House GOP Plan to cut $2.5 Trillion

[danefan]

I'm a big Amtrak fan; I can't afford Acela, but the regional from New Haven to Delaware is only about 40 minutes slower than Acela, about the same time as driving, and, with tolls and gas, costs about the same if you buy your tickets early.

So why would you take the train?

Because you can just chill out for 40 minutes instead of driving.

[89Hen]

So why would you take the train?

Because you can just chill out for 40 minutes instead of driving.

But you also have to go on their schedule, which by my experience, isn't that reliable. BTW, I should say that I do enjoy a train ride every once in a while.

[danefan]

Because you can just chill out for 40 minutes instead of driving.

But you also have to go on their schedule, which by my experience, isn't that reliable.

Good point. Which is mainly due to the outdated infrastructure (e.g. switching mechanisms, etc...).

Without federal funding its just going to get worse.

[89Hen]

But you also have to go on their schedule, which by my experience, isn't that reliable.

Good point. Which is mainly due to the outdated infrastructure (e.g. switching mechanisms, etc...).

Without federal funding its just going to get worse.

I have a lot of mixed emotions about public and mass transportation. There's a lot of good, but a lot of waste too. I can't tell you how many times I'm behind a full size Metro bus with two riders in it. I'm thinking the cost of the bus, the driver, the gas, the pollution... all for two people and their $1.50 fares.

The Metro in DC is great, and gets more than enough people to use it.

[OL FU]

There isn't a person that isn't going to find something that they don't want cut be high speed rail or NPR. Not the point, everything has to be looked at and everything has to be challenged. This is the easy stuff and we are nitpicking it. Wait til they get to the military and entitlements.

BTW I love NPR but the idea that the government has to subsidize a news show is wrong. The government should not be in the news business

[89Hen]

BTW I love NPR but the idea that the government has to subsidize a news show is wrong. The government should not be in the news business

They have a pretty nice looking building here in DC.

[kalm]

BTW I love NPR but the idea that the government has to subsidize a news show is wrong. The government should not be in the news business

They have a pretty nice looking building here in DC.

What do the office buildings of Halliburton, Bechtel, Lockheed, Blackwater, Fannie and Freddie, Goldman Sach's, BoA, etc look like?

[Bronco]

"What do the office buildings of Halliburton, Bechtel, Lockheed, Blackwater, Fannie and Freddie, Goldman Sach's, BoA, etc look like?"


I give up...what?

[OL FU]

Point is they are picking the easier items to cut. If we can't cut those we won't get the bigger items done.

[Chemhen]

Because you can just chill out for 40 minutes instead of driving.

But you also have to go on their schedule, which by my experience, isn't that reliable. BTW, I should say that I do enjoy a train ride every once in a while.

Well, for me its chill for 4 hours, get work done without the stress of driving. I take Amtrak probably 10 times a year and they've only been more than 15-20 minutes late twice (once was 2+ hours), both times in bad, snowy weather, conditions where you'd be slower driving too.

Oh, and I don't have a car.

[kalm]

"What do the office buildings of Halliburton, Bechtel, Lockheed, Blackwater, Fannie and Freddie, Goldman Sach's, BoA, etc look like?"


I give up...what?

Their office buildings are built with tax payer dollars too. That's the big myth - that NPR and the National Endowment for the arts are the only entities that suck at the public teat. Like it or not, government spending benefits the private sector immensely.

[Ursus A. Horribilis]

"What do the office buildings of Halliburton, Bechtel, Lockheed, Blackwater, Fannie and Freddie, Goldman Sach's, BoA, etc look like?"


I give up...what?

Their office buildings are built with tax payer dollars too. That's the big myth - that NPR and the National Endowment for the arts are the only entities that suck at the public teat. Like it or not, government spending benefits the private sector immensely.

Sure it does. It'll be a good way to get them to spend the tax cuts now instead of not paying for their own way while getting tax cuts.

I hate to the Arts & NPR getting cuts but it sure seems like we gotta get started and these are areas to start. Hopefully some wise people will come up with ways to keep the good things viable.

[kalm]

Their office buildings are built with tax payer dollars too. That's the big myth - that NPR and the National Endowment for the arts are the only entities that suck at the public teat. Like it or not, government spending benefits the private sector immensely.

Sure it does. It'll be a good way to get them to spend the tax cuts now instead of not paying for their own way while getting tax cuts.

I hate to the Arts & NPR getting cuts but it sure seems like we gotta get started and these are areas to start. Hopefully some wise people will come up with ways to keep the good things viable.

Full Disclosure: It's not likely that the folks running the the Arts and NPR are real good at fiscal responsibility.

Godddammit Ursus, I wasn't talking to people like you.

