Good Morning Delaware – February 9, 2011
Derrick Powell has been convicted of killing Georgetown police officer Chad Spicer. To be specific, he was found guilty of first-degree murder while engaged in or fleeing a felony, resisting arrest, attempted robbery, reckless endangerment and four associated firearms possession charges. The penalty phase of the trial begins Thursday, and my guess is that Powell will be headed to death row.
It is damn cold outside.
The Delaware Civic Center project in Dover appears to be dead.
The President of Amtrack, Joe Biden, announced a $53 billion dollar investment in high speed rail across the country. The announcement was made in Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station. Conservatives are already hypocritically complaining about the cost, but this is a no brainer. If there is one area where America is woefully behind the rest of the industrialized world it is in high speed rail. These projects will create jobs, reduce our reliance on foreign oil, and are environmentally friendly. And conservatives should have no problem with the spending since they love to spend trillions on killing brown people.
Why does a bank name change need to garner fanfare and the Governor’s attention? All Wachovia branches in Delaware changed to Wells Fargo over the weekend. Banks buying other banks was common before the Great Recession and after. Will there be an inaugural ball for when M&T Bank takes over Wilmington Trust?
What does a peaceful citizen need with 31 firearms and 10,000 rounds of ammunition?
Chip MacKelcan, head of the independent Sanford school in Hockessin, is stepping down at the end of the year due to health concerns. He has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.
State Homeland Security Secretary Lewis Schiliro plans to hire up to a dozen more 911 dispatchers to address the 40% increase in 911 calls since 1996. Apparently, in an age of budget cuts to vital services, like 911 dispatchers, Schiliro’s department has a salary surplus that will allow him to make the hires without requesting more funding from the state or making cuts elsewhere.
Sorry DD, but this is not a ‘no brainer.’ Btw, here’s one of the best quotes of 2011 thus far: “This is like giving Bernie Madoff another chance at handling your investment portfolio,” Mica said in a statement.
Also, the Veep (aka the Conductor of Amtrak), said “[t]his is about meeting the future,” Biden said at the 30th Street Station. “We’re determined to lead again.” Leave it to ‘our’ Joe to mess up the White House’s ‘Winning the Future’ (aka WTF) messaging. Lol.
Then explain to me the Republican plan to create jobs, and any answer involving tax cuts automatically fails since it has already been proven during the Bush years that tax cuts do not create jobs.
So I am waiting Newshound. Should we kill more brown people, this time in Iran?
I also am confused as to why Republicans like Newshound want America to fail. We are behind the rest fo the planet already in high speed rail, and Newshound is determined to see us fall even further behind.
I want my fast trains! We take the train fairly often to NY, DC and Boston. When you factor in the price to park in those cities the train is very cost effective. And if you book in advance it’s a steal.
Sheesh, when did making America better become unpatriotic? And we are looking very shabby.
The jobs created by this should have everyone cheering. I really don’t understand the resistance to this project.
I am constantly gobsmacked by people who’s economic situation is WORSE because of GOP policies, who continue to support them because they are too lazy or cognitively challenged to see that they are being bilked by rick powerful people. I certainly hope they dont believe one day THEY could be rich and powerful, because the truth is the ones who already have that wealth will never let it happen.
2 truths i know that the GOP and their sheep don’t get.
1) you can NEVER trust anyone to “do the right thing on their own” when it involves them parting ways with money…. i.e more tax cuts for big business and less regulations will NEVER equal higher employment and safer products. It will only equal more money for the few bosses.
2) The ones who control the wealth will NEVER let you gain leverage on them unless the
here, let me link to REALITY and EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE to support that claim
www. any example you want .com
It’s like these cavemen think if we build trains we will be like europe… = communist and gay. way to go right wing. intentionally force your country to be left behind so you can maintain your machismo
State Homeland Security Secretary Lewis Schiliro plans to hire up to a dozen more 911 dispatchers to address the 40% increase in 911 calls since 1996.
Here’s one thing Delaware has not tried: a non-emergency number to reach police. The number “311” has been reserved nationally for non-emergency calls, but Delaware does not participate. I wonder why.
I have my own Delaware story. Once I was setting up a VOIP phone system, and I needed some information about interacting with the 911 system. I had been brought up not to call 911 for non-emergency reasons. So I looked up a number for NCCPD, called and asked how to get technical information about 911. I was transferred a few times, and they finally gave me a 7-digit number to call. When I called, a voice answered “911 – what’s your emergency?” I had reached the 911 dispatcher.
