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Let’s Build a Railroad to Nowhere, For the Sake of Building a Railroad to Nowhere.

By: LaborUnionReport (Diary)  |  November 30th, 2010 at 12:30 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Never mind that there is no legitimate business need. Forget the fact that it will spend billions in taxpayer’ money without any economic benefits (except for the union workers who will be paid for the make-work jobs). There is no plan, not even an idea for a plan. In sum, the BlueGreen Alliance (that coalition of unions and environmentalists) are calling for a new railroad to be built—for the sake of building a railroad.

The BlueGreen Alliance doesn’t have a specific plan in mind, but says several proposals in Congress would advance the concept of rail expansion, from a tax credit to railroads for expanding capacity to the $50 billion infrastructure package President Obama proposed in September.

“We’re hoping this kind of spurs more of those ideas (to be) thrown out there, but we are not going to be supporting any direct number of tracks laid,” says alliance regional program manager Tom Conway.

The alliance argues new rail would equal new jobs, and more environmentally friendly transport.

United Steelworkers regional organizer Robin Rich says companies in Lake County, LaPorte and Logansport all make steel used in railroad tracks, and would gain jobs from a rail expansion in Indiana. A study the alliance co-authored in May calculates every billion dollars spent on freight rail translates to 78-hundred new jobs, a cost of $128,000 per job.

You’ve gotta hand it to these people. They’re not even pretending to have a good idea anymore. They just want to build a railroad to nowhere, for the sake of building a railroad to nowhere.

__________________

“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.”  Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

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  • Adjoran

    The railroad will go somewhere; they just don’t know where yet and don’t much care, as long as it is in Indiana so they get the union jobs. It may well not be needed wherever it ends up going, but that’s okay since operating rail lines – especially those set up by federal fiat – are seldom allowed to fail, and just keep sucking bigger subsidies from the public teat as their uselessness bleeds red ink.

    The feds and California are proceeding with a plan to fund a high-speed rail line from L.A. to Fresno. Then all they will have to do is find someone who wants to go to Fresno.

    • zornorph

      I think, thanks to you, I just got a 42 year old joke. There was a line in ‘The Love Bug’ where the villain, Thorndyke, saw the three lead characters sitting in the VW Beetle and asked in the most contemptuous English accent possible; “What’s this, the morning bus to Fresno?” Now I realize he was suggesting that very few people would want to take the bus there and they’d only need a VW Beetle to take them all. Lets suggest that the government buy Herbie to take people to Fresno and save the money they would otherwise spend on the rails.

      • kstone

        I can’t think of a good reason for anyone to come here, by rail or any other means!!

  • http://www.defeatobama.com DefeatObama.com

    Didn’t have the vision to see how badly the federal legislative process would be worked over by liberals.

    • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

      I think they saw it just right.

  • wannabeanncoulter

    Just want to point out that the article is about increasing and/or upgrading the freight railroad infrastructure, which is not a bad idea. It’s far easier to determine where expanded freight service is needed, and we’re not talking high-speed service here. Plus expanded freight service will relieve some of the pounding our interstate highways take from tractor trailers.

    • http://seekingliberty.wordpress.com fmaidment

      …since the railroads are perfectly capable of laying their own tracks without government assistance.

      The reason railroads fail is that they’re slower than trucks. Time is money, and having that inventory in your system, either as the shipper or the receiver, without having access to it is a waste.

      Some bulk materials are more effectively shipped by rail. Some metals, grains, liquids, cars and even airplanes can be shipped by rail at a significant savings, even considering the time it takes to transport.

      But trucks save time. If I can get my products to market faster by truck, it’s often worth the premium I pay for it.

      Let’s not forget the tens of thousands of miles of railroad track that has been abandoned over the years because industries have moved or the railroad was simply too slow for the business.

      If the rails really were needed, the railroads would build it without our tax dollars.

      • http://impudent.edublogs.org/ kyle8

        project in Washington State. after all the expense, he showed what a boondoggle it was. He took his cameras on the train during the so called high use hours and there were an average of three people in each car, in one car he even found a sleeping fox!

        • http://seekingliberty.wordpress.com fmaidment

          …because it’s cheaper and easier to use their car. Why pay $2.00 each way to take the train when you can get in the car and go 40 miles on the same amount of gas, and you don’t have to walk half a mile to the train station?

          In high-density areas like New York, Chicago and the densely-packed cities in Europe and Asia, it makes sense. In the US? It’s tough to make an excuse for anything more than a downtown people-mover, and most cities can’t even make an excuse for that…

      • wannabeanncoulter

        Perhaps then we should create “truck railways,” like they have in Australia. There certainly are parts of the US that have the wide open spaces for them.

  • http://reaganiterepublicanresistance.blogspot.com/ reaganiterepublicanresistance

    It’s about a temporary boost in business that could force steelmakers to hire 7800 more union slobs they subsequently can’t get rid of

    And it’s about we taxpayers paying three times what they’re worth

  • smorgasbord

    The government has never worried about building something nobody wants, why would they now? The money is siphoned off along the way and each group gets their cut. That is how it always works.

  • johnt

    A desperately needed government program, supported by progressives, a type that believes government is a kind of god.
    It only matters that da federalguvmint has the money, and as long as it’s not spent on defense, anything goes, not what it accomplishes.

  • fpete13527

    This could not be more appropriate of an article LUR…..and ALL your articles have been really awesome. Thanks for writing them.

    The rail thing is ABSOLUTELY a Dem/Socialist tool. It is actually almost as covert and invasive as ObamaCare.

    This really hits a nerve for me because we are fighting it in many levels here in Florida, and it seems to be embedded in most everything. We’re fighting High Speed, Light, and Freight rail debacles that are designed for one thing only….Union subsidizing enablement to empower Social engineering and increased Dem (Socialist) lobbying and backing….while intentionally wrecking economy…..and giving zero return.

    Thank God we won the first fight in Tampa and defeated a massive tax increase for progressive Light Rail. So the progressive beaurocrats now simply shifted over one county to Pinellas and now we have to fight it all over again.

    This is compounded by the bogus freight rail increased building and High Speed (worthless) rail that is being pushed through Obama porkulus and multiple Dem and RINO Congressmen

    Remember also that the first earmarks were utilized in the DOT many moons ago and the DOT (from Federal down to city) has been the biggest abuser and Union connected slayer of the American economy and given nothing in return (Amtrak).

    SAY NO TO RAIL.

  • uselogic

    great article, LUR!!

    Reminds me of our riderless rail plan here in Florida. A line between Orlando & Tampa airports but not actually connected to city centers. Take the 45 min train + parking time + transport to station time. Or take your own car for less $$ and be there in 1hr. Yeah, that’ll generate 2.4 million annual riders (projected). Right.

    “But, but, but….. it’s about the jobs, man.”

  • steelersteve13

    Too bad Obama is using them to further his agenda.

    Besides, what’s wrong with taking the train to work? You’ll save on gas, wear/tear on your car, lower insurance premiums, etc.

    And it’s taking cars off the road.

    Like I said, too bad Obama is using them to further his agenda.

    • http://seekingliberty.wordpress.com fmaidment

      …with taking the train. I used to frequent the train in to New York and occasionally rode the light rail in Saint Louis. I’ve used MARTA and enjoy riding the Seattle monorail. I’ve worked for companies that use rail to transport raw materials (and occasionally finished goods).

      There’s nothing wrong with trains. There is something wrong with government subsidies for unnecessary rail lines just to make work.

    • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

      Here, I’ll fix your frustration for you.