[BDKJMU]

The taxpayers don't subsidize conservative talk radio. Why should the taxpayers subsidize liberal NPR? If it was worth a damn (ie could draw enough viewers) it would have high enough ratings to draw enough advertisers it wouldn't need to be propped up with taxpayer dollars to survive....

[kalm]

The taxpayers don't subsidize conservative talk radio. Why should the taxpayers subsidize liberal NPR? If it was worth a damn (ie could draw enough viewers) it would have high enough ratings to draw enough advertisers it wouldn't need to be propped up with taxpayer dollars to survive....

Ratings and accurate reporting of the news and current events are not one in the same.

[BDKJMU]

The taxpayers don't subsidize conservative talk radio. Why should the taxpayers subsidize liberal NPR? If it was worth a damn (ie could draw enough viewers) it would have high enough ratings to draw enough advertisers it wouldn't need to be propped up with taxpayer dollars to survive....

Ratings and accurate reporting of the news and current events are not one in the same.

Yeah, and NPR is accurate and non partisan..

[SuperHornet]

One thing that really stands out to me is that the GOP sees absolutely no benefit in having an efficient high-speed rail system in this country.

AmTrak is efficient and high-speed?

High speed rail has NOTHING to do with Amtrak. There's a plan in the works to connect Los Angeles with SF, taking about half the time it would take to drive it. Amtrak is NOT involved.

BTW, I've heard they already have someting similar connecting BOS-NYC-PHI-DC.

[kalm]

Ratings and accurate reporting of the news and current events are not one in the same.

Yeah, and NPR is accurate and non partisan..

You're opinion of what's accurate and non partisan.

[Grizalltheway]

Ratings and accurate reporting of the news and current events are not one in the same.

Yeah, and NPR is accurate and non partisan..

Let's see some concrete evidence (you know, with a link) that NPR is grossly inaccurate.

[JMU DJ]

But you also have to go on their schedule, which by my experience, isn't that reliable. BTW, I should say that I do enjoy a train ride every once in a while.

Well, for me its chill for 4 hours, get work done without the stress of driving. I take Amtrak probably 10 times a year and they've only been more than 15-20 minutes late twice (once was 2+ hours), both times in bad, snowy weather, conditions where you'd be slower driving too.

Oh, and I don't have a car.

Blizzard of 2006, I knew I was going to get stuck in Boston. Cancelled my flight and caught the train out. Took a while, but at least I was where I needed to be the same day instead of stuck in Boston for 2 days waiting for a flight... Guarantee no one was driving out of there either.

My bro does business in NYC, Boston and DC 2-3 times a month. He used to drive/fly from philly for it, but now he takes the train for the same reasons you mentioned. Just as quick as driving (on the acela sp?), faster than flying, same price if not cheaper, no stress of driving/traffic/waiting on the tarmac.

[Ursus A. Horribilis]

Sure it does. It'll be a good way to get them to spend the tax cuts now instead of not paying for their own way while getting tax cuts.

I hate to the Arts & NPR getting cuts but it sure seems like we gotta get started and these are areas to start. Hopefully some wise people will come up with ways to keep the good things viable.

Full Disclosure: It's not likely that the folks running the the Arts and NPR are real good at fiscal responsibility.

Godddammit Ursus, I wasn't talking to people like you.

True on the full disclosure part. Somebody that sees the value of the arts and practices his art through good business sense and pragmatism is in order. A Paul Newman sort is in order.

[BDKJMU]

End prohibitions on competitive sourcing of government services.
a polite way of saying "**** you" to prevailing wage laws

Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act. More than $1 billion annually.
a polite way of saying "**** you" to prevailing wage laws

You mean would be a polite way of saying "fuck you" to bloated union wage laws.

Would end taxpayers being forced to pay inflated union wages for taxpayer funded projects, a grossly inefficient use of taxpayer dollars. Would also save billions for taxpayers at the state and local level, with the alternatives being either having to raise taxes on taxpayers to fund these projects or not having the funds to get them done (prime example being highway construction & maintenance).

[BDKJMU]

Yeah, and NPR is accurate and non partisan..

Let's see some concrete evidence (you know, with a link) that NPR is grossly inaccurate.

If I was listing a bunch of stats I would have given a link.

[Grizalltheway]

Huh. I don't recall asking for statistical evidence.

[JMU DJ]

Ratings and accurate reporting of the news and current events are not one in the same.

Yeah, and NPR is accurate and non partisan..

For one, this is a story I was reading about earlier (on a conservative website ) and numerous commenters on the article noted that the "Lamestream," "Liberal" media hadn't said anything about this story, probably due to their lack of actually checking out the "lamestream" sites.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... =133086209" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


NPR linking to the story on other media outlets:
http://topics.npr.org/article/05Sr0g79Qx3eM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://topics.npr.org/topic/Steve_Cohen" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;