So I explained what I wanted, and I got some (but not all) of the information I needed. They said if I had any more questions, “Just call 911.”
When a Republican speaks or comments I am more convinced that the term “progressive” is an apt term for my style of politics.
Republicans don’t realize that Ozzie and Harriet was a TV show and what it symbolized never existed.
The republicans arent interested in job creation. Look whats on their agenda…abortion, abortion, abortion! They have no jobs bill and never have. Their idea of job creation is creating jobs overseas for the multinational corporate benefactors. There are two things Rand Paul supports that I do. Stop funding Egypt (so Mubarek has more money to steal)2. Stop funding Israel (their median wage is more than $35,000 and their economy is thriving. Audit the Fed, where is our Money. Everything else Paul stands for is not less government, but more big government. As Rachel Maddow pointed out, “the government under George War Bush created big government, homeland security and other big government programs. Republicans talk “liberterian” ideals, but in fact they are the biggest proponents of big government.
There’s been an intense effort recently to redefine things that people think are good as actually bad. Republicans have been railing against infrastructure spending as “government spending bad.” Glenn Beck has been on a crusade against social justice (it means progressive, which is bad).
There’s been an intense effort recently to redefine things that people think are good as actually bad.
And they have been wildly successful at it. This is Rove 101 – attack your opponent at his strongest point. If they run a war hero against you, attack his war record. If the New Deal and FDR is revered, flood the media with revisionist pieces attacking it.
It has been so successful we now have a Democratic president flirting with Social Security cuts, and who refuses to counter-attack Republicans who propose to cut other benefits.
That is why I take Rove very seriously when he says this:
Karl Rove urges GOP to campaign on eliminating Medicare
(meaning the Paul Ryan cap-and-voucherize plan)
I see no reason why this attack too will not be successful.
“I also am confused as to why Republicans like Newshound want America to fail. We are behind the rest fo the planet already in high speed rail, and Newshound is determined to see us fall even further behind.”
Where did I ever say that I want America to fail? I didn’t, of course. It just fits your argument that all people who do not think like you find some pejorative word to use to feel good about themselves.
I’m a free-thinking conservative who has been a life-long registered D. I happen to be an independent and original thinker.
As for high-speed rail and jobs, I think Obama and Congress should nix the HS rail boondoggle and spend this money on ‘real’ infrastructure problems like interstate highways, bridges and upgrading airports like the US’s gateway to the world airports like JFK and La Guardia, which are dumps. That’s what most international travelers see when they enter the US via NYC. Other US airports are grand entrances to our nation.
Again, who is going to use this enormously expensive HS rail when Acela isn’t utilized well now? It’s cost prohibitive to do this. Especially with the (pardon the pun) poor track record that Amtrak has. One should never build something because others have. There must be a pressing need. And I submit that building and refurbishing new bridges, overpasses, dams, sewer lines and subways, along with a few strategically placed airports is what needs to be done with our infrastructure spending.
Has anyone actually looked at the current rail system? Its cost issues? Its user rates? How can HS rail be laid through a metropolis without enormous disruption, not to mention the hundreds of ’eminent domain’ fights that will ensue? I despise not having the best high-speed rail system in the world, but now is not the time. The timing is horrendous given our budget issue and national debt burden. We’ve spent for 10 years now (Bush and Obama) without regard for our’s or our children’s future. It is a very serious matter. Most politicians don’t want to even broach the entitlement and defense spending topic.
When the US is on better fiscal ground, then we should build and upgrade like there’s no tomorrow. Unfortunately, tomorrow is today. HS rail sounds nice, but HS rail is a fail. It’s not sustainable.
If someone were to offer a compelling plan on how HS rail will be implemented (with all associated risks and assessments) most people would listen. Sadly, however, Congress has failed us in their spending projects vis-a-vis the private sector.
Finally, I ask anyone reading this to go to the amtrak.com website and see how much a one-way ticket is to any destination (try NYC and DC from Wilmington). And compare the Acela line prices and its associated travel times with other forms of transportation. Most importantly, who’s going to ride it if it’s built?
