When was the last time High Speed Rail was mentioned

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rrdude said:
When was the last time High Speed Rail was mentioned in the State of The Union Address? I about fell out of my seat, but I hope the Hype can be matched by the Means.
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You must have hit your head the last time you fell out of your seat because it was the same time last year as I recall. :lol:
 
After what we experienced last year in Wisconsin, don't believe the HSR talk until you actually see a train on the tracks. You'd better believe that the budget cutting types see no need at all for passenger rail, and that we will be playing defense for a while yet. We have to make certain that we defend the trains and passenger rail service we now have, as the majority of those recently elected into office see little to no need for transit. Far too many of them believe the Reason Foundation and Randall O'Toole, unfortunately, and we have to learn how to speak their language while defeating their arguments and winning them over to our side and our perspective.
 
Recent experience notwithstanding, it's a good thing he mentioned it again. It's important to keep the message out there with the public. Yes, there will be plenty of detractors that try to kill it, but the more the public hears positive things about HSR, the better chance we have of getting it to succeed.

If he had given up on that platform after the recent congressional defeat, plus the trouble in Wisconsin and Ohio, then you can pretty much guarantee that you'd never see another dollar spent on HSR in this country ever again. But, by keeping it on the table, it gives just enough credibility to maybe keep going. It will still be an uphill battle. Absolutely. But the war is not lost.

Just as important, it gives Amtrak a better chance in the coming budget battles.
 
Agreed. It could backfire, unfortunately, this could also backfire as it could represent a symbol by which the Rs could demonstrate opposition. It is important for we rail advocates and enthusiasts to defend what we have, because the newly elected office holders are chock full of ignorance and anti-rail views on transportation. This also means that we reach out to those other transit advocates and point out how rail can be part of the overall network, including the local transportation networks -- buses, bikes, etc.
 
also, go to Twitter. Search for either High Speed Rail or Amtrak, and just watch & read what pops up. Those are just small examples of what we are facing, folks.
 
George Harris said:
Green Maned Lion said:
Action is a concept unknown in our government.
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That is why I have been saying for a long time, when dealing with politicians, turn off the sound and watch the action. Talking about something is not the same as trying to make it happen.
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Action is a concept unknown in our government only because it is a concept unknown in today's citizenry. Our incredible national history is populated with motivated idealists who stopped everything they were doing to take a stand in support of what they truly believed in and those who sacrificed their own time and effort to stand in solidarity with them. Today we simply watch and wait for action from afar without doing anything ourselves to actually force it. No wonder our government is no longer paying attention to our needs or taking our concerns seriously. Who would honestly expect anything else?
 

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