Re: Presidents, Congress and the Railroads
Author: BOB2
Date: 11-03-2016 - 18:39
Why would anyone spend a penny to make coal "cleaner" (real expensive to do...) when you can burn natural gas for electricity at 1/3 the price per BTU equivalent? That makes the massive reduction in CO2 is free, hell, with credits generated, even profitable..... That along with cheaper and cheaper wind and solar, and much more efficient use, with things like LED's, compressors, modern insulation, and dozens of other innovations has caused demand for electricity to flatten out, as well. So no President is going to undo that, it's just plain economics that is slowly killing the coal industry and the coal train..... Pandering to voters in Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, or West Virginia may be good political tactic, but it's still BS, so don't hold your breath waiting for mines to reopen.
Amtrak, many improvement to our rail infrastructure, transit, highways, and our public infrastructure in general depends upon the policies and expenditures authorized by Congress, not the President. Which is unfortunate. Since Congress has proven remarkably incapable of any action, even on things as basic as a highway bill, that is paid for and begins to address our 55 year old Interstate Highways, as well as our RR's and mass transit systems.
Those who oppose free trade are fools. No one forces you to trade, unless it benefits both the buyer and the seller, which creates a benefit and surplus for both, who get more goods and services at a lower price than they would have had, if they had not traded. Those who preach this nonsense in the name of jobs, don't like to count the jobs lost, when trade is not free. Policies which are protectionist, which tinker with the value of the dollar, or drive up interest rates, slow economic growth and raise prices for consumers. That does hurt RR's and the economy in general.
This country had two years to come up with something better, so we have met the enemy, as Walt Kelly once noted, and it is us......... We get exactly the government we deserve, because we will have, for better or worse, elected it....