We are indeed not going to compete at the rate we're dealing with infrastructure. I can poke a couple of holes in Bill's whole speech here...one being safety and quality control building high rises and buildings in a few days often are accomplished by not using proper sand in concrete, etc....One earthquake has toppled a whole mountain of apartments over there on more than one occassion...bridges built too quickly may have issues as well. He's right about the work ethic...and the education systems ..people work all day and then go study at night to get ahead...and you can travel and work there without the need to ever own a car...here most folks won't take the bus to work let alone a high speed rail...hopefully these things will start to be addressed with a fresh administration. Traveling and living in Asia for half my adult life was humbling and very, very educational. I don't think many people realize how much of a setback the last 4 years have been to our position in the world. The mainland Chinese could always build things quickly, then the problem is usually that they don't maintain what they build..and China has ruined it's water supplies pretty much...they buy drinkable water ...not sure how long that's going to be sustainable. It's a reason they're trying to expand their borders with India.
America looks completely different from overseas...doesn't seem so loud and overbearing...there's other shit in the world to pay attention to..they don't really follow the entertainment needs of the US very closely which seems to fill up the lives of many here stateside. My wife was thrilled when we moved here and had internet so she can follow Taiwanese news programing. Watch Korean series, etc...she think Korean films are the best thing around ..I'm worried about Taiwan a bit with Chinese naval aggression
It's ridiculous to me that we don't have a high speed rail that connects Bend to Florence on the coast...they want skiing to profit or ocean fishing or casinos...might make it easier for folks who balk at driving bumper to bumper on mountain roads for 4 hours to make a trip that would take 40 minutes on a rail system if that. People could get to sporting events, festivals, etc..concerts...maybe in my grandson's time
The Milwaukie to Portland Max line cost $205 million PER mile in 2013. A high speed rail line from Las Angeles to Las Vegas is still being debated if it's economically feasible. I just don't see anyway that high speed rail could financially support itself between Bend and Florence.
Now they have one two lane hwy 126 filled with sink holes that goes through the Fern Ridge Resevoir....there's the largest university in the State in Eugene...biggest ski resort in Bend and Casino in Florence....the idea is to generate spending locally and accessability definitely makes college students want to snow board ...Bend residents want to see a Ducks game go to a concert or wine tasting tour and retired folks want to gamble or fish on the coast...it primes that pump....as is, you're right...nobody is spending that time or money because it's not available to anyone. You should hub them from the airports to the universities...the whole state should be connected like that....I don't need on to go to LA because...I'd rather shop in Oregon.let LA build it's own rail...the French are building them all over asia in areas not as wealthy as the Pacific NW..problem here is mostly people and car love....the money repairing that hiway is huge....high speed rails can travel above ground. Over 60,000 people per year go to the Oregon Country Fair and even more to Sporting events in Eugene. If we're spending 203 million a mile for a rail system...I think we're getting waxed by contractors. Cost has been the excuse for inaction on infrastructure for too long here.
I'm not saying we go to LA, I'm saying that they've been debating for years if a high speed rail line will be economically feasible between LA and Las Vegas. If they can't make that pencil out there is no way a high speed rail line is feasible between Bend and Florence.
Them not making a profit or agreeing on a budget to do it doesn't change Bill Maher's pt....poor countries are doing it right now....San Diego has a rail system in place. The whole argument is that we'll spend 10years arguing on what to name the rail and they'll just build it....there is a lot of pressure against public transport grids by the auto industry and the petroleum industry...if it were a drone weapons system or submarine...or Mars rover...they'd find the money..I think the balking is the norm in this country when infrastructure comes up..why go to Vegas from LA?..they should go from Venice Beach to Big Bear...support the local economy...tourists are in LA...Vegas has it's own crop
There used to be a passenger train from the coast to Eugene.....that died off long before I moved here.
Socialism is getting the mass to take mass transit versus drive a vehicle. Mass this mass that! Whenever the gov wants people to conform to doing things one way, revolt. LOL Thats comes from a college political science prof back in early 70's. Some truth to it however.
rapid transist systems work...I don't care what some college professor says about socialism and masses....if they worried about socialism massing people together we wouldn't have military bases or factories with giant parking lots. The difference in the quality of life in Taipei after high speed rail was built and before is amazing....you can breathe....Taiwan is the poster boy for capitalism as well....the two things have nothing to do with each other at all. You can move lumber by truck or train....one holds more boards and takes a lot less fuel and trips...Taipei has 8 million people ...without mass transit you would spend all day in traffic just trying to get to and from work and the air would turn to poison...America has almost devoted more land to cars than it has to people...parking lots are a shitty use of land in my view. Look at any city and see how many gas stations, parking lots, garages, car lots, mechanics shops.auto insurance co...etc are around you....it turns out we're obsessed in America with the automobile
Does high speed rail really need to support itself? Wouldn't the economic and environmental benefits of a high speed rail system be worth the investment? Imagine moving freight cross country in a few hours without having to use air. Or being able to commute to a high paying job in Seattle or LA. No more traffic jams if expanded at the local level. Seems like the economic benefit we'd get just by building it would almost be worth the investment. At least, if we did it at a national level.
Works for the military and the space program...don't know why it doesn't work for transit systems other than big oil and auto lobbyists
I'm completely for the proposed high speed rail line between Vancouver BC and Portland, with an eventual expansion to a LA to San Fran high speed line. I think the economical benefits to the PNW would be substantial. That makes sense to me. A high speed rail line from Bend to Florence makes no such sense.
a high speed rail from LA to Vegas makes no sense to me on any level......cheapest flights in the country route to Vegas.....shows where you and I do our traveling though....I think you underestimate the economics around Bend and the University of Oregon....the place that benefits on the coast would be Florence and maybe Yachats.....that's a depressed area but Bend has big money with some of the wealthiest Oregonians and so does Eugene....it's all good....you live in Portland Sly.....I'd go to Bend way more often than I'd go to Canada or Seattle...the Lane County valley as I've mentioned is a flood plain and roads are nearly impossible to keep in repair....and we're in logging country here where goods are moved from the mountains to the ports.. If going to the Moda didn't require a 7 hour round trip I'd be a season ticket holder for Blazer games....all these factors help Oregon. You can build a high speed rail or keep repairing sink holes year after endless year. Choices....we're already spending a fortune on road repair band aids
Yeah, I think this should be a national priority. With each state getting a federally funded 3 or 4 branches from their hub. And the state can choose to add more to expand with some kind of a federal match if they like. This would be huge for our country.
