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Post by michaelw on Feb 15, 2021 21:38:36 GMT -5
I normally think much more highly of the Cato Institute, but you gotta admit, this is pretty hilarious... Apparently high-speed rail = steam locomotive. Maybe if they hadn't used an example that was literally just another type of train, it wouldn't have seemed so funny to me? Anyway... I wrote my own examples of similar analogies below... --Apple says they want to be the world leader in smart phones. That's like saying they want to be the world leader in flip phones. --Casio says they want to be the world leader in calculators. That's like saying they want to be the world leader in abacuses. --Rolex says they want to be the world leader in luxury watches. That's like saying they want to be the world leader in sundials. You guys should help me think of more.  |
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Post by Optimus on Feb 15, 2021 22:27:16 GMT -5
Yeah, that's a really stupid hot take by Cato, as well as a stupid anaology.
Both Japan and China are investing in high speed rail and Canada often flirts with the idea (at least in Ontario, though they recently "paused" funding for it). I don't see anything wrong with it. High speed rail has the potential to not only increase travel but to increase inter-metropolitan commerce. Atlanta was trying to set one up a few years ago which would link it to parts of southeast Tennessee, which would've been a boon for that area, but the funding never came through.
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Post by michaelw on Feb 15, 2021 22:58:08 GMT -5
Yeah, it's been the norm in Japan and other countries for a while now, and even some developing countries are going for it, too (Uzbekistan has 10x as much high-speed track length as the US does, currently.) And I'm with you on the benefits. On top of the ones you mentioned, it's also safer than other forms of travel, is more environmentally friendly, is cheaper, and for a lot of people, it's a lot less stressful than flying. But who knows, maybe in the American mind those are all downsides. |
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Post by Optimus on Feb 15, 2021 23:10:54 GMT -5
The benefits for employment alone are worth it. Imagine being able to work a higher-paying job in a larger city yet living 50 to 100 miles away, where housing costs are much cheaper, because your trip to work only takes a half hour via high speed rail.
Actually, we could do that now if more businesses would switch to work-from-home models (perhaps that will be more of a permanent thing for many businesses after the pandemic is over).
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Post by robeiae on Feb 16, 2021 9:34:42 GMT -5
Wow. That would be great for the California elite. They could relocate all the workers even farther away than they are forced to live, now...
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Post by Optimus on Feb 16, 2021 14:03:42 GMT -5
Sure, but why would normal people want to live anywhere near the elites?
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Post by robeiae on Feb 17, 2021 9:22:20 GMT -5
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Post by michaelw on Feb 17, 2021 9:30:48 GMT -5
Maybe the Trump train can...
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