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I gotta to give Da Geezer credit, he has been very loyal to Dear Leader, he's been wrong the whole time about Russia but he hasn't let that deter him.
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Jon, Infrastructure ..... good point.
Some funding for it, even though woefully insufficient, will come to pass by default after all the promises made by Trump during his campaign turn out to be non-starters and he jumps on board bipartisan infrastructure legislation I think this is what you mean and I agree with you if it is.
We just spent 2 weeks in Europe. Trains run as scheduled and are reliable and that takes commitment by government to costly transportation infrastructure by one means or the other (incentivising private interests or spending on public works undertakings). NB: I was advised by Italians that the trains in Italy are not as reliable as they appear to be at first glance. Lots of strikes can and do cripple that mode of transport.
The public transportation system was excellent in France and does not seem to be as burdened by union disruption as occurs regularly in Italy.
That the US has a floundering Amtrack, dilapidated and broke urban light rail systems seems to me to be a huge downside to either living as a European expat in the US or setting up shop as a business owner in the US. In casual indirect conversations with Frenchman and Italians none of them want to trade in their Passports for a US version of their own.
Well, I guess you can drive to work ..... and spend two hours in traffic getting there like the morons who live in the northern suburbs of ATL and commute to the city center every day..... by car not by Marta that doesn't go that far North. The reason it doesn't? Think about it. This is Atlanta with segments of it still celebrating the Confederacy. 4h driving, 8-10h at work each day make for a miserable working and home life. But, yeah, let's make America great again.
Don't get me wrong. I love this country and there are a ton of very good things about it, one of them being mostly able to make a go at starting and owning your own business, individual freedoms to choose and the like. But the glitter and glamour of a post WWII America, rife with the glory of victory over Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan is lost on the current generations of Europeans and the ones just before that as well.Last edited by Jeff Buchanan; July 25, 2017, 10:23 PM.Mission to CFB's National Championship accomplished. But the shine on the NC Trophy is embarrassingly wearing off. It's M B-Ball ..... or hockey or volley ball or name your college sport favorite time ...... until next year.Comment
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The French do have "strike season", but that same distrust of capitalist executives have led to the country being insulated from some of the things that make the lives of 99% of Americans much worse. Pluses and minuses. Overall I agree about rail, and it's very sad to think about public transportation through that particular prism. The more your society is run by beliefs instead of facts, the more you risk hurting your own selves.Comment
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Last night the Senate overwhelmingly rejected an R proposal to repeal the ACA and replace it with the BRCA (this was the Senate's POS version of the House's POS AHCA).
This sort of reflects rejection of option 2 in my post above and pretty much renders any current R version of health care delivery reform dead. It also eliminates hope for DJT that he can deliver on his campaign promise to repeal and replace. Not going to happen.
The rejection of BRCA is entirely appropriate, IMO. It is the second (the first being wide ranging immigration restrictions) in a line of several major Trump campaign promises that are dead or severely limited in scope. They are dead/limited in scope not because of partisan politics but rather because they were then and are now terrible ideas.
Whether or not you are aboard with remodeling how HC is delivered in the US, one thing we are witnessing is that despotic announcements emanating from the lips of DJT are going to be debated by Congress and when shown to be what they are, basically bad ideas about health care poorly thought out and articulated by Trump and his inner circle, rightfully rejected. There is some hope for The Republic. The founders would say, "this is good."Mission to CFB's National Championship accomplished. But the shine on the NC Trophy is embarrassingly wearing off. It's M B-Ball ..... or hockey or volley ball or name your college sport favorite time ...... until next year.Comment
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Are the Ds really trotting out Schumer, Pelosi and Warren in DJT counties to pimp their new "Better Deal" slogan?
Every time I think the Rs are going to lose big in 2018 and 2020 I'm reminded of the Ds.Dan Patrick: What was your reaction to [Urban Meyer being hired]?
Brady Hoke: You know.....not....good.Comment
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I don?t agree with your final take there Jeff...it is only due to party arm-twisting and endless partisan bombast that these awful healthcare proposals are still shuffling around like the undead. For Pete?s sake, John McCain flies in at the 11th hour with fresh stitches, makes a stirring speech on the floor of the senate about the evils of partisanship...then casts the deciding vote to enable this charade to continue. What a farce.
If things were working the way the Founders intended, we?d be haranguing about tax reform in here.Comment
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One of Obama's infrastructure initiatives was rail. The Feds had projects they wanted done and if the State the project was in wanted to match the Feds contribution, off we went. In Ohio they wanted to build a rail connecting Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. The cost to the state was something like $250M. Kasich told them hell no. At that point I knew I could vote for the guy.That the US has a floundering Amtrack, dilapidated and broke urban light rail systems seems to me to be a huge downside to either living as a European expat in the US or setting up shop as a business owner in the US. In casual indirect conversations with Frenchman and Italians none of them want to trade in their Passports for a US version of their own.
Well, I guess you can drive to work ..... and spend two hours in traffic getting there like the morons who live in the northern suburbs of ATL and commute to the city center every day..... by car not by Marta that doesn't go that far North. The reason it doesn't? Think about it. This is Atlanta with segments of it still celebrating the Confederacy. 4h driving, 8-10h at work each day make for a miserable working and home life. But, yeah, let's make America great again.
