VIA Rail network developments - Page 69

Gat-Train · #**1361** Posted **Jun 8, 2019, 4:55 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by silvergate

Sure, dictatorships are great aren't they?

When it comes to building high-quality infrastructure, yes.

And we're technically a dictatorship; the head of state is the queen. And majority governments tend not to be all that democratic, seeing as how voting against your party line can get you in hot water.

kwoldtimer · #**1362** Posted **Jun 8, 2019, 11:59 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gat-Train

When it comes to building high-quality infrastructure, yes.

And we're technically a dictatorship; the head of state is the queen. And majority governments tend not to be all that democratic, seeing as how voting against your party line can get you in hot water.

I believe that, technically, that makes us a constitutional monarchy, not a dictatorship.

acottawa · #**1363** Posted **Jun 8, 2019, 12:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gat-Train

When it comes to building high-quality infrastructure, yes.

And we're technically a dictatorship; the head of state is the queen. And majority governments tend not to be all that democratic, seeing as how voting against your party line can get you in hot water.

A lot easier when you don’t have to deal with health and safety, labour laws, property rights, environmental rules, etc. and when the state hardly spends anything on pensions, health care, education, etc.

Gat-Train · #**1364** Posted **Jun 8, 2019, 3:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I believe that, technically, that makes us a constitutional monarchy, not a dictatorship.

Tomato, tomahto

zzptichka · #**1365** Posted **Jun 8, 2019, 4:51 PM**

ooh boy

roger1818 · #**1366** Posted **Jun 8, 2019, 5:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gat-Train

Tomato, tomahto

Tell that to one of the refugees who has moved here from a dictatorship. If you don’t like it here, you are free to move (unlike those in a real dictatorship).

acottawa · #**1367** Posted **Jun 8, 2019, 6:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gat-Train

Tomato, tomahto

10 of the 20 most democratic countries in the world are Constitutional Monarchies.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Index

JM1 · #**1368** Posted **Jun 8, 2019, 7:21 PM**

I was watching a show on Prime last night where an American couple is traveling the Transsiberia from Beijing to Moscow. At one point they are discussing the end of the Soviet era with a Russian detective (played by Ben Kingsley) who is yearning for the old days when we would be flown first class rather than traveling 7 days by train. Woody Harrelson, who plays a somewhat dim-witted train aficianado (the type of guy who might contribute to this board) knocks the lack of freedom in the darkest of Soviet time. The Russian detective responds that it was better to live in the dark than suffer in the light (or some such).

Quote:

Originally Posted by silvergate

Sure, dictatorships are great aren't they?

silvergate · #**1369** Posted **Jun 9, 2019, 12:08 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gat-Train

When it comes to building high-quality infrastructure, yes.

And we're technically a dictatorship; the head of state is the queen. And majority governments tend not to be all that democratic, seeing as how voting against your party line can get you in hot water.

The vast majority of dictatorships do not have "high quality infrastructure". I'd wager most Chinese infrastructure is built cheap and won't last. And while I would agree that the party system has its flaws, we are definitely nowhere near a dictatorship.

Truenorth00 · #**1370** Posted **Jun 9, 2019, 3:42 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gat-Train

And we're technically a dictatorship; the head of state is the queen. And majority governments tend not to be all that democratic, seeing as how voting against your party line can get you in hot water.

Stick to talking about trains.

Because of you're going to start labeling reserve powers as dictatorships, there will be very few countries in the world that aren't dictatorships.

J.OT13 · #**1371** Posted **Jun 9, 2019, 11:58 AM**

I'm frustrated with the whole VIA Rail situation. With all the talk of Climate Change, Trudeau has done very little to tackle this major threat to civilization. Of course, if Conservatives get it, they'll slash existing environmental protection policies!

And yes, I agree with lrt's friend, I'm sick of tax cuts! And it's not just Conservatives; Trudeau cut middle class taxes while raising the taxes on the "rich" to compensate, which fell way short. Keep the tax rate as is and use the money to improve our lives and the environment.

Truenorth00 · #**1372** Posted **Jun 9, 2019, 6:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I'm frustrated with the whole VIA Rail situation. With all the talk of Climate Change, Trudeau has done very little to tackle this major threat to civilization. Of course, if Conservatives get it, they'll slash existing environmental protection policies!

