posted
Did you catch NBC nightly news and the slime report on Amtrak.
The reporter never bothered to mention the government money spent on all airports, seaports,and roads. (ie. other transportation )
What a crappy biased report, stuff most of us already know. And then that chameleon McCain, (whose wife was on Amtrak when it derailed in Sealy Texas) had to put his two cents in!
He needs to shut the "F" up and go back to pimping his war time heroics.
(I read his book, and it really was very good!)
But please email, write etc. NBC about their one sided reporting.
story: Amtrak: A great train robbery? All aboard America, for taxes supporting a failing company
By Fred Francis NBC NEWS WASHINGTON, May 2 — Amtrak is celebrating 30 years on the rails this week. Some say there’s nothing more romantic than riding the train. Others say, there’s no bigger waste of your money.
A TRAIN with two passenger cars, two freight cars carrying pet food, and only one passenger, Denise Moore, epitomizes Amtrak’s everyday fleecing of America. Basically there are 70 seats on the train to Janesville and it ends up that Moore is queen for the day. “I guess so,” says Moore. “I guess I am.” But as a business person, as a taxpayer, “something is not right,” says Moore. “Something needs to change.” It did. Amtrak cancelled the run after NBC rode the train in February. Yet, taxpayers continue to grease Amtrak’s rails as they have for 30 years with $23 billion in subsidies, never close to turning a profit. There was another record loss last year, $944 million, a General Accounting Office (GAO) estimate. “It is an endless siphoning of taxpayer dollars to subsidize a relatively few number of Americans,” says Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona. But why is that the case when more Americans than ever are travelling? An oversight board’s answer points to “fundamental institutional flaws.” The GAO tells NBC that Amtrak won’t meet Congress’ demand to be self-sufficient by the end of next year. While there have been some recent improvements, Amtrak is chronically in crisis and Congress is always bailing it out. Again, the question is why? Critics like Joe Vranich, who quit Amtrak’s reform council, says it’s pork. Advertisement
“The quid pro quo is that Amtrak adds a train through a congressman’s district, and the congressman turns around and votes for the upcoming R10 billion Amtrak bailout legislation,” says Vranich. Amtrak president George Warrington denies the allegation. “This business and this system is not politically grounded or motivated any more,” says Warrington. “That’s not the way I do business. This is about making money.” But it’s more like raising money, with Warrington boldly asking Congress for another $30 billion over the next twenty years, lauding a plan to turn things around. The money is supposed to be used to replace dangerous civil war era tunnels and rickety bridges, making the new high speed Acela train its profit center. That is not easy, considering Amtrak loses an average $16.38 on every ticket. “We do not have a national airline in this country, we do not have a national bus company,” says Vranich. “It is proven now that a national railroad passenger system won’t work.” With a 2003 Congressional deadline for self-sufficiency looming, critics say sell Amtrak to private industry or reorganize it — anything to end a fleecing of America critics say is a great train robbery every day.
yummykaz Member # 475
posted
one more followup:
here is email address: Nightly@NBC.com
my letter to them:
What a sad one sided story you ran tonight.
I live in the past maybe.
When my 3 kids and husband go on cross country vacations, we take a sleeping car and enjoy our time togther on Amtrak.
We often pay much more that a quick air trip would be.
But like I said, I love nostalgia. I love my kids to know we are not in a hurry to get our vacation over and back to the daily grind. I love them to see the country we live in from the ground.
If you want the other side of Amtrak, contact me. I must go on a different route, because the train is always packed! And how great it is to see other families enjoying the train.
Why did I say your story was one sided? You failed to mention all the government money that goes towards airports, roads and sea ports. Your story sounded like Amtrak is the only one that gets tax dollars. Not so!
Just recall your story of a few weeks ago about mid america airport!
Rebecca Kasoff
Eric Member # 674
posted
I agree. These media groups are always one-sided. They only show what they want to show, and not what is really there. I also emailed NBC, and commented on the funding situation, McCain and Vranich, the subsidizing of airlines and highways, and the fact that they showed a nearly empty train, when there are plenty of full ones throughout their area.
Mr. Toy Member # 311
posted
For what its worth, I haven't been able to take NBC Nightly News very seriously for some time now. Their lead-ins always fall under one of two catagories: 1. Your health is in imminent danger, or 2. You're being ripped off. They're using scare tacticts to sell their news.
Frankly I anticipated that NBC would put Amtrak under its "fleecing" segment sooner or later. Its an easy target for lazy reporters.
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
JAChooChoo Member # 723
posted
Two Words: SWEEPS MONTH!
Mr. Toy Member # 311
posted
Here's what I just sent to NBC News at Nightly@NBC.com
Your May 2nd Fleecing of America "Amtrak: A great train robbery?" was an great example of biased reporting. Fred Francis clearly went out of his way to film the one train in Amtrak's system that wasn't full of people. Saying that a train with only one passenger "epitomizes" Amtrak is a flat out LIE! Most of Amtrak's trains run nearly full, and ridership is at an all time high. If Francis had taken any other train he would have had no story.
Moreover, the oft reported statement that Amtrak recieves "huge" subsidies is also false. Rail receives very little federal funding, a situation unique in American transportation, if not the world. American taxpayers pour 36 times as much money into aviation subsidies and 150 times as much into highways as we spend on Amtrak, while the freight railroads get nothing. In all fairness, without some form of public funding Amtrak can't be expected to compete against publicly financed airports and highways while operating on, and paying for access to, privately owned tracks.
NBC News needs to look deeper. You'll find that America's railroads have been given the short end of the stick for the last 50 years, which is why the private passenger railroads collapsed in the first place. Railroads build, maintain and manage their infrastructure at their own expense AND they pay property taxes on thousands of miles of right of way. Airlines, trucking companies, and motorists all use government funded and managed infrastructures that are not subject to property taxes. There's a REAL story there, waiting for an honest reporter to dig up.
No, I don't mince words.
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
MPALMER Member # 125
posted
Great Responses to NBC's report (which I had not seen when it ran). A few years ago, Amtrak cancelled its advertising contract with NBC in response to Jay Leno's (Tonight Show) repeated on-air critical jokes, etc, about Amtrak. Granted, Amtrak marketing budget probably wasn't that big, so the loss to NBC probably wasn't too painful. But I wonder if any of that played in to the writing of this negative report?
jd477 Member # 582
posted
Remember, GE, ahh sorry, NBC is only interested in making money. If only they would show the trains I ride in New York State, they would show crowded trains in need of updating!!
VJMiller Member # 822
posted
I was not happy to see this segment of Fleecing of America. Although I have had my share of problems while traveling on Amtrak (major delays, sitting in deserted stations in middle of night, lazy or unprofessional staff), I have also had good experiences also. I basically quit traveling by air if I could help it - after being disgruntled by the delays, rudeness of the airline employees and uncaring attitude of the companies themselves. Amtrak has a Customer Satisfaction Guarantee and they follow through, without a fuss, in taking care of unhappy train riders. I appreciate that they really do care.
I find that I am also living in nostalgia of the past and I use the standards of yesterday (I am 51) to judge the standards of today. Amtrak has to upgrade customer relations and improve the professionalism of their staff (on the Texas Eagle at least) because the delays make for cranky (and worried) customers, and thus cranky employees. But on the whole, it is still a wonderful way to go and I hope that it never becomes obsolete.
posted