Amtrak subsidies. (Letter to the Editor).Regarding "Another Great Train Robbery Train robbery was a type of robbery, in which the goal was to steal any money being delivered as cargo on trains. Trains carrying payroll shipments were for this reason a major target. " ("Correction, Please!," April 8th): As a constitutional conservative and business owner, I certainly agree that we need less government involvement in business. But there are areas of activity that do require government, and they include transportation. Amtrak Amtrak, the National Railroad Passenger Corp., authorized to operate virtually all intercity passenger railroad routes in the United States. Amtrak was created by Congress in 1970 in response to more than two decades of continuous operating deficits by privately run is inefficient under the present management. But if Americans are to have dependable rail passenger and freight transportation, government financial assistance is an absolute necessity. Highways, airwaves, and waterways don't make money, and railroads are extremely labor intensive Labor Intensive A process or industry that requires large amounts of human effort to produce goods. Notes: A good example is the hospitality industry (hotels, restaurants, etc), they are considered to be very people-oriented. See also: Capital Intensive, Trading Dollars . Passenger rail will never be profitable, but is essential. However, the March 2002 issue of Trains magazine offers a good plan for improving Amtrak. Federal money will be required to upgrade the service. Neither air nor highway will tolerate raids on their funds for intercity rail. Trains suggests a 3-2-1 plan entailing a six cent increase on all motor fuels: three cents would go to highways; two cents to intercity rail infrastructure and operations; and 1 cent to mass transit mass transit, public transportation systems designed to move large numbers of passengers. Types and Advantages Mass transit refers to municipal or regional public shared transportation, such as buses, streetcars, and ferries, open to all on a . The present fuel tax paid by railroads goes into the general fund for deficit reduction - it should revert to the intercity rail fund. Since high-speed rail High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions include 200-320 km/h (125-200 mph) - depending on whether the track is upgraded or new - by the European Union and above 90 mph corridors benefit highways as much as rails, the highway portion should pay for grade-separated road intersections. I usually agree with columnist William P. Hoar William P. Hoar is a writer for the John Birch Society noted for very strong attacks on mainstream politicians from Franklin D. Roosevelt to George W. Bush. He publishes regularly in the Birch Society magazine The New American and its predecessor American Opinion. , but I have to disagree with his statement that "non-riding taxpayers are being railroaded." Good passenger and freight railroad operations are essential to America, and all transportation users benefit from them. WILLIAM R. DEWEY Birmingham, Michigan |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion