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Let's see if I can get my thoughts together, why are passenger trains having so much trouble? People want to drive. A poll I saw asking Americans what modes of transportation people would use to get to their vacations showed 35% or so would drive, 30% would fly and only 2% would take a train. This country has an addiction to cars and oil worse than a heroin addict. The attacks of September 11 should have been a major wake up call to our addiction to Middle Eastern oil and the need for alternitive transportation other than roads. We all spent days watching the burning World Trade Center, wept at the memorials and firefighter's funerals, but that doesn't stop Soccer Mom from hopping in the 12 mpg mega-monster SUV to make that four block trip to the drug store. The Administration in the White House right now, (I won't even say his name, it's a lot more insulting than Shrub), is still deep in bed with Saudi Arabia. The Saudi royal family are probably slapping themselves on the back thinking what suckers we are.
That anit-terrorism package that was passed after 9/11 was filled with so much pork, $5 million for road side produce farmers?!?!? Give me a freaking break! About half of all the pork that went into that package could have been more than enough to give to Amtrak.
Not to mention how much the war in Afgahnistan is costing us. Sure, it was important to get rid of the Taliban and get a stable givernment in, but were are going to be their for years I think. That is enough money to build a modern rail system from scratch!
And all these terrorism warnings. We're sitting here running ourselves silly trying to figure out the next attack, and you know where the information if coming from? Those prisoners in Guatanamo Bay! You really think they're telling the TRUTH? They're probably laughing in their orange juice at all the wild stories they are having us believe!
This country needs to stop obssessing over the price of a gallon of gasoline and start demanding energy and tranportation alternatives. The auto companies will keep making SUVs if that's what people want. If you want more fuel efficient cars like the hybrids, buy them, talk about them to your friends, demand them. Hassle your elected officials about these issues also.
If it really comes down to Amtrak shutting down in FOUR DAYS, maybe that's what it will take to open some eyes. Maybe the inconvience of the summer travels season will make people realize, "Hey the train was a good method of transportation." (When it's run right!!!) Maybe a summer of travel chaos will make some realize that it needs to get serious about a GOOD passenger rail system, and total reinvent this fiasco called Amtrak.
There, that concludes my Saturday morning rant.
cajon Member # 40
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Sad to say your words are wasted here. Maybe you should forward your message to Congress where it REALLY NEEDS TO BE HEARD!!!!!
DisbandAmtrak Member # 1429
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Ok, fair enough. A copy of my post has just been sent to Sen Patty Murray D-WA, and Sen John McCain R-AZ.
Mr. Toy Member # 311
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I might suggest taking this topic to some of the message boards operated by newspapers and such. I have posted on the Christian Science Monitor's forum ( http://www.csmonitor.com/monitortalk/ )regarding Amtrak to help spread the word. The Washington Post has a forum, and I think the LA Times does, too. We need to get people outside our own circle involved.
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
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Maybe we should 'invade' all the big news forums and post that post and get people talking. We should also send that to all our senators, congressman, etc etc..
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