Thursday, September 1, 2011

Infrastructure: Republicans Block Construction of High-Speed Rails

On July 14, 2011 House Republicans pulled funds for a high-speed rail system to be constructed across the United States.  This will affect future and current jobs, as construction has already begun in some areas. Future jobs associated with the system include short-term construction jobs, jobs in urban planning and architecture, and long-term jobs in maintenance and operations (450,000 in CA alone).   


President Obama and Democrats had planned to connect eighty-percent of America by 2025, but House Republicans voted to move the money to an emergency floods fund.  When House Democrats suggested that the money come from other areas, such as taxes to the super-wealthy, Republicans answered by disregarding the suggestion and instead repeatedly described what floods are and what they do, ending with enough information on floods for a "Floods For Dummies" manuel. Republicans continue to support the forty-billion dollar yearly tax subsidies to oil companies and eight-billion in giveaways to multinational corporations that take jobs overseas. 


A high-speed rail system would make America less reliant on foreign oil, and less reliant on oil in general.  Americans would buy less gasoline.  The system would also contribute to cleaner air as the trains use one-third less energy than airplanes and one-fifth less energy than cars. 






and Eric and Irene