And yes, I agree with lrt's friend, I'm sick of tax cuts! And it's not just Conservatives; Trudeau cut middle class taxes while raising the taxes on the "rich" to compensate, which fell way short. Keep the tax rate as is and use the money to improve our lives and the environment.

Thank you. It's very easy to blame the Conservatives. Trudeau claimed that he wanted to run small deficits to find infrastructure. Instead, he ran large deficits to fund lower middle class tax cuts and payouts to families. Both parties only care about paying out some base. The payment just takes different forms.

And increasingly climate change looks like another Liberal excuse to payout. There doesn't seem to be a strategy of targeting scarce dollars to reducing emissions sharply and quickly. Or VIA would be getting more consideration. Add would public transit in general.

Truenorth00 · #**1373** Posted **Jun 13, 2019, 11:04 PM**

HFR not entirely dead I guess:

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2019...cture-bank-to-back-via-rail-project.html

What's crazy is how long it's taking to make a decision either way.

Gat-Train · #**1374** Posted **Jun 14, 2019, 4:05 AM**

Why isn't VIA campaigning harder on this? Couldn't they put out some ads on the subway? I'm just saying, selling the public on this might be an effective way of securing funding.

Truenorth00 · #**1375** Posted **Jun 14, 2019, 4:35 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gat-Train

Why isn't VIA campaigning harder on this? Couldn't they put out some ads on the subway? I'm just saying, selling the public on this might be an effective way of securing funding.

Government agencies can’t campaign or lobby the government.

acottawa · #**1376** Posted **Jun 14, 2019, 11:58 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gat-Train

Why isn't VIA campaigning harder on this? Couldn't they put out some ads on the subway? I'm just saying, selling the public on this might be an effective way of securing funding.

If they wouldn’t be so ridiculously secretive then maybe others could advocate on their behalf.

roger1818 · #**1377** Posted **Jun 14, 2019, 1:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by acottawa

If they wouldn’t be so ridiculously secretive then maybe others could advocate on their behalf.

Interestingly, Pierre Poilievre came to my door a few months ago (he is my MP). I asked him about HFR and he had no idea what I was talking about. All he knew about was the old HSR plan (from Windsor to Quebec City) that VIA had previously proposed. When I gave him the Coles Notes version of the plan, he seemed interested (he wanted to get cars off the road and not have it compete with airlines).

acottawa · #**1378** Posted **Jun 14, 2019, 2:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by roger1818

Interestingly, Pierre Poilievre came to my door a few months ago (he is my MP). I asked him about HFR and he had no idea what I was talking about. All he knew about was the old HSR plan (from Windsor to Quebec City) that VIA had previously proposed. When I gave him the Coles Notes version of the plan, he seemed interested (he wanted to get cars off the road and not have it compete with airlines).

I don’t get it. Every other public transportation agency in the free world publishes its plans, studies, proposals, etc. Via thinks it is the CSE.

J.OT13 · #**1379** Posted **Jun 15, 2019, 12:34 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by roger1818

Interestingly, Pierre Poilievre came to my door a few months ago (he is my MP). I asked him about HFR and he had no idea what I was talking about. All he knew about was the old HSR plan (from Windsor to Quebec City) that VIA had previously proposed. When I gave him the Coles Notes version of the plan, he seemed interested (he wanted to get cars off the road and not have it compete with airlines).

He doesn't want the HFR to compete with airlines? To me, that's one of the biggest appeal; reduced air traffic in the Québec City-Windsor Corridor would reduce pollution significantly.

I guess for a lot of people, including politicians lobbied by airlines, HFR competes with cars while the long dead HSR would have competed with airlines, making HFR the more attractive option.

lrt's friend · #**1380** Posted **Jun 15, 2019, 10:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.OT13

He doesn't want the HFR to compete with airlines? To me, that's one of the biggest appeal; reduced air traffic in the Québec City-Windsor Corridor would reduce pollution significantly.

I guess for a lot of people, including politicians lobbied by airlines, HFR competes with cars while the long dead HSR would have competed with airlines, making HFR the more attractive option.

How can we avoid rail versus airline competition unless we want a rail system that is next to useless.

Already, VIA is competing quite successfully with the airlines on the Ottawa-Toronto route and HFR will bring the biggest benefits to that same route.