I’m not trying to exaggerate, but imagine opening up a pulled-pork sandwich shop or restaurant in a muslim community. Before we build HS rail, let’s see who will be its customers and how much will tickets cost to recoup the initial investment or if people can even afford it. If we cannot meet those criteria, we should invest in ‘other’ infrastructure programs and/or put the $53 billion into higher education scholarship/funding.
I’m not a fan of high speed rail, even though it is cool. HSR does not replace cars – it replaces airplanes. Only the very wealthiest will be commuting on bullet trains.
Freight rail is not cool, but it replaces trucks on our highways, trucks which are responsible for traffic jams and heavy roadway damage, requiring frequent maintenance and construction of new roads. For biggest bang for the buck, I would rather subsidize freight rail than passenger rail.
Also I would rather encourage telecommuting by subsidizing data infrastructure and providing tax breaks for employers who implement telecommuting.
O08, HSR will be only be available to the very rich if only a small number of PRIVATE companies build them.
If a massive public works effort backed by We The People (aka the gumment) builds a metric assload (industry term) it will be affordable. Think supply and demand. If HSR connects every major city… and even some like Wilmington… with trains leaving ever hour 24/7, they will have to make it affordable for all.
NH: Your argument about being an “original thinker” would fly better if you typed out an original thought.
Funding roads and airports instead of rail is exactly what we’ve been doing for 60 years now; nothing at all original there. In case you didn’t notice, adding ONE new runway to the ONE airport in Philadelphia is budgeted at over $500M, and will end up costing closer to $1B. We spend $40B in federal funding on highways every year — not new ones, for the most part, just maintaining what we have.
You can always come up with reasons to not spend money — that’s the easiest thing in the world. So easy even Tea Partiers can do it.
O’08 is right — HSR replaces air travel. With most airports at capacity, we are going to have to spend the money one way or the other. I would argue diversifying our transportation system is the preferable alternative.
I thought we were going to stick with Delaware topics, which I thought was a refreshing idea. Oh well. Same old same old here.
Delaware is on the Northeast Corridor, and our Joe Biden is VP. High speed rail is right on topic for Delaware.
Yeah, as much as I’d like to, I cannot control what people will talk about in the threads and the Amtrak story is a Delaware story.
Jason: HERE’s why we should be so excited about Wells Fargo coming to Delaware:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaT0s6Gx2FI
Deauthorizing the civic center project makes sense, not the least b/c Kent County never made any significant move towards sharing the cost and/or the risk.
The question is: Will the Bond Bill Committee simply deauthorize the funding authority for the project, or will they look elsewhere in Kent County to throw money. Until or unless there is a reasonable and logical proposal, they should just take the debt burden off the books.
“You can always come up with reasons to not spend money — that’s the easiest thing in the world.”
You have to excuse me while my eyes just popped out of my head after reading how ‘easy’ it is to not spend! Are you serious? We spent more money in 10 years, as I’ve stated earlier, than practically in our entire history. The problem is: We can’t STOP spending!
Are you not aware of reality? Even the most liberal governors, mayors and county commissioners (aka county executives) have been cutting spending to avoid Chapter 11/13 or a government bailout. The amounts that both our states and nation owe are egregious. This problem crowds out real capital investment in our country. Our percentage of interest that we have to pay on this debt strangles our ability to grow and/or creates a very tenuous situation if some global economic calamity were to occur. That’s exactly what happened to the investment banks on Wall Street and insurance companies like AIG. They were over-leveraged without a ‘plan b’ when the housing bubble exploded.
“Your argument about being an “original thinker” would fly better if you typed out an original thought.”
My original thinking has nothing to do with this very boring subject. I was talking extemporaneously regarding originality. Plus, no one has posited an argument to disuade my thesis of ‘true’ costs, both current and future, of HSR.
Of course we spend lots of money on transportation-related things annually! I’m talking about ‘specific,’ and ‘targeted’ infrastructure investment beyond the basic upkeep. Btw, HSR does not replace air tavel, it merely augments it – and it will cost 5x the price of current travel modes.
i get it. the actually thoughts arent original, he is just thinking in new and exciting original ways to come to the same debunked conclusion. got it.
Maybe, if the biggest corporations and private citizens did their patriotic duty and didn’t avoid taxes on the wealth that was redistributed to them from us there wouldn’t be this mess….. but NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO we cant tax em, then they might not hire Americans… oh wait. failed again NH.