The train wouldn't have been high speed. It would have gone along at roughly 60 mph (taking longer than the drive) and cost considerably more than the gas required to traverse the distance. It was, in short, fucking assinine.
There certainly are places where improved public transportation makes sense. But it's local. The notion of a euro system connecting cities and regions is ludicrous. Easing Atlanta Metro traffic? Sure. Connecting Atlanta to New Orleans? GTFO.
Speaking from personal experience, the greatest trip I ever did was driving around the US forever. My time in France, Italy and England taking trains everywhere was nice, but they just don't compare (for me). And my commute is 10-15 minutes.Dan Patrick: What was your reaction to [Urban Meyer being hired]?
Brady Hoke: You know.....not....good.Comment
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Someone, I forget who, was making the point that the endless partisan bombast was useful in shining light on the weaknesses of a bill and forcing its supporters to come up with a way to defend it (not always accurately as we learned from Obamacare and others).endless partisan bombast that these awful healthcare proposals are still shuffling around like the undead.
The Rs need to figure out how to defend their bill and if they can't then they shouldn't pass it. I'd start with making it about the individual mandate. Either you favor that or you don't. If don't favor it then there are going to be 16M people walking around without insurance. That's what we're talking about when we're talking about people "losing" their insurance. So, fucking fish or cut bait. Or, to quote Marlo Stanfield's very first line: "Do it or don't. I got places to be."Dan Patrick: What was your reaction to [Urban Meyer being hired]?
Brady Hoke: You know.....not....good.Comment
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good stuff. pilfers 4 million dollars has access to highly classified material he is sendoing to Pakistan straight from the DNC ' heads hard drive and numerous other dems employed since 2005 by wasserman Schultz
meanwhile has anybody found any evidence Russia altered the election--any ghost ballots, altered totals in all those states Hillary got her recount? 17 separate investigations trying to find that missing link for that. meanwhile the house IT network the dems have is open fodder to the entire world
what a jokeComment
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Ideally trains would be faster than 60mph, but even if not, I don't believe that is the main hangup for most people...its getting too the train in the first place.Originally posted by iam416 View Post
If it requires a 30-minute drive through downtown traffic and a parking hassle just to get on board, it greatly reduces the benefit. Given the ancillary prep (Arriving early, loading, etc) I could be an hour down the road in my car before the train moves an inch. If my destination is 3 hours away, it then seems rather meaningless to take the train...plus I have my car when I get where I'm going. If my destination is an 8-hour trainride away, I'm probably going to fly.
Suburbs require a shitload of infrastructure investment to make mass transit work.Comment
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Crash, no one says the Russians altered the election. That's right wing spew in the media without foundation for their soft minded followers. Nearly everyone believes that the Russkies did try to influence it. I, like the vast majority of people, don't think they were successful. An attempt to undermine our democratic process is an act of war, imo. That is far more important than the election of a shithead to the Presidency. The trouble is, the POSOTUS thinks if there was interference, then his election is delegitimized, WHICH IT ISN'T. The Trumpanzees don't want to be confused with the facts. Without their phony outrage, they have all the substance of a wisp of wind. The WH has been unable to transition from Trumpworld where reality is whatever Dear Leader says it is or pays people to say it is and actual reality where the other 6 billion people on the planet live.“Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.” - Groucho MarxComment
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thank god
the idiocy of having the military sacrifice combat readiness to ensure transsgenders are allowed in with their own unique sense of challenges that do nothing but disrupt combat readiness ----well this is part of the reason Hillary lost and trump won
you cnat get in with flat feet but if you want to alter your genitalia by joining the military after 18 mos come on down!!
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That shining light is required because the corrective measures are now throngs of protesters and callers, in lieu of representatives willing to buck Party direction either in Committee or on the floor when they see a bill that is this terrible.Originally posted by iam416 View Post
I'm picking on this GOP fracas because its front and center, but the same thinking applied to the ACA in 2010. There were a number of D reps that voted for that thing knowing they were sticking their heads into the noose. But party, and bombast.Comment
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Right, and there isn't the political need or will at this point. Columbus is a fairly large city land-wise and, stunningly, something like he 15th largest city in the country. I'm not sure a vote for train service could get more than 10% in an area that now leans D.Suburbs require a shitload of infrastructure investment to make mass transit work.
When I lived in Cleveland I could take the train. It saved me about $100/month. The trip downtown to my stop took 45 minutes. I could drive it in 25-30. The train schedule at night was awful. If I didn't leave at 5, I had to time up my departure on half-hour intervals or take a cab. I did it for 4 years until we had kids. I was pretty indifferent. I mostly hated driving the commute, but the convenience and control were great. I loved reading on the train, but when I wanted to get home fast it sucked.
And that's for a fairly suckass commute through the East Side of Cleveland on city streets that, in a lot of spots, bordered on bombed out.
I can't imagine commuting in LA or Atlanta, but then again, I can't imagine living in a city where I couldn't get to and fro my job with acceptable efficiency.Dan Patrick: What was your reaction to [Urban Meyer being hired]?
Brady Hoke: You know.....not....good.Comment
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