BICYCLES, not stupid hydrogen. But
>you can set up your own hydrogen SUV and try it in the outback where
>if you go BOOM, you don't kill innocents.
nah hydrogen is fine too
Edward Dolan
news:g1ram6d0fvjli2rog...@4ax.com...
Hydrogen up your ass you mean!
Fuck You,
Edward Dolan
news:2uqam6t69o9m3v26m...@4ax.com...
Then I would have some to drop on your stupid head, fuckwit.
Edward Dolan
> Mr Ed the donkey Dolan wrote just the puerile shit any 2 year old could
> leave for dead.
Rod Speed is an Aussie shit eater. He also drinks his own urine because that
is what Aussies do in the land down under. He is dark of mind and dark of
heart like all those flat nosed Aborigines.
Edward Dolan
> Mr Ed the donkey Dolan wrote just the puerile shit any 2 year old could
> leave for dead.
Rod Speed is an Aussie shit eater. He also drinks his own urine because that