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Not only do we need an energy policy (one NOT written by characters like Ken Lay) we need a transportation policy.

Rail - even as represented by poor old underfunded, spit-and- duct-tape Amtrak is 18% more fuel efficient than certified airlines, and 17% more efficient than cars. Yet is has been starved and micro-managed for 35 years, while some of the private freights (who had it formed in the first place as a prime example of corporate welfare) lobby actively against it.

I'm definitely *not* saying we should curtail the airlines or auto travel, but I think that rail - both in the form of short-term lines like we see in California, Washington State, and the Northeast, as well as long long-distance runs - should be expanded, and available as an option.
 
dalangdon-------

Back in the 1950's the airlines saw the railroads off in a big way! The significance of it did not really hit me untill last year when I actually had the silly thought that it might be fun to hop a train for the trip up to greg's wash-in last summer in Omaha. Ha Ha Ha! Now at one time the Railroad used to be a HUGE thing here. Not no 'mo!

Since that time I have tried to use the rails no less than three seperate times only to discover the same thing---needless inconvience (Multiple changes) and expense both for ticket and meals on board and "Pullman" accomodations for a private compartment with a bed and access to the shower compartment. PLUS tips to all the associated people. Not to mention time!

That just has to change. As a child I could take a trin directly from Atlanta to New Orleans, Chicago or Washington, D.C on the way to New York City without connection. The train to New Orleans or Washington D.C. was considered a "day trip" and did not require the expense of "Pullman" type accomodations.

If the rest of the world can have a good transportation system by rail---then we can too. But like everything else American's MUST become vocal about it to enact change.
So I have had an additional cause on my agenda when I blog my usual Senatorial and Congressional victims-----BRING BACK THE RAILROADS! Which reminds me----voting day tomorrow here in Georgia----I'll be there!
 
Gryrafoam (is that the name of an agitator), according to the electric car movie, it takes four times more electricity to make hydrogen as it does to charge an electric car battery. But Iceland is doing the right thing to find another fuel for cars. Also were you around during the 50s when GM cars were so wonderful that seniors have good memories and still buy GM today?

Rich, I though since you lived in SF you might see the movie. Give us a review if you do. I do believe that the battery disposal could be taken care if the companies want to do so. Almost all lead acid batteries are recycled now and the few that are left, West Penn AAA has the "Great American Battery Roundup" for any found in garages.

Tolivac, here's the link to an energy quiz where it does mention about the energy used to ship food. It's also the one that asks how many baths/showers you take.

Orano | Acteur majeur de l'énergie et du combustible nucléaire

Groupe industriel international de référence, Orano propose des produits et services à forte valeur ajoutée sur tout le cycle du combustible nucléaire.
www.areva.com www.areva.com
 
Interesting...gas is still at $2.89/gallon here. Hasn't risen, yet.

(Btw, I made a mistake in my other post that some of you probably caught. I said "$2.99" when it was actually "$2.89", and mentioned that Premium was $3.09. The "Plus" grade was actually at $2.99/gallon.)
 
NeptuneBob------

Oh yes, I was around in the fifties all right.
Those old GM cruisers were great cars.
Most of the elderly folks I know of nowadays prefer cars from Lexus/Toyota, their loyality to GM cast aside in favor reliability and customer service.
 
I am fortunate I live right on an Amtrak line. I take the train to Dallas every Christmas to be with my sister. I find it very civilized. Yes, I would have loved to train to Omaha or Tucson, but too darn impractical. Get this, a Greyhound type of bus to go from here to Glenn's is a 14 hour journey. I have a buddy that lives in a small town 3 hours west of here. Looked at bus schedule, options would take 19 or 25 hours. I could take Greyhousd to Abilene and hten have him pick me up, only 6 hours or so. Transportation options here in smaller-town American can be quite frustrating. In the late 1960s, my sisters could take the train from Houston to Lubbock.
 
Gyrafoam, maybe that's the case in Atlanta with Lexus but Pittsburgh is a GM town. As one car dealer puts it, "In Pittsburgh, we Really Do Drive Chevy". I thought maybe its becuase we have more seniors than Atlanta does.
 
well neptunebob, you live in a closed socitey dahlin. ya'll folks dont even acknoweledge that you have folks living next door to you, so how in the hell would it be determined that they "pefer chevy"? Just a question? I lived in PA for a years when I was a pup, now, back to where I belong, I cannot imagine being just as well slapped when out in a store or place of business. YES Sistah they was rude.
 
any more than I should be paying $800,000 for a house my par

Remeber when the rule-of thumb was a house should be 5 to 6 times your annual gross income, and when rent was 25% to 33% of your take-home (net, after tax, pay).

