Funds Steered to Amtrak's Northeast Corridor Prompt House Republican Criticism

[brooklynite]

Source: Mass Transit

House Republicans panned the Obama administration Monday for reallocating to Amtrak a large chunk of $2 billion for high-speed rail previously rejected by Florida.

Under the plan announced by the Transportation Department, Amtrak will receive $450 million for infrastructure improvements that will allow for faster trips and more capacity between Philadelphia and New York on the heavily traveled Northeast Corridor.

...snip...

Mica, R-Fla., reiterated earlier criticism that the approach is "piecemeal," spreading limited funds too thinly and devoting money to slower-speed projects while it "allowed Amtrak to hijack 21 of the 22 grants." As he has in the past, Mica referred to Amtrak as a "Soviet-style bureaucracy."

...snip...

Anticipating Mica's criticism, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in an interview earlier Monday with Bloomberg TV that "Amtrak is not a Soviet-like system. . . . And that's why we're making investments."

Read more: http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/10264472/funds-steered-to-amtraks-northeast-corridor-prompt-house-republican-criticism

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I will say I agree with Mica that divvying up the money into lots of seperate pots has been part of the problem; nobody gets enough to build something to completion, allowing Republican Governors to bail out in order to look "tough" on spending. As for complaining about Amtrak however, perhaps someone should remind him that Amtrak, set up by a Republican President, wouldn't exist at all if the private railroads hadn't applied the rules of capitalism and bailed out of passenger service. Most of Amtrak's routes are still run on private rail lines; those companies could get back into the passenger rail business tomorrow if they wanted to.

[elleng]

1. and they sure don't want to!!!

also, mica might be interested to know/acknowledge how many of his florida constituents have benefitted from Amtrak service > Florida!! (And how many of them used Amtrak IN the Northeast Corridor, when they lived + worked up north, and then brought their $+lives south.)

As to spreading railroad $ thinly, its a BIG country, and allocation must be done somehow, by someone. Too bad if repug governors don't want to play.

[Mugweed]

2. As much as Mica is still a right-wing jerk

he at least fought hard for our high speed rail in Florida. Most people were too short sighted to see that the Tampa to Orlando leg was just one small piece of a nationwide network. You have to start somewhere and Florida actually has the only approved Environmental Impact Statement of all states involved. Our idiot governor was given multiple documents showing that private investors were chomping at the bit to help pay for it. He didn't even let it get to the Design/Build/Operate/Maintain/Finance stage to see who was bidding and how much they were willing to risk.

I've been to two events where Mica was a speaker and both times he referred to Amtrak as a "Soviet style train system". I really wanted to ask him to name one infrastructure or transportation project in the US that isn't funded and subsidized by tax money.

[Frances]

3. By Mica's logic our highway system is Soviet style too

[Thav]

4. In Soviet Russia

Highway drives on YOU!!!

...


I'll go away now.

[efhmc]

5. What the hay does that mean?

[Chan790]

6. Are you not familiar with the "comedy" of Russian comic Yakov Smirnoff?

He frequently made US/USSR comparisons comprised of nonsensical juxtapositions like:

In America, you drive car.
In Soviet Russia, car drive you!

[NYC Liberal]

7. Yeah, his original joke was:

In America, you can always find a party.
In Russia, Party always find you!

[formercia]

8. No need to look for party on Saturday Night

Party find you.

Yakob Smirnoff

[Thav]

11. Maybe the meme was a little dated.

[bemildred]

9. Morons. nt

[Javaman]

10. What? repukes whine about something a Democrat did?

color me surprised.

Either it's not enough to too much. Either someone gets more or someone gets less.

they are the assholes at the party who complain about the beer, yet drink it all.