tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post4693882324141379818..comments2023-10-30T09:03:07.163-07:00Comments on California High Speed Rail Blog: Obama on High Speed RailRobert Cruickshankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06906581839066570472noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-24748265339178097952009-04-21T15:19:00.000-07:002009-04-21T15:19:00.000-07:00I would love to have high-speed trains...but I'm s...I would love to have high-speed trains...but I'm skeptical... I would rather go for broke. If we're going to get trains, I would rather go massively, head-over-heels into debt and hope that the war-level spending will stimulate the economy and create jobs and leave us with something useful...rather than a train that barely goes faster than my car--but provides less convenience and costs more.... <br /><br />John Tantillo has <A HREF="http://blog.marketingdoctor.tv" REL="nofollow">a marketing and branding blog</A> on which he publishes weekly brand winner/loser post. Last week, he named "The Train To Nowhere" the loser, and he makes some very good points, asserting that it does not respond to any real need but instead follows the "build-it-and-they-will-come" model adopted by the now infamous American automakers. But with the added side-effect of disincentivize the development of alternatively-powered vehicles, with any (unlikely) success also putting further strain on already-struggling airlines. Since the supposed "high-speed" rail would not even be considered as such in other countries, Tantillo characterizes this proposal as greenwashing: "Thus another sin against marketing: window-dressing your brand as something it is not." <br /><A HREF="http://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2009/04/19/brand-winners-and-losers.aspx" REL="nofollow"> Full post: John Tantillo's Brand Winner... And Loser: The U.S. Navy and the Train To Nowhere.</A>elohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00928352766284488932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-69883496689666379272008-07-26T00:37:00.000-07:002008-07-26T00:37:00.000-07:00Nice blog. Also have a look at http://www.scomitra...Nice blog. Also have a look at <A HREF="http://www.scomitrainspotting.com/" REL="nofollow">http://www.scomitrainspotting.com</A> for more on trains.dbatrejahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17920950297538680076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-22124610230799095402008-05-05T23:18:00.000-07:002008-05-05T23:18:00.000-07:00I find it laughable the pandering thats going on w...I find it laughable the pandering thats going on with this gas tax holiday. The funniest(most tragic?) part is the anti-economist populism. <BR/><BR/>Clinton said she didn't "put in her lot with economists". What does that mean? She has economic advisors like everyone else, but she couldn't find a SINGLE economis to back her proposal( and there's always hacks that will support anything, like Kudlow for the Republicans). <BR/><BR/>Even Mccain said "30 dollars might not be much for economists." I've got news for you Mac, we can't all marry rich! <BR/><BR/>It's classic shoot the messenger, because their plan fails in every way. <BR/><BR/>It won't reduce prices very much, it hamstrings the infrastructure budget, it encourages more consumption which is the root of the problem, and most of the benefit will go to the oil companies anyway. Saying that a windfall profits tax will make sure the oil companies won't profit shows a complete lack of understanding of tax incidence. If you tax the oil companies the equivalent of 18.4 cents per gallon and eliminate the gas tax, the effect is nil. But in terms of pandering? The sky's the limit. Have another shot, Hillary.<BR/><BR/>And this from the person that says she the most qualified candidate on the economy?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-37450688491005709372008-05-04T11:15:00.000-07:002008-05-04T11:15:00.000-07:00Good to hear Obama is now incorporating this into ...Good to hear Obama is now incorporating this into his stump speech, wu ming. It resonates well with voters, who after 8 years of relentless gas price hikes are beginning to realize the era of cheap oil really is over, and that mass transit and HSR are the only ways out.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for that link, anonymous - I've been planning to blog that article all morning, but got sidetracked looking at bike commuter blogs. Mmmm...steel-frame crossbike...Robert Cruickshankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06906581839066570472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-62831104590434247962008-05-04T09:55:00.000-07:002008-05-04T09:55:00.000-07:00AFP article on HSR and what Obama has said about i...<A HREF="http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ig-w6G5bFoiXZt3fRoUI7xuN_9Aw" REL="nofollow">AFP article</A> on HSR and what Obama has said about it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-39238566427268169702008-05-04T09:21:00.000-07:002008-05-04T09:21:00.000-07:00Great blog! I just discovered it. I wrote about th...Great blog! I just discovered it. I wrote about this post on my own blog, Talented Earthquake Productions, http://talentedearthquake.blogspot.com/, and I added California High Speed Rail Blog to my blogroll.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03082636029282217783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-77068681862930378012008-05-04T02:02:00.000-07:002008-05-04T02:02:00.000-07:00he got a standing O for his amtrak/HSR line in his...he got a standing O for his amtrak/HSR line in his <A HREF="http://surfputah.blogspot.com/2008/05/closing-arguments.html" REL="nofollow">closing arguments</A> speech today in indiana.<BR/><BR/>especially out there in the great flatness, it's insane not to build fast trains.無名 - wu minghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01078479850722724885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-13613797851304660982008-05-03T09:49:00.000-07:002008-05-03T09:49:00.000-07:00whack...that article isn't free and my school does...whack...that article isn't free and my school doesn't have a subscription...FLUBBERhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07642630850939361572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-62970376178827837722008-05-03T05:13:00.000-07:002008-05-03T05:13:00.000-07:00Here's a status update on the progress the CHSRA i...Here's a <A HREF="http://www.planningreport.com/tpr/?story_id=1328&format=html&module=displaystory" REL="nofollow">status update</A> on the progress the CHSRA is making in the run-up to the November ballot. All the years of preparation will give voters - and perhaps the Democratic candidate for the White House - the confidence needed to endorse the HSR project.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-44046187536040308132008-05-03T04:50:00.000-07:002008-05-03T04:50:00.000-07:00Mention infrastructure and most people complain ab...Mention infrastructure and most people complain about how bad it is, shrug their shoulders and then change the channel. It's very hard to make it a sexy topic, but Obama has proven that he is both a gifted speaker and a reflective candidate.<BR/><BR/>America's competitive edge in the world economy already depends heavily on intellectual property. The Internet has facilitated the free exchange of ideas, but it has not rendered face-to-face meetings obsolete. On the contrary, it has greatly increased their value thanks to improved preparation and follow-up. Transportation networks become <A HREF="http://spectrum.ieee.org/jul06/4109" REL="nofollow">ever more valuable</A> as they grow, subject only to transaction costs (e.g. fuel and idle time). For intermediate distances, high speed trains reduce these costs compared to both cars and airplanes.<BR/><BR/>In addition, HSR makes it much easier to maintain personal relationships over these distances, increasing liquidity in the labor market.<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, these are somewhat abstract economic arguments in favor of HSR. Energy security and global warming are also complex issues, but for various reasons, they resonate with voters on a more emotional level.<BR/><BR/>The same applies for the high <A HREF="http://antiwar.com/casualties/" REL="nofollow">human</A> and <A HREF="http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/81589/" REL="nofollow">$3,000,000,000+ financial</A> cost of waging a war of <I>choice</I> in Iraq (as opposed to the one in Afghanistan). To put it in perspective: for the same money, the US could have built California's HSR - the US' single most expensive transportation project since the interstate system - some 80(!) times over.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com