But let's not forget that my parent's $250 Maytag was a week's pay in 1966.

HA!
 
I filled up for $2.71.9 today. There were a few guys with pickups that had a myriad of portable gasoline containers in their truck beds. After they filled up their trucks, they began filling up the plastic containers. Of course while filling those containers they left them in the truck bed. Each one must have been 10 or 15 gallon models. There was one yahoo that was fillng up a metal container marked "Shellac" with gasoline.
I wonder what they needed all that gas for?
 
Yes-can agree that the railroads need revitalization-esp for passengers-compared to England and Europe-or Railraods are literally a hundred years out of date.In some areas the trackage is over 100 years old-explains why the freight trains going over them crawl along at 5MPH!Do you blame some companies for using trucks to ship and delivor their goods?And the truck is more flexible.Don't think we can get rid of all of the trucks just soime of them(remember the trucking lobby is especially powerful these days-another 800lb Gorilla)We could use the trucks for LOCAL delivory.After all the trains can't delivor goods to your favorite stores.They can get them from the manufacturer to the regional dist centers where trucks can delivor the goods.Passenger trains-would love it if they could come back--the airlines need some competition!maybe they would improve their service.And the train can delivor passengers to downtown locations unlike, the airliners.Railroads also have to get their safety polocies better-at one time the RR's were SAFER than the airlines-now its the other way'round.If you travel by train you can be more likely to be killed or injured in a mishap.It doesn't have to be that way.Both airlines and RR's were more careful with safety about delivoring their passemgers to their destinations-becuase of cost its slackening.
 
The problem with transporting humans....

Is that no one ever made a dime off it. Even Southwest Airlines and the very few other profitable airlines are profitable only because of the huge government subsidies for airports, traffic control, etc. The same is true of the relationship between the private secotr and the interstate highway system.

There's nothing wrong with that - those subsidies more than earn their keep in the economic activity and convenience they generate.

In theory, Amtrak should be the ideal public/private partnership: As a quasi-governmental agency (It's a private corporation, that receives an operating subsidy) it enjoys a monopoly on rail service - thus relieving the private railoads of the expense - and priority over freight. In reality, the railroads, who have neglected their infrastrure for fifty years, provide it with varying degrees of service and no priority. They reject the idea of introducing competition, and some lobby actively for its discontinuance. To be fair, I should note that the private railroads have been over-regulated as to their routes and pricing, and over-taxed on their property for years. Only now is just parity emerging.

Some fiscal conservatives and libertairans reject that the "government" should be involved in transporation (ignoring the highway and airline subsidies). That, coupled with the ridiculous annual funding process Amtrak endures (the only transportation form that has to endure that) ensure that passenger rail remains hobbled and micromanaged by congress. In the meantime, lavish highway projects - including the NAFTA highway, which will allow Mexican truck drivers to drive across the nation to Canada - proceed.

To show I'm not being a liberal moonbat (which I'm afraid I am ;-) I'm including a link about the NAFTA highway from a soundly conservative source - Human Events Online. If this project goes through, expect to see even more appliances coming from outside this country.


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www.humaneventsonline.com
 
There could be a use for electric cars.....

Even if their range is limited. Years ago, many stores offered home delivery of products. I could see the EV1 being used by a pharmacy or grocery store to deliver prescriptions, groceries, pizza (could the batteries keep a pizza warm?), or, how ironic, auto parts from the store to garages. The cars could easily be recharged at the store, which would have commercial wiring that could better tolerate the current draw. Since the electricity doesn't cost as much as gasoline, these businesses could afford to offer this service. Now, with this kind of service, many people, especially seniors, could probably live without a car at all and save so much money. But wait, we can't let that happen! If people gave up their cars, the car, oil (unless you walk to BP for a snack), auto parts, car insurance, car finance, car care, car service, car wash, and car product industries would go under! The economy would collapse! People would lose their jobs! Oh, the humanity!
 

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