All the above is interesting enough - especially the pictures.

But after carefully reading their pitch, I've got to wonder - how many more times is the NS or the CSX gonna put their hand out at the public trough, for re-capitalization stuff that should have been funded out of their own depreciation sinking funds. Or did they, like many big corps, just "disinvest" (misappropriate) those funds for something else, like "diversification".

So now they want the public to make up for it! But in my opinion - Only if the public gets an equity position out of it - or outright ownership, should any public money be "invested".

The most disgusting part of the pitch - is the not so veiled threat that the Southern Tier route would have to be shut down without the public funds to replace this bridge. But if it is so non-viable a commercial enterprise, that they cannot justify the re-capitalization on their own; what's to stop them from shutting it down three years later anyway - for some other reason of course - ala. C.O.R.P. in Oregon!

I wonder what it is that makes these corporate MBAs now think that any politician would dare to fork over public money to a very profitable private company; just to keep part of it operational - maybe. Five years ago, that would have been unthinkable. They would have been laughed right out of the county - and the state too!

Ahah - Must be that change we all voted for! And they all said that the old guys in office were the ones so "Pro-business" - GO FIGURE!


OPB