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Japan offers to lend US half the cost of 'Super Maglev train between DC and Baltimore
- Thread starter El Sloth
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GuitarAtomik
Member
You would know how ridiculous this statement is if you had any idea of the actual circumstances around commuting to DC.
AstroNut325
Member
Um... we were up to our eyeballs in debt when we started building the national highway system. Not a legitimate excuse. The extremist Republicans is the only thing stopping this from happening.
and the UK just didn't care :/The problem is the size of the country. Japan could fit in just California. We don't get a lot of stuff because of the pure landmass size of the country.
AstroNut325
Member
What's the excuse for not implementing this at local levels? Example: Los Anglees <-> Las Vegas, Los Angeles <-> San Diego, Tallahassee <-> Orlando <-> Miami, or Dallas <-> Houston?
There are too many dim-witted conservatives in power in this country for the US to ever have good rail transport. They slam public funding for rail, but ignore the fact that car travel is massively subsidized at the local, state, and federal level. At the federal level alone, the net subsidy (taking into account the gas tax and other automobile-related revenue) for highways is now at about $700 billion:
It is estimated the total subsidy automobile drivers receive is about $2.10 per gallon. They did an extensive study in Wisconsin and found that the annual subsidy for roads at the state and local level in that state alone was over $2 billion. So if you take that at a national scale and factor in federal subsidies as well, roads receive total subsidies of well over $100 billion annually in the US. You can read more about that here. That, by the way, doesn't even begin to take into account indirect subsidies such as free parking, etc.
So yes, the US can afford to build high speed rail.
It is estimated the total subsidy automobile drivers receive is about $2.10 per gallon. They did an extensive study in Wisconsin and found that the annual subsidy for roads at the state and local level in that state alone was over $2 billion. So if you take that at a national scale and factor in federal subsidies as well, roads receive total subsidies of well over $100 billion annually in the US. You can read more about that here. That, by the way, doesn't even begin to take into account indirect subsidies such as free parking, etc.
So yes, the US can afford to build high speed rail.
its cost. A line from Dallas to Houston, is would be like 46 billion. Yes the poster posted the US subsizes cars, but the cost magically doesn't go away
Omegasquash
Member
I wonder if there's an airline lobby that has anything to do with it. Legitimately.
Byakuya769
Member
Why would the federal government need loans for this? Is Japan going to give us a lower rate than our regular debt?
There are more countries than those three. Look at China. Theirs is humongous.
You and Adventure Mike live right by me. I live in Derwood right off Muncaster Mill Rd.
Patrick Bateman
Member
And?
Isn't California the 7th greatest financial power in the world (if it were a country)?
The states could combine investments.
....Why would President Obama have any reason to oppose this?
I think he means people will shoot it down due to irrational hatred of our President, which has been the status quo on most rail projects proposed so far.
How much do you think freeways cost?
Ah, thanks. I assumed the poster expected Obama to block the legislation for ideological reasons, like Florida governor Rick Scott did last year.
While I love masturbating to trains as much as the next guy.
Build cities first, then the trains to get between them. Although as the loan proposes only the East Coast is ready for any sort of intercity rail, the east coast has cities, not suburbs with office parks.
That will get you 4 miles of subway in NYC.
Build cities first, then the trains to get between them. Although as the loan proposes only the East Coast is ready for any sort of intercity rail, the east coast has cities, not suburbs with office parks.
That will get you 4 miles of subway in NYC.
Liberal NIMBY's are the worst.
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