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79 comments on Driving a Taxi is getting to be tougher

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Will Stewart on February 12, 2008 - 1:04pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

My wife has seen "A Crude Awakening", has heard me discuss it with numerous friends and family, and is discouraged because we currently fly to visit her family on the other coast once a year. She also thinks this lifestyle we lead is 'normal' (though we have a passive solar house with 2 kW PV [thermostat set to 66F], hybrid cars, bicycles, clothesline, large garden, 45 fruit/nut trees in an edible landscaping with lots of small fruits in addition, small sheep flock, etc). Since she looks forward to the cross-country trip, she would prefer to keep it out of her mind (as AMTRAK is not being expanded to mitigate drastically reduced air travel).

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john15 on February 12, 2008 - 1:58pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

"(as AMTRAK is not being expanded to mitigate drastically reduced air travel)."

yet.

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MacDuff on February 12, 2008 - 2:50pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

so you didn't notice Bush's little budget slashed Amtrak?

I would classify that as going the exact OPPOSITE direction of "expanded" - wouldn't you?

Bush attempting to cut Amtrak's funding is exactly why I am convinced we are headed down the tubes - exactly the wrong decisions made on the way down in order to protect the status quo and entrenched (money) interests...K-street gets a LOT more say in what becomes policy than I or any other well-informed voter...(and few voters are well-informed from what I see...)

what about Texas losing federal funding for that light rail project - is that a good example of not doing what is needed "yet"?

I guess I should give you credit for your relentless optimism in the face of all evidence to the contrary - but I think it is part of the problem

had dinner with a Texas-based physicist the other night - he's a cornucopian and believes cellulosic ethanol will save us from oil depletion - and this is a brilliant well-educated man....his belief in spite of reality is depressing to me...

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eric blair on February 12, 2008 - 3:00pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Don't forget the efforts the government is making to make air travel a fast and pleasurable experience by having you take inventory of items before travel and pleasurable via the latex gloves hands of TSA on your body.

(Yea, its almost like they want you to NOT travel via air.)

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davebygolly on February 12, 2008 - 3:15pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I'm too lazy and forgetful to find the links, but maybe some others aren't: apparently the US is putting a lot of pressure on the EU to make air travel to here a lot more burdensome and intrusive, including supplying information on friends and family members who accompany flyers to the gates. It's much worse than just that, but I forget the details and only remember my disgust.

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Alfred on February 12, 2008 - 3:58pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

US tightens visa waiver measures

The US is stepping up its drive to obtain tougher security measures from European and other countries that already participate or want to join its visa waiver programme.

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security sent out a letter to all 27 EU governments and other visa waiver scheme members setting out its demands.

With less than a year before it leaves office, the Bush administration is accelerating its attempt to introduce a new electronic authorisation scheme for travellers to the US and to station more armed guards - or air marshals - on US carriers on transatlantic flights.

Personally, I have stopped travelling to the USA. The financial cost keeps on dropping but the other hurdles keep on rising. Frankly, I can't be bothered.

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AlanfromBigEasy on February 12, 2008 - 3:02pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

OTOH, the French have committed to electrifying every meter of their rail lines, are rapidly expanding their rent-a-bike programs, have started on the next phase of TGV building (Phase I took 30+ years) and have recently announced a new program to build 1,500 km of new tram lines in a decade (and just started on a new nuclear reactor in France, the second EPR (next generation nuke).

A real world example of "doing it right" and benefiting from it, may shake some sense into the next President (no hope for GWB).

Best Hopes,

Alan

BTW, what Texas city lost federal funding for light rail ? I may have missed that.

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john15 on February 12, 2008 - 3:19pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

isn't electrified rail bad? I thought the power was going out? and france gets it's electricity from nuclear. how are they going to mine all that uranium during peak oil?

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MacDuff on February 12, 2008 - 3:44pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Alan - you are preaching to the choir on France doing it right - hell, even their anti-GM crop stance, protectionism against imported foods, widely dispersed regional agriculture looks like it will pay off very well down this road

I would LOVE to see a well-managed crash program of pv in the Mojave, wind in Dakota, pumped storage where appropriate and all to feed expanded and electrified rail, light rail etc. throughout the US

unfortunately I see Amtrak cuts despite growth in ridership

umm, I couldn't remember which Texas city myself - but you were irate about it what, two weeks ago? long threads about it.....I'm blanking

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ftillier on February 12, 2008 - 5:07pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Sometimes I'm really thankful that I recently established French citizenship for my kids. Next I need to get my wife citizenship.

Granted, it's likely that by the time I realize it's time to bail out of the US and head to France, travel will be too difficult for us to do so...

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AlanfromBigEasy on February 13, 2008 - 6:07am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

The cancellation I was aghast at (staggered by the stupidity of) was an extension of the Washington DC Metro (subway) to Tyson's Corner and Dulles Airport.

18% federal funding of $900 million to save 20 to 25,000 b/day (more in an oil supply emergency).

A some point, public policies will change (see Rush to Ethanol) and I want them to change in a positive way.

Best Hopes,

Alan

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john15 on February 12, 2008 - 3:15pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

so you didn't notice Bush's little budget slashed Amtrak?

the next president will be better. it doesn't matter because Amtrak ridership is up.

Ridership on the passenger rail system is up 6% so far this year, the biggest jump since the late 1970s.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118781538275205642.html

biggest jump since the late 70s. wonder what caused that jump?

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MacDuff on February 12, 2008 - 3:36pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

"the next president will be better"

why are you so confident of this? I very much doubt if McCain would be any improvement with endless war on Jihad (redundant as that is I know) his main campaign promise (hard to help pay for Amtrak when you are paying for all those "smart" bombs and depleted uranium bullets)

and I am not confident that either Obama or Clinton would be much better - certainly their support for ethanol etc. does not give me a lot of hope...status quo candidates will give us more of the same...and don't forget, Congress gets to decide where the $ goes, and they seems to really really like autos and the like...

"biggest jump since the late 70s"

and DESPITE that big jump, Bush is trying to cut Amtrak's budget - wouldn't want Americans to get out of their cars after all....

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john15 on February 12, 2008 - 3:48pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

HIllary supports Amtrak.

http://trains4america.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/hillary-clinton-on-amtrak...

so does obama

http://mwhsr.blogspot.com/2007/04/barack-obama-co-sponsors-pro-amtrak.html

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WNC Observer on February 12, 2008 - 6:08pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Actually, I fully expect AMTRAK to be sold off in pieces to individual states or consortia of states. Some of the intercity pieces will remain in place, the transcontinental lines will be gone. I fully expect this to happen just a year or two before the airlines start to go belly up big time. This is the USA, after all, what else would you expect!

With any luck, under the more competent management of the states, maybe enough intercity links will be put together to actually make it possible to make it across the continent on a series of hops. It might take many days, though.

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79 comments on Driving a Taxi is getting to be tougher

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