Help Un-Freep this WSJ poll on Amtrak

[Dispatcher45]

The Wall $treet Journal is conducting a poll on Amtrak and Shrub's plan to kill it. In typical WSJ fashion the poll is presented in such a fashion that a "Yes" vote is a vote in favor of killing Amtrak and a "No" vote is a vote in favor of keeping Amtrak.

Here is the URL where you can cast your vote -

<http://discussions.wsj.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=wsjvoices&nav=messages&msg=2918>

Currently the "No" votes are leading the anti Amtrak "Yes" votes but I'm sure the Freepers will pile on the Yes votes as soon as they find out about this poll.

Below is a message from NARP (National Association of Railroad Passengers) concerning the Shrub "Kill Amtrak plan".

<copy and paste>

--- NARP <[email protected]> wrote:
Subject: DOT Plan; Wall Street Journal's strange poll
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2003 14:18:16 -0400
From: "NARP" <[email protected]>
To: "NARP" <[email protected]>

To NARP Members, July 29, 2003:

Secretary Mineta unveiled his Amtrak legislation yesterday. It is a
thinly veiled attempt to kill passenger trains. For more NARP
commentary, see our newest release at <www.narprail.org>. Sen. Kay
Bailey Hutchison (R.-Tex.) was quoted in both The New York Times (which
also quoted NARP) and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "If you turn Amtrak
over to the states, it's gone." Sen. Hutchison plans to introduce her
own bill tomorrow.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/29/politics/29AMTR.html?th
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/6408262.htm

The Wall Street Journal, which ought to know better, invites readers to
answer this question at

http://discussions.wsj.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=wsjvoices&nav=messages&msg=2918>:
"Should Amtrak scale back its service to only its profitable routes?"
The question is written backwards--to vote FOR train service, vote
NO--and assumes there are profitable routes. As of this writing, "yes"
is ahead with 54% (481 votes out of 884 cast), but who knows how many
people misread the question just like the WSJ misread the facts?

None of this should distract us from the most important point--keeping
the pressure on for a good FY04 appropriation. The House appropriations
Committee raised Amtrak from $580 million to $900 million last Friday;
floor action will come after Labor Day. Members need to be clear that
$900 million is still a shutdown level.

--Ross B. Capon
NARP Executive Director

</copy>

You should note that Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R.-Tex.) is strongly against the Shrub "Kill Amtrak" plan.

Thanks in advance from Amtrak workers and fellow railroad workers from around the country.

Dispatcher45
RRspatch

[bookman]

1. Thanks for the Kay Bailey heads up

She's my senator and I usually don't agree with her.

[lcordero]

2. I voted against scaling back

I'm against using airplanes now since they are a step away from doing cavity searches on everybody. Can you repost sometime later this morning?

[alaine]

3. Done, now it's 44% yes, and 56% no, so things are

shifting, at least for the moment

[baffie]

4. I like Amtrak - rode it once in high school

It's a much needed service, IMO, and should not be restricted in any way.

[Yupster]

5. Just got back from an Amtrak vacation yesterday

We went by train from Albuquerque to Williams Junction Arizona, then on to San Diego and flew home.
It was a very nice trip. We even went to Legoland.

Oh yeah, Amtrak. The route we were on is ridiculous. It serves very little purpose, bleeds money by the millions, and basically is a nice government-subsidized vacation. Kill it.

The routes in the northeast that can be used by commuters make sense. They take cars off the overcrowded roads and are full when they go down the tracks.

There's no reason to have a passenger train from Albuquerque to Flagstaff. It's just never going to attract large numbers of people. It's a ridiculous extravagence of thrown away money.

However, the congressmen are not going to give government funds to Amtrak if it just helps the northeast. Each congressman wants his region to benefit from the spending too, so you end up with these routes that cost millions and really don't make any sense.

PS -- We took the old train to the Grand Canyon and train robbers robbed us from horseback and my six-year old had a ball.

[jamesinca]

6. I just voted

With 1627 votes in and 918 say no

[On the Road]

7. I Love Amtrak

It wouldn't affect me so much, as I usually live in the "profitable" DC-Phila-NY corridor.

Notice the comments below the poll. A lot of very intelligent support of a nationwide rail system.

[whoYaCallinAlib]

8. I hear the train a comin . . .

Thanks for the post.