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Is Congress quietly set for a jobs compromise?

Redress

Liberal Fascist For Life!
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Is Congress quietly set for a jobs compromise? - Yahoo! News

Senate Republicans and House Democrats both released comprehensive plans for job creation this week. That's surprising by itself. Even more surprising: There's a decent amount the parties agree on.

...

Architects of both jobs plans talked up their aisle-crossing potential in interviews. "There clearly are opportunities for us to cooperate and work together toward the goal of creating jobs," said House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., who re-launched Democrats' "Make it in America" jobs platform on Wednesday.


Added Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, the driving force behind the Senate Republican jobs plan released on Tuesday, "There's no reason that some of these common-sense proposals can't be moved right away with bipartisan support."

Working together for common cause. What a concept!
 
See what you did? You made sense for Liberal and I agree with your post.

Common sense and logic in Washington are 2 very rare commodities.
 
They are do-nothings. Always have been. Congress needs a major make-over. No more free anything for these people. Sick of it.
 
Streamlining the tax code, good.

Supporting institutional R&D and further incentivising commuter rail (I think that's what it means), bad.

Why do you think that? The government has always funded R&D projects most of which we never hear about. Take the atomic bomb or space flight for example. Bullet prove vests and even telecommunications projects that lent itself to what we now call the Internet. Government funded the Transcontinental railroad and look how beneficial that turned out. High-speed rail is only the next big phase in improving commutor travel, something this country lags way behind in. If it's part of a larger domestic energy policy, I'm all for it! Frankly, I think more states and urban areas should jump on board with it.
 
Why do you think that? The government has always funded R&D projects most of which we never hear about. Take the atomic bomb or space flight for example. Bullet prove vests and even telecommunications projects that lent itself to what we now call the Internet. Government funded the Transcontinental railroad and look how beneficial that turned out. High-speed rail is only the next big phase in improving commutor travel, something this country lags way behind in. If it's part of a larger domestic energy policy, I'm all for it! Frankly, I think more states and urban areas should jump on board with it.

:lol:

The first "internet" was invented by Samuel Morse.
The internet was invented in concept form by Tesla, the monopolies of the railroads had to be bailed out.

High speed rail is a joke.
People prefer to drive, the rail lines are monstrously expensive and require lots of expensive upkeep.
Amtrak is bleeding money.

Private inventors and researchers can do all they need with their money.
 
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So, let me wrap my head around this here "bi-partisan" cheering. From 2008-2010 the Dems had unassailable control of the WH, House and Senate in terms of passing basically.. anything they wanted too. However, because they couldn't reach internal partisan compromise, it was the Republicans fault. Now that they House went Right, the Dems are FORCED to compromise and suddenly it's a "Kum baya" affair?
 
So, let me wrap my head around this here "bi-partisan" cheering. From 2008-2010 the Dems had unassailable control of the WH, House and Senate in terms of passing basically.. anything they wanted too. However, because they couldn't reach internal partisan compromise, it was the Republicans fault. Now that they House went Right, the Dems are FORCED to compromise and suddenly it's a "Kum baya" affair?

pretty much
 
Private inventors and researchers can do all they need with their money.

True, except it's written in the Constitution to "promote the Arts and Sciences" which our government has done since its inception.

Article 1, Section 8, clause 8:

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

By extension, the government can support high-speed railways as an advancement in "science" for the purpose of improving public transportation. I know...I know...

Stranger things have happened. Kinda goes back to how the government got so involved in things like the Internet (initially for the transfer of secure information within DoD, as well as between land-grant colleges and universities) or stem-cell research.
 
So, let me wrap my head around this here "bi-partisan" cheering. From 2008-2010 the Dems had unassailable control of the WH, House and Senate in terms of passing basically.. anything they wanted too. However, because they couldn't reach internal partisan compromise, it was the Republicans fault. Now that they House went Right, the Dems are FORCED to compromise and suddenly it's a "Kum baya" affair?

No, they didn't. Senate Dems couldn't pass anything without 60 votes. You know that. Everybody knows that. So why the continual lies from the right? And when are you going to hold Repubs responsible for anything? Just because Dems couldn't get some legislation passed doesn't mean Repubs have no responsibility to govern.
 