“Btw, HSR does not replace air travel, it merely augments it – and it will cost 5x the price of current travel modes.”
and you say that based on what research? the accela may cost that much now, because there are so few rails. remember when people who are unable to see more than 2 weeks into the future made fun of hybrid and electric cars because THEY COST SO MUCH MONEY!!!! well, now there are many options and competing brands so it is cheaper…. and getting cheaper. just because the very few HSR cost a ton now doesnt mean that lots of them will still cost the same to use. Wake up and smell the free market. that thing you cant see because of all the trees… it is called a forest.
Put your eyes back in your head and try reading it again: I didn’t say it was easy not to spend. I said it was easy to find reasons not to spend, as evidenced by the fact that most politically aware people do so every day. The difference is that you and I don’t have to face the people who would lose something when spending is cut. Even Rand Paul’s $500B cut plan proposes cost-shifting services to the states. News flash: To regular (non-political) people, taxes are taxes, and it doesn’t matter which government is sending you the bill.
States and cities must run balanced budgets. The US does not. Your point about debt goes straight back to tax cuts for the rich that did little to stimulate the economy — we borrowed heavily for eight years to achieve a growth rate of about 3%. If you’re worried about debt, start there and I’ll start paying attention to your concern. There’s not a shred of evidence to indicate the rich can’t pay more than they do now.
Back to HSR: Your points about “true” costs are specific, but the questions are not. I don’t know what they are, but neither do you, yet you claim it will cost 5x the price of current travel modes. Really? Where does that claim come from?
Now if you wanted to make the argument that HSR is poorly suited for many of the routes that have been proposed, you’d be right. If you wanted to point out, as the chairman of the House Transit Committee did, that it would be fine for the Northeast but not other regions, you’d have a point. If you wanted to note that cobbling together a network along the lines of the Acela isn’t going to help much because it’s not all that fast and is too expensive, that would be valid. All you said is “Acela isn’t utilized,” but you don’t seem to realize why. As it is, your only semi-legitimate point was that Amtrak has problems. But everyone points that out without having come up with a solution, so you don’t win much applause for that one.
After 60 years of subsidized air and road travel, you’re accustomed to the status quo so you have mounted an argument in favor of the status quo. Fine. But don’t cry poor-mouth when the proposal would cost less per year than what we’re spending each month in Iraq and Afghanistan — another cost of underwriting automobile travel through keeping petroleum available and “affordable.”
All new technology starts out expensive. The way Newshound talks one wonders if he’s finally thinking about purchasing one of those new-fangled DVD players to replace his Betamax.
There is no real prospect of high-speed rail getting cheap enough to benefit anyone below the upper middle class.
The best and cheapest way to get a family to NYC is to drive to New Jersey and take PATH (light rail). Parking is only expensive if you insist on parking on the most expensive real estate in the nation.
The only justification for high speed rail is for business travelers who are making a lot of money from the trip and want the convenience, just like for air travel. Or for families who can afford it and want to splurge.
Obama2008 – you basically summed up my point nicely. Btw, Obama will do anything to lower the unemployment rate to below 8% before the 2012 election. It’s so transparent. Why do you think he’s now Mr. Business and new FaceBook ‘friend’ with Chamber of Commerce president Tom Donohue? Obama should’ve directed all resources to job growth during the first 16 months in office, but instead doubled-down on HCR. That was an unforgivable mistake. Even Rahm Emanuel and other high-level advisors to the president knew he missed the ball. The result of that miscalculation occurred on Nov. 2, 2010.
Now all of a sudden, Mr. Obama is a card-carrying ‘Chamber’ member, a supply-sider, a Reagan and Clinton pragmatist and a friend of Wall Street. He’s even gone against John Podesta’s strategy of backing off of jobs-killing EPA regulations recently. He’s also best buds with Jeffery Immelt, Steve Case and other CEOs who make most of their profits via off-shoring. Let’s see, GE sent 24,000 jobs to china to make lightbulbs and received billions of bailout money for GE Capital. And, in the name of EPA deregulation, one of GE’s biggest plants have been ‘grandfathered’ in to allow for higher carbon emissions than other companies can emit. It’s called crony capitalism (GE’s Immelt made sure MSNBC ‘backed’ Obama throughout the 2008 campaign).
And Geezer, since you’re so omnicient, why aren’t you our governor? Or better yet, how come Biden hasn’t appointed you to the NorthEast Regional High-Speed Rail commission as its deputy secretary? Lol!
