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jmowreader

(50,530 posts)

32. When we laid the Transcontinental Railway, things were different

Reply to cab67 (Reply #2)

Tue Feb 12, 2019, 05:42 PM

Feb 2019

1) No one owned the land the rails were going on.

2) There were no such thing as environmental impact studies.

3) There were also no labor laws. If you wanted to bring 100,000 Chinese workers and 100,000 African-American workers to the jobsite, pay them a dollar a day and charge them for food and work clothes, work them seven days a week and have a quarter of them die during the project...you could, no problem at all.

You could never build the Transcontinental Railway today. Just the citizen protests alone would kill the project.

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33 replies

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Highlight:

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM CURTAILS PLAN FOR HIGH-SPEED RAIL, PLANS TO ONLY BUILD BETWEEN MERCED AND BAKERSFI [View all] Jose Garcia Feb 2019 OP

:( RandySF Feb 2019 #1

This is something I don't always get. cab67 Feb 2019 #2

I believe it involved a lot of land grading DrToast Feb 2019 #5

Many reasons. Securing property, EPA regs, Higher quality building, water or other obstacles oldsoftie Feb 2019 #26

When we laid the Transcontinental Railway, things were different jmowreader Feb 2019 #32

The writing has been on the wall for a while now DrToast Feb 2019 #3

OFFS. He caved to the right wing bullshit. SunSeeker Feb 2019 #4

Like to see one running from one end of the state to the other end CountAllVotes Feb 2019 #6

Indeed. And one from LA to Vegas. nt SunSeeker Feb 2019 #8

Merced to Bakersfield? How does that compare with LA to SF? defacto7 Feb 2019 #13

If you have to take the bus, it will make the train untenable. SunSeeker Feb 2019 #18

Who the hell wants to go from Merced to Bakersfield? jls4561 Feb 2019 #7

+1,000 !! CountAllVotes Feb 2019 #9

It's the beaches. defacto7 Feb 2019 #14

Exactly, basically a train to nowhere. madville Feb 2019 #16

Let's see... SpankMe Feb 2019 #10

There should be bullet trains from NYC to Chicago, Chicago to Denver, then Denver to SF. roamer65 Feb 2019 #11

No We Can't! jayfish Feb 2019 #12

CONTACT NEWSOM: https://govapps.gov.ca.gov/gov40mail/ diva77 Feb 2019 #15

I just tried his phone, it is still not taking messages. I will email him. SunSeeker Feb 2019 #20

me too. thanks for contacting him diva77 Feb 2019 #22

High Speed Rail could be the solution to CA's skyrocketing housing costs Yavin4 Feb 2019 #17

Very true. And reduce greenhouse gases. nt SunSeeker Feb 2019 #21

It was a bad idea from the very beginning Auggie Feb 2019 #19

can you expand on that thought? thanks diva77 Feb 2019 #23

No, it was a great idea, both for our environment and CA's economy. SunSeeker Feb 2019 #25

Good idea, wrong place. cab67 Feb 2019 #28

We need a bullet train between SF and LA. SunSeeker Feb 2019 #30

Yup. dumbcat Feb 2019 #29

No, it was a great idea. Don't believe the right wing naysayers. SunSeeker Feb 2019 #31

Perhaps he is thinking about universal healthcare instead still_one Feb 2019 #24

They really, really need to punch it up to Lodi so nobody gets stuck there Brother Buzz Feb 2019 #27

Locking... DonViejo Feb 2019 #33