:lol:

The first "internet" was invented by Samuel Morse.
The internet was invented in concept form by Tesla, the monopolies of the railroads had to be bailed out.

The internet was a result of the work of many researchers. And yes, the gov't was involved. Why do cons constantly act like gov't doesn't contribute anything to infrastructure or our society in general? What they have is money, And they can get a lot done with it if it's used properly.

The Invention of the Internet — History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts

Unlike technologies such as the light bulb or the telephone, the Internet has no single “inventor.” Instead, it has evolved over time. The Internet got its start in the United States more than 50 years ago as a government weapon in the Cold War. For years, scientists and researchers used it to communicate and share data with one another.

High speed rail is a joke.
People prefer to drive, the rail lines are monstrously expensive and require lots of expensive upkeep.
Amtrak is bleeding money.

Private inventors and researchers can do all they need with their money.

High speed rail is a joke? Yeah, whatever. The joke is on the USA. Nothing will ever get done because people like you keep voting for more people like you - people who have no interest in energy conservation; people who would prefer to drive their American-made trucks everywhere rather than support rail systems that would greatly reduce highway congestion and save the USA loads of money in oil consumption.
 
No, they didn't. Senate Dems couldn't pass anything without 60 votes. You know that. Everybody knows that. So why the continual lies from the right? And when are you going to hold Repubs responsible for anything? Just because Dems couldn't get some legislation passed doesn't mean Repubs have no responsibility to govern.

They could have passed it, they had 59 solid votes, not my fault Ted Kennedys Seat went Red.

All they had to do was be a little "bi-Partisan" but refused. Now they are FORCED TOO and it's all cheers and joy for "bi-Partisanship!"
 
They could have passed it, they had 59 solid votes, not my fault Ted Kennedys Seat went Red.

All they had to do was be a little "bi-Partisan" but refused. Now they are FORCED TOO and it's all cheers and joy for "bi-Partisanship!"

You mean like how the dems abaonded single payer and public options :doh

So, let me wrap my head around this here "bi-partisan" cheering. From 2008-2010 the Dems had unassailable control of the WH, House and Senate in terms of passing basically.. anything they wanted too. However, because they couldn't reach internal partisan compromise, it was the Republicans fault. Now that they House went Right, the Dems are FORCED to compromise and suddenly it's a "Kum baya" affair?

Are you really forgetting about the dozens of Republican filibusters in the Senate? Really? Its only been 2 years :doh

High speed rail is a joke..

Its only a joke in the US because of entrenched interest. Most of the world has light-high speed rail systems that are cost effective and are in high use. Since most can agree that facilitating interstate commerce is one of the few jobs the federal government should perform, then why shouldn't the gov help establish a high speed rail system if it proves to be effective, at the very least through the use of land grants?
 
The internet was a result of the work of many researchers. And yes, the gov't was involved. Why do cons constantly act like gov't doesn't contribute anything to infrastructure or our society in general? What they have is money, And they can get a lot done with it if it's used properly.

Your article is wrong.
Tesla conceptualized the computer internet way before the cold war.

Morse invented the first North American version of the internet.
You may not like it, but that doesn't make it not true.

High speed rail is a joke? Yeah, whatever. The joke is on the USA. Nothing will ever get done because people like you keep voting for more people like you - people who have no interest in energy conservation; people who would prefer to drive their American-made trucks everywhere rather than support rail systems that would greatly reduce highway congestion and save the USA loads of money in oil consumption.

Really, do you even know what it costs and who it serves with these supposed high speed rail networks being proposed?

Carting 5000 people a year, in slightly faster trains (they aren't high speed like you think) cutting the travel time down by 20 mins, all for billions of dollars.
Woo, I can't wait.
 
Its only a joke in the US because of entrenched interest. Most of the world has light-high speed rail systems that are cost effective and are in high use. Since most can agree that facilitating interstate commerce is one of the few jobs the federal government should perform, then why shouldn't the gov help establish a high speed rail system if it proves to be effective, at the very least through the use of land grants?

Did you know, that most of Europe is switching to cars and that rail usage is declining?
Did you know, that to support these high speed rail projects, they are taking money from road maintenance funds?
Did you know, that the rail project in California (it's stalled because most have figured out that it's a moronic waste of money) connects two small towns outside of major cities and is not connecting major cities to major cities?

