Politics

I finally have episode 3 of my podcast Sound of History online.

Episodes 1 and 2 both had two speeches each, and one of those speeches in each episode was from Ronald Reagan. So, for episode 3, I selected Mario Cuomo's address to the 1984 Democratic National Convention. Quite an interesting listen.

It was quite interesting to hear how the rhetoric 20 years go, from both sides, is quite similar to today's rhetoric.

I've got episode 2 of my new podcast Sound of History online.

It's been really interesting to find these old recordings. For this episode, I found Kennedy's famous 1963 speech in West Berlin. I keep being struck with what an amazing orator Kennedy was. It is quite the captivating and amazing speech.

Reagan's speech to West Berlin in 1987 is also in this episode. It's three times longer than Kennedy's, and probably less inspirational, but still an interesting listen.

Next week I'm going to have one of the forgotten opposition speeches, trying to argue against Reagan. Also some good material out there from that perspective.

In other news, ourmedia.org is being terribly annoying. It's much easier to upload to archive.org directly. I don't know why I ever bothered with ourmedia.org (or why anyone does, really).

That's the title of an editorial in the Austin-American Statesman, which begins:

David Gunn, a noted railroad-turnaround specialist who was making solid progress in putting Amtrak, the national rail-passenger system, on the road to financial stability, was unceremoniously fired last week.

Astonishingly enough, Gunn was canned not for doing a bad job, but for doing a good one. Apparently he thought his assignment was to make a success of Amtrak, while the Bush administration seeks Amtrak's collapse.

And this is my last post on this topic.

Here's an interesting read: Where Was Brownie When We Needed Him? David Gunn, Amtrak and Bush's Culture of Incompetence. This article makes the point about David Gunn better than I did, and is written by someone that saw how David Gunn has improved things.

Very interesting stuff.

First, a Time investigation into his resume, including statements released by the White House at the time of his nomination. Many of them turn out to be not quite true. He also was fired from not just the horse association, but a law firm as well.

A report on NPR's Fresh Air yesterday included an interesting interview with a journalist that has done some work on the topic. Among the interesting quotes from Brown are: that he was never told that this hurricane could be any worse than others (untrue, according to the weather forecaster that briefed him), that FEMA had no way of knowing people were at the convention center in New Orleans until 3 days after the hurricane hit (Ted Koppel asked him, "Don't you have TV? We've been reporting on this for days.")

This guy sounds like a total liar to me. He should be fired immediately, and somebody competant put in charge of this operation.

So runs the headline in this amusing article, which includes quotes about "the quixotic jihad against SpongeBob SquarePants".

It's funny because, sadly, it's true.

Adam Kessel has an good post about terrorism and the west. I agree with him; I don't think that the terrorists really care about "our way of life" or "our value" or even "hate our freedom". They care about what's going on in the mideast only, and the west is a target because we're doing things they don't like.

Greencine just sent us The Yes Men, a hilarous real-life documentary about a group of activists who run a website that parodies the World Trade Organization. The funny thing is, people periodically think that these guys are the real WTO and invite them to appear on TV, speak at conferences, etc. And they do it.

The film documents their various hijinks. Whether its from a program recycling human waste to end 3rd-world starvation and boost the profits of McDonald's, or an assertion that private schools would lead to fewer people that question the WTO, or even an outlandish costume resembling the male anatomy, the really horrifying thing is that everybody thinks they're serious. The real people at these conferences think that they are absolutely serious in their descriptions of the WTO. They were even quoted in the Canadian parliament.

It's a fun film to watch, as well as being eye-opening. It is shocking what people these days are willing to accept in the name of free trade.

Defense is a lot broader than swaggering around saying you're going to kick Saddam's butt.

-- Howard Dean at a debate with Richard Perle

The White House budget proposal is seeking bankruptcy for Amtrak, the only intercity passenger rail service in the United States. Amtrak is vital to our country. It provides the only passenger transportation option through many parts of rural America, and the only reasonably-priced option in many others that have only non-competitive air options to choose from. It is also vital for those that can't drive. Finally, Amtrak operates the vital commuter rail service in the Northeast Corridor (NEC), which extends from Boston to Washington, D.C. Amtrak is the only way for many people to get to work each day or to go on business trips, due to the highly congested roads in the region.

Here's a little history on Amtrak.

Railroads were a vital part of the nation's expansion beginning in the late 1800s. Government programs encouraged the private railroads to expand by giving them large amounts of land (that they could then sell at profit) and through other means. Railroads were vital carriers of people and freight clear through the 1950s, and remain vital carriers of freight today. In urban areas, railroads also provide the most effective way to move large numbers of people.

One thing many people don't know is that passenger operations almost never made a profit for the railroads.

After World War II ended, there was a heavy push towards the automobile from many areas. The federal government subsidized the building of thousands of miles of new highways and other automobile infrastructure. Also at that time, governments at all levels were spending money to support air travel. Meanwhile, the railroads had been taxed to their limit during the war effort, and every part of their infrastructure was in serious disrepair. They did not receive federal assistance.

Remember that railroads were all private companies, such as Union Pacific and New York Central. They were facing serious financial problems and began attempts to discontinue the money-losing passenger service. However, back at that time, many industries -- including railroads -- were "regulated industries". They couldn't make any major changes without government approval, and the government wouldn't let them cancel passenger service. The inevitable result was a decline in service quality as corners were cut with staffing, maintenance, etc.

Finally, in 1971, matters came to a head. The federal government agreed to let the private railroads stop offering passenger service if the railroads gave their passenger equipment and employees to a new government-backed corporation -- Amtrak. Amtrak would receive government subsidies to continue providing vital passenger rail service. The day Amtrak began, they inherited all the neglected equipment from the private railroad companies, and immediately canceled many routes due to lack of funds.

Amtrak has more or less limped along until the present day. It has had a string of problems, including never once receiving adequate funding from Congress, several incompetant CEOs (these are appointed by the White House and Congress), and its own difficult start.

Today, Amtrak continues to limp along. It received $1.2 billion last year, instead of the $1.8 billion it asked for. That means that, once again, corners have to be cut to get by. In 2002, the federal government provided $32 billion in subsidies for roads, $14 billion in subsidies for air travel, and less than $1 billion for Amtrak.

This year, the Bush administration is proposing about $360 million for Amtrak. This is a number that will force Amtrak into bankruptcy. They view the $1 billion or so that Amtrak gets each year as a "subsidy", but the $32 billion spent on roads as an investment.

Strangely, the administration believes that forcing an Amtrak bankruptcy is a good thing and that private companies will be eager to operate rail services.

Unfortunately, they have forgotten the reason Amtrak exists in the first place.

Also, they have forgotten that almost no passenger transportation methods anywhere in the world can make a profit. Billions of dollars of federal, state, and local money support air travel -- building airports, paving runways, operating traffic control systems. Railroads must pay for all of their infrastructure by themselves.

In reality, Amtrak is a true bargain.