 |
Re: Trump budget to cut rail services to hundreds of rural communities and the sky is falling...
Author: BOB2
Date: 04-09-2017 - 18:35
Reagan knew none of that was ultimately going to be real. Under our Constitution spending bills originate in the House, but those budgets have to be actually passed by both the House and Senate.
Presidents propose lots of things, and Congress may pass some of them. And, while Amtrak had a Democratic House majority during Reagan, it was indeed mostly the Senate that ultimately told him no way on the long distance cuts (which had been the "fall back" position of the Administration) on "zeroing out" anything, which was then Republican.
If anything, rather than cutting service, Congress came to a working agreement that stabilized support for Amtrak for a period of about 10 years, or so, at the national level. And, that "compromise" also enabled and spurred on a period of Federal support for a lot of the State and Local programs, then in their "infancy" in establishing today's set of Amtrak regional/corridor services, leading to today's corridor programs in CA, Wash, and Oregon.....back when the dinosaurs still roamed, in the time of Reagan.........
In our system of democracy, you get the government you deserve, for better or worse.... So if you really don't like what's proposed, you may need to remind them that they work for you, not you for them, and tell them what you think they ought to do about this. And, if they don't listen, or maybe mistake their constituents/employers for their "subjects", then maybe you should fire them, and replace them, with somebody who works for you.......
Meanwhile, life goes on..... If you are worried, and probably should be a little bit, ride some of these long distance trains. The House and its leadership are not at all friendly to Amtrak, rural cuts impacting them notwithstanding, and can block spending more effectively through the mark up of the legislation, than the Senate can always block it.
"May we live in interesting times".....as that old Chinese curse goes.
Nat
Presidents propose lots of things, and Congress may pass some of them. And, while Amtrak had a Democratic House majority during Reagan, it was indeed mostly the Senate that ultimately told him no way on the long distance cuts (which had been the "fall back" position of the Administration) on "zeroing out" anything, which was then Republican.
If anything, rather than cutting service, Congress came to a working agreement that stabilized support for Amtrak for a period of about 10 years, or so, at the national level. And, that "compromise" also enabled and spurred on a period of Federal support for a lot of the State and Local programs, then in their "infancy" in establishing today's set of Amtrak regional/corridor services, leading to today's corridor programs in CA, Wash, and Oregon.....back when the dinosaurs still roamed, in the time of Reagan.........
In our system of democracy, you get the government you deserve, for better or worse.... So if you really don't like what's proposed, you may need to remind them that they work for you, not you for them, and tell them what you think they ought to do about this. And, if they don't listen, or maybe mistake their constituents/employers for their "subjects", then maybe you should fire them, and replace them, with somebody who works for you.......
Meanwhile, life goes on..... If you are worried, and probably should be a little bit, ride some of these long distance trains. The House and its leadership are not at all friendly to Amtrak, rural cuts impacting them notwithstanding, and can block spending more effectively through the mark up of the legislation, than the Senate can always block it.
"May we live in interesting times".....as that old Chinese curse goes.
Nat