Better to let automated cars work for us, they exist already and just require that states remove legislation currently making them illegal.
 
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Carting 5000 people a year, in slightly faster trains (they aren't high speed like you think) cutting the travel time down by 20 mins, all for billions of dollars.
Woo, I can't wait.

Once again China takes the lead on the future:

China unveils fastest train in world

"The CRH380 train uses domestic technology and has been clocked reaching almost 262mph, a world record - athough it will usually operate at a maximum speed of 220mph.

The 126-mile journey between Hangzhou and Shanghai's western suburb of Hongqiao will take the new bullet trains only 45 minutes to complete.

China is aiming to have 10,000 miles of high speed rail in operation by 2012."

(See video at link below)

Video: China unveils fastest train in world - Telegraph
 
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Once again China takes the lead on the future:

China unveils fastest train in world

"The CRH380 train uses domestic technology and has been clocked reaching almost 262mph, a world record - athough it will usually operate at a maximum speed of 220mph.

The 126-mile journey between Hangzhou and Shanghai's western suburb of Hongqiao will take the new bullet trains only 45 minutes to complete.

China is aiming to have 10,000 miles of high speed rail in operation by 2012."

(See video at link below)

Video: China unveils fastest train in world - Telegraph

The whole project is upside down in debt and if you include the ridiculous real estate bubble China is pumping itself into, it may be a huge problem in the near future, to maintain their HSR.

China is building that for dick wagging purposes, like the biggest mall in the world, that hardly has any businesses or patrons after 5 years.
 
Did you know, that most of Europe is switching to cars and that rail usage is declining?
Did you know, that to support these high speed rail projects, they are taking money from road maintenance funds?
Did you know, that the rail project in California (it's stalled because most have figured out that it's a moronic waste of money) connects two small towns outside of major cities and is not connecting major cities to major cities?

Better to let automated cars work for us, they exist already and just require that states remove legislation currently making them illegal.

Did you know that we are facing an energy crisis and that the US has one of the lowest energy efficiency ratings in the industrialized world?

Did you know what a desadvantage that presents to an economy trying to grow with and ever increasing price for energy?


" ‘Energy efficiency is not as visible and is not as sexy as some other energy sources,’ he says. ‘It’s the insulation in your walls, the more efficient compressor in your factory, or the improved control system in your office building. It is not as visible or sexy as say a wind turbine or a photovoltaic panel.’

A report released by ACEEE on Capitol Hill in conjunction with Senator Jeff Merkley, found that the American Power Act, recently introduced by Senators John Kerry and Joseph Lieberman, would benefit from greater emphasis on energy efficiency measures.

It said by enhancing these provisions the number of jobs created would nearly triple, energy savings would quadruple and consumer savings would increase by about $200 per household, per year."
NewNet News - US legislation needs to prioritise energy efficiency


Did you know that trains are a much more efficient use of energy than cars?


"UK freight trains average about 1.5–2.0 MPG loaded. Compared with road transport it is very efficient; if lorries did the same trip they would use 70% more fuel than a freight train."
Fuel efficiency in transportation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
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The whole project is upside down in debt and if you include the ridiculous real estate bubble China is pumping itself into, it may be a huge problem in the near future, to maintain their HSR.

China is building that for dick wagging purposes, like the biggest mall in the world, that hardly has any businesses or patrons after 5 years.

You have anything to back up your opinion? They already have 7,000 miles of high-speed rail and are on target for having 10,000 miles in 2012.
 
Did you know that we are facing an energy crisis and that the US has one of the lowest energy efficiency ratings in the industrialized world?

Did you know what a desadvantage that presents to an economy trying to grow with and ever increasing price for energy?


" ‘Energy efficiency is not as visible and is not as sexy as some other energy sources,’ he says. ‘It’s the insulation in your walls, the more efficient compressor in your factory, or the improved control system in your office building. It is not as visible or sexy as say a wind turbine or a photovoltaic panel.’

A report released by ACEEE on Capitol Hill in conjunction with Senator Jeff Merkley, found that the American Power Act, recently introduced by Senators John Kerry and Joseph Lieberman, would benefit from greater emphasis on energy efficiency measures.

