Romney Slammed in Philly Over Train Platform
If you’re like us, you spend most of your time staring at clocks just waiting for 2030 to come around, so you can get on that high-speed rail and head to New York City in just 37 minutes. It’s going to be so awesome.
Unless Mitt Romney becomes president. Maybe. The Republican candidate has promised he’ll defund the private-public transportation line because it is a waste of money. Romney’s been nailed by politicians across the land for this view, especially people like Joe Biden, who rides Amtrak all the time (or, at least he did when he was a senator.) Out to prove that Romney’s idea to fuck the train isn’t the change we believe in, a clot of Massachusetts politicians are criss-crossing the Northeast saying no, Mitt Romney should not do this—and Mitt Romney should not become president, either. They met up yesterday at 30th Street Station with Philly pols Rep. Tony Payton and Councilman Kenyatta Johnson.
“You don’t see any mayor in Massachusetts out promoting [Romney's] candidacy, because there are none,” said former North Adams, Mass., mayor John Barrett.” We saw the job that he did, and so did Republicans. They’re staying on the sidelines because they know.”
Barrett also cited a poll which came out yesterday a poll came out show Romney’s favorability rating in Massachusetts was about 30 percent. (The actual poll says 39 percent.) Additionally, 67 percent of Massachusetts residents do not consider Romney a Bay Stater. The former one-term governor will not win his home state even a little.
Like RomneyCare, the candidate seemed to have a different opinion of the issue while governor. He actually went after millions in federal earmarks for transportation projects at the time. And, according to the Morning Call, “in 2005, Romney unveiled a 20-year, $31 billion state transportation plan that directed “75 percent of all new capital spending toward maintaining and improving the Commonwealth’s existing transportation network.”
“By 2040, Amtrak traffic in the northeast corridor could reach 43 and a half million passengers annually—more tan 4 times the level that it is today,” said Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone, “but only if we have the American-made infrastructure to support it.”
Although Amtrak’s ridership has gone up in recent years (they served 30 million passengers in 2011), the company continues losing money. It was also reported that Amtrak lost $450 million in 2011 while receiving $1.5 billion in public funds.
“[Romney] was an empty suit in Massachusetts, he’s been an empty suit in this campaign and he would be a disaster if he was ever elected president of the United States,” noted Barrett.
It shouldn’t take 25 years to build trains equivalent to European countries in the last 70s. Even the ‘American Exceptionalists’ among us should recognize that.
The stats are no surprise at all. You can typically expect Massachusetts elections to go one third Republican and two thirds Democrat. When things were desperate, that changed and the people of Massachusetts elected Mitt Romney Governor. While there, he turned a huge deficit into a surplus. Left to the Dems it would have become much worse.
Once the crisis was averted, they went back to their old ways of voting for the Unions.
Don’t take the word of Massachusetts politicians. Two (or three, I’ve lost count) of our recent Speakers of the House are now convicted felons.
In 2011 Amtrak received $1.4 B in federal investment (far, far less than other modes) and returned approximately $3.9 B into the economy (salaries, goods and services, new equipment purchases, infrastructure upgrades, etc). The difference comes mostly from ticket sales.
So, for every US dollar invested Amtrak produced an additional two dollars and all of this went to provide jobs or stimulate manufacturing (mostly in this country — as it is hard to operate a train from China…). In addition, much of the $3.9 B is returned to the government in the form of income and other taxes.
In 2011 Amtrak also provided transportation to 30 M US citizens, thus reducing the impact on our highways (including much greater safety levels), aviation assets and the environment. And, very important to cities such as Boston, NY, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, helped move no telling how many millions of daily rail commuters (who would otherwise clog the regional highway infrastructure to the point of total gridlock).
Amtrak is an ideology target for the Republicans (of which I am one but can’t vote for many of our candidates as they are listening to the wrong heartbeat) and it you shut it down today you would have to carry the budget figures out to three decimal places. I sure hate to vote for Obama but Mitt gives me no choice.
…and it you shut it down today you would have to carry the budget figures out to three decimal places “to notice the effect.” I sure hate to vote for Obama but Mitt gives me no choice. (sorry)
[...] former North Adams, Mass., mayor John Barrett. ‘We saw the job that he did, and so did Rs. They’re staying on the sidelines because they know.’” Ouch! … Nooners: “The Romney campaign has to get turned around. This week I called [...]