Quote:
Originally Posted by mPhilly
This neither makes sense nor adds to any logical argument.
You just admitted there was demand for it, which contradicts your previous post. As for the national legislature paying for something that affects the "unique commuting habits of various metro areas in our country"... Congress does this ALL THE TIME. In fact, Congress often pays for much narrower projects than this one that would provide interstate commerce through at the very least 3 states (does the Big Dig ring any bells? You think NJ is the one paying for the majority of the expansions to the Turnpike?). You seem to be missing the point of our government, or at least the way it has operated for well over 200 years.
Furthermore, the Philly to NYC metro corridor makes up a sizable percentage of the US population, add DC to Boston and its even more significant. To say coal miners in WV don't have an interest in this is both besides the point and wrong. What's good for NYC is indeed good for WV. Anyway, I'd hazard a guess that WV sees a greater return on its federal income tax dollars than do NY or PA (I say this because by each state having 2 senators regardless of population, less populated states usually receive more federal aid per capita). What you seem to be advocating is a step back from the federal system, presumably because you feel for the poor miners in WV, who undoubtedly benefit from it at least as much as we do.
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Of course my metaphor was logical. I was expressing that the poster was confining his analysis of demand for public trains to his every-day perceptions - namely, his morning commute to Manhattan. The point is, if you zoom out - outside of the northeast corridor, you see the rest of the country, which does not have nearly the same demand as we do in the northeast.
Of course I admitted there was demand for it - that demand is present means nothing. What really matters is the quantum of demand -
how much demand is there. My position is that there is not yet enough demand on a national scale for every tax payer to pay for it.
And just because Congress pays for similar projects all the time, doesn't mean we should do more of it. If you begin walking through an inferno, I would suggest doing an about-face instead of continuing with your trip.
The N/E corridor is about 42 million people (and I'm being Liberal with that number). That is undoubtedly a huge number. But the US population is 315 million - a much larger number. If demand is concentrated within these 42 million people, why not subscribe to my view that an inter-state consortium can provide the funding? If demand is so high, it should be viable.
It is easy to pick out market failures - but everybody always ignores the government failures. Namely, taking money from one end of the economy (which would, in part, form capital to fund ventures with lots of demand behind it) and shifting it to another.
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