And Panderer(dora), there’s a monumental difference between investing in new technology like hydrogen fuel cells and electric vehicles and throwing money at a gimmick like HSR.
Obama will do anything to lower the unemployment rate below 8%…
Truly, he IS history’s greatest monster. I’m now convinced.
thats what they said about cars. and computers. and tv……. C’mon O08, grow a pair.
“Btw, Obama will do anything to lower the unemployment rate to below 8% before the 2012 election. It’s so transparent”
RIGHT ON! Id rather he raise unemployment to 100% than lower it one fraction of a percentage for the wrong reasons.
conservatives don’t like HSR because it is socialist. all those people riding together to similar destinations, beholden to a nazi-like train schedule, forced to travel at the speed dictated by the evil train czar.
what ridiculous backwards thinking fools they are. Im glad their grip on the country’s future is coming to an amusing end.
Btw, Obama will do anything to lower the unemployment rate to below 8% before the 2012 election. It’s so transparent.
Wha… I had no idea of the peril we were in! Republicans must stop this socialism before unemployment goes any lower! He is a Manchurian candidate for sure.
thats what they said about cars. and computers. and tv…….
Don’t forget the flying cars.
lol.
Expect a reduction of dependency on oil imports, as high-speed rail will reduce auto and air travel, reduce congestion. An annual reduction of six billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions could result because of use of HSR. Who could have been against zero emissions, wind energy, eleven miles out in the ocean ? Those who profit by pollution. Expect the usual suspects to oppose high-speed rail.
Biggest bang for buck, in this order (my opinion):
1. Freight rail
2. Data infrastructure
3. Light rail (local)
4. High speed rail (intercity)
Freight rail gets trucks off the roads. Crumbling infrastructure would suddenly stop crumbling so fast, and traffic would ease noticably. Also has the reduction in CO2 and particulates.
Data infrastructure gets cars off the roads (telecommuting). America has the slowest high-speed Internet in the developed world.
Light rail opens up new regions to alternative transportation, which gets even more cars off the road. How cool would it be if regional rail dropped you off at a light train or trolley that looped through the office parks in say, Malvern or Great Valley.
High speed rail – Wheeee!!! not sure what I’d use it for though, apart from jaunting.
Highways and air travel were practical for USA, post WWII. Now they are over crowded, not to mention – polluting.
Population growth, land use, congestion on existing roads, at airports, in the air, with the growing environmental need to reduce CO2 production, together with rising oil prices, need to connection major areas, their commercial interests, the ease of travel, make high speed rail, already proven in Europe, Britain, Japan, China, etc. where passenger numbers soar – a valuable option whose time is overdue in USA.
One single line between Tokyo and Osaka brings service to over half the nation’s population, well over 65 million people. In Europe, travel time between cities is reduced, causing explosions in ridership, commerce.
A large portion of electricity to operate HSR in Japan and France, comes from nuclear power. Even using coal or oil, high speed trains are greatly more fuel efficient per passenger per mile than auto because of the economy of scale. Also, when traveling from London to Paris by train, emissions are 90% lower than traveling by air.
Obama2008, says, “Wheeee!!! not sure what I’d use it for though,..”
Think northeast corridor, a trip to Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Springfield, Boston.
PS One should also mention jobs. Jobs designing and building a HSR service so that jobs are made available by the use of high speed rail, as more jobs and business opportunities surround these, creating more usage of HSR, etc.
For many, HSR will be a way to travel to work, expand business, while reducing pollution. Win win win.
Freight rail also provides job stimulus and job creation around terminals and facilities.
HSR will only be used by people whose occasional business trips or vacations justify the cost. It will never be commuter rail. If you are rich enough to ride HSR every day, you probably do not need to work. Or, you are Tom Carper.
America is not Japan. We are more spread out and do not need or want to flock to the cities to work.
We have freight rail, but need job stimulus and job creation, and the need to move people fast. Take Internet communication, for example. Should Americans be without it?
Business would justify fast business trips. Better vacation travel, would justify HSR to fine destinations.
Au contraire, HSR is commuter rail (long-distance railway passenger train service,) serving passengers traveling between metropolitan areas, rather than within metropolitan areas, using special alignments and few, if any, grade crossings, with the speeds capable of ranging from 125 to 250 mph, rather than 50 to 80.
TC? lol