It said by enhancing these provisions the number of jobs created would nearly triple, energy savings would quadruple and consumer savings would increase by about $200 per household, per year."
NewNet News - US legislation needs to prioritise energy efficiency


Did you know that trains are a much more efficient use of energy than cars?


"UK freight trains average about 1.5–2.0 MPG loaded. Compared with road transport it is very efficient; if lorries did the same trip they would use 70% more fuel than a freight train."
Fuel efficiency in transportation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That does nothing to change the fact that the majority of high speed rail systems are not in demand enough to not need bailouts from their respective governments.

The majority of Amtraks lines are consistently in the red because there is no ridership.

The Chinese HSR project isn't earning enough money to pay it's loans.
People say they want this crap, but they don't use it.
It's a boondoggle.
 
That does nothing to change the fact that the majority of high speed rail systems are not in demand enough to not need bailouts from their respective governments.

The majority of Amtraks lines are consistently in the red because there is no ridership.

The Chinese HSR project isn't earning enough money to pay it's loans.
People say they want this crap, but they don't use it.
It's a boondoggle.

Once again you are thinking short-term rather than long-term. Everything changes as we approach world peak oil, it will simply be too expensive in the future for consumers and our economy to continue our heavy reliance on energy inefficient transportation and freight transport by cars and trucks, as well as heating, cooling and lighting of our residential, commercial, and industrial energy uses that are the most inefficient in the industrialized world. That will put us at a disadvantage economically. This is why China, japan, and European countries are building energy efficient means of transportation, despite being more energy efficient in all the other areas as well.
 
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"Small wonder that the Beijing-Tianjin line, built at a cost of $46 million per mile, is losing more than $100 million per year."

China’s train wreck - The Washington Post

Is this your proof to back up your opinion, someone else's opinion? You also need to read these articles before you cut and paste. It appears the biggest problem has been mismangement of the construction program. From your article:

"Today, Liu Zhijun is ruined, and his high-speed rail project is in trouble. On Feb. 25, he was fired for “severe violations of discipline” — code for embezzling tens of millions of dollars. Seems his ministry has run up $271 billion in debt — roughly five times the level that bankrupted General Motors."


He has been fired. Once they get their management issues under control they are back on track for being prepared better for world peak oil. Ticket prices may be high now with relatively low ridership. but that inceased just in the last year by 11.6%, but in the future when our economy is staggaring under the huge financial costs of peak oil, China will be poised to keep their economy growing.

Again, we have to think long-term to be successful in the future.
 
Is this your proof to back up your opinion, someone else's opinion? You also need to read these articles before you cut and paste. It appears the biggest problem has been mismangement of the construction program. From your article:

"Today, Liu Zhijun is ruined, and his high-speed rail project is in trouble. On Feb. 25, he was fired for “severe violations of discipline” — code for embezzling tens of millions of dollars. Seems his ministry has run up $271 billion in debt — roughly five times the level that bankrupted General Motors."


He has been fired. Once they get their management issues under control they are back on track for being prepared better for world peak oil. Ticket prices may be high now with relatively low ridership. but that inceased just in the last year by 11.6%, but in the future when our economy is staggaring under the huge financial costs of peak oil, China will be poised to keep their economy growing.

Again, we have to think long-term to be successful in the future.

His opinion is accompanied with factual evidence of under performance of the system.
Did you also read that the state had to employ more buses because people just don't want to pay the added expense of riding HSR.
It may be faster but for the poor peasant, time is not of the essence.
 
His opinion is accompanied with factual evidence of under performance of the system.
Did you also read that the state had to employ more buses because people just don't want to pay the added expense of riding HSR.
It may be faster but for the poor peasant, time is not of the essence.

You and he are both thinking short term. Ridership is increasing and will much more as other forms of transportation become too expensive in the future. As ridership increases, price goes down.

You are ignoring also what I posted before, which is most pertinent to this thread, about increasing our energy effciency:

"A report released by ACEEE on Capitol Hill in conjunction with Senator Jeff Merkley, found that the American Power Act, recently introduced by Senators John Kerry and Joseph Lieberman, would benefit from greater emphasis on energy efficiency measures.

It said by enhancing these provisions the number of jobs created would nearly triple, energy savings would quadruple and consumer savings would increase by about $200 per household, per year."

Are you opposed to all forms of energy efficiency or just with transportation?
 
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