“Jim Eagle”. Awesome.
After a lot of hemming and hawing and looking at their feet, Georgia-based businesses are finally reacting to public pressure and coming out against the ridiculous voter-suppression legislation.
How’s that going:
Despite it being April 1, it’s actually Infrastructure Week™️. It’s shocking/not shocking that Trump didn’t actually do anything on infrastructure because using other people’s money to build on which he could splash his nabe is kind of his m.o.
Elected Republicans have suddenly and predictably found Jesus over the debt, while Democrats are mostly happy although some think this is a good start but needs to go further. Like the recovery bill and voting rights protections, this proposal is wildly popular with the voting public of any hue.
One of the underreported elements of the bill is the expansion of the Amtrak rail system. Some really interesting things here, including connecting the Texas cities and being able to ride all the way to West coast and even Vegas.
The new service doing the triangle of San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas would be great! I’ve wanted that for 30 years or more.
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What are the infrastructure deficiencies in Florida that prevent service from Mobile to Jacksonville?
If I remember correctly (and Jim would really know) hurricane Rita/Katrina took out the rail lines. I do not believe they were repaired.
That’s what I recall too, but that was almost 15 years ago. Amazing that even this ambitious infrastructure bill can’t replace those lines. It must be really fucked up.
I believe the line between New Orleans and Mobile was destroyed, but the infrastructure between Mobile and Jacksonville is intact. Not positive though. I don’t think it’s an infrastructure issue so much as a demand issue. One can drive that distance in 5-6 hours. One can fly for $49. I’m not sure the train can match either one.
For all the “mah First Amendment!” folks, this is what actual state action against free speech looks like.
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I think it’s the bridge trestles that are the largest impediment. And as HH said, demand.
I believe that part of the state has been abandoned to marauding bands of white trash.
Of course, this assumes that the only traffic will be people going just from Mobile to Jacksonville. Even if demand is low, you can’t have a nationwide rail system with gaps in it. There will be people who will want to ride from, say, Austin to Orlando in the Spring.
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They literally canceled Delta’s tax break.
Forgive my ignorance on this but all of this Amtrak stuff in the proposal is Amtrak speed rather than high speed, correct?
Lots of different stories about why the Amtrak train stopped running east of NO after Katrina. Rail damage from the hurricane was one of them.
One would hope it’s high speed, but it’s not clear. I have seen other exhibits showing journey times on high-speed rail, but not in relation to this infrastructure proposal.
But, if you’re laying new track, might as well make it high-speed capable, right?
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I think there was talk about a high speed rail, independent of the Amtrak line, from New Orleans to Mobile. But there are numerous problems, most notably that people will be forced to be on a train with other people, which sounds suspiciously like “public transportation”, and that just smacks of socialism. I’m pretty sure that would lead to affordable health care, so…that’s a big negative, ghost rider.
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This map reminds me: why is South Dakota even a state? There’s not even 1 million people in the whole place.
Fun fact: it has only about 200,000 more people than DC.
North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming combined are about 2.2 million people. And six senators.
ETA: Austin metro area is also estimated at 2.2 million people.
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We’ve talked about this before, but as a reminder:
Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska, North Dakota, and South Dakota account for about 1% of the total population combined. They have 10% of the representation in the Senate. California, Texas, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania also have 10% representation in the Senate. They make up 37% of the population.
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