Obama is in complete denial...

[Belmont31R]

Watching his press conference he is refusing to admit his agenda was on the chopping block, and that 60+ new republicans in Congress has anything to do with it. They got elected because the dems didn't push hard enough, and he says what he did was right.


Also says the economy is "not his fault", the debt is not his fault, and they plan to use the lame duck session to cram as much shit down our throats before R's take control of house in Jan.


He is going to try to use the EPA to institute cap and tax "its under their jurisdiction".



This dude is not pulling a Slick Willy. He is going to push on with his far left/commie agenda however he can.


Also have not seen him smile one time.


I doubt even if he is a one termer he will "get it". In his head he will believe it wasn't his agenda that did him in, and turned the country back over to republicans. He is going to think he didn't push hard enough and communicate his message. He is in complete denial that last nights elections was America saying "no more!".



Oh he also whined about China having better trains than us. Uh maybe because in the US everybody but basically the homeless and those on life support drives a car. No one here but the inner city bums and city dwellers have any need for mass transportation. No one is going to be hoping on a train over taking a flight or just driving. What do you do if you need to go from X city to Y city, and your destination is 5 miles from the train station? Walk? Take a taxi? Mass transportation rarely works here, and no one wants to spend billions of dollars building a huge rail network for human travel. This also isn't Europe where gas is 6-8 dollars a gallon, and many people simply cant afford to drive much if at all. Thats why they all have to drive diesels or tiny ass smart cars if they drive at all.


Now I really hope the republicans can get some candidates that can actually be competitive, and don't go around talking about how we have nothing to fear from Obama. We have a lot to fear about him unless you are a hard core statist who thinks the gov should spend unlimited amounts of money, and have unlimited amount of control over us and our economy. Of course they will probably run a democrat like Romney who is about 80% of Obama.

[SHIVAN]

Narcissism is an odd thing, isn't it?

[Alex V]

I hope the Dems don't try and pass some underhanded BS on their way out.

I still have my fingeres crossed for a repeal of Obamacare but I doubt it will happen.

Obama is simply an idealist, like Stalin, Lenin, Marx or Hitler. He will never admit he is wrong because in his mind, he is not. In his mind he is enlightened and we simply lack the capacity to understand his vision. He is one of those people who will stare you right in the eyes and tell you that the sky is orange with green stripes just because he thinks it should be.

[woodandsteel]

Is it possible that he may have been watching MSNBC, lastnight?

They were in denial as well.

[500grains]

I hope the Republicans will de-fund:

Evironmental Protection Agency
OSHA
Department of Labor
Department of Agriculture
White House Czars
Department of Energy
National Public Radio
Department of Education
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Housing and Urban Development
National Endowment for the Arts
Public Broadcasting System

foreign aid except to a select 5 or 6 countries, and then only very targeted aid. No more free food, medicine, etc. International welfare is just as wrong as homeland welfare.

[Belmont31R]

Is it possible that he may have been watching MSNBC, lastnight?

They were in denial as well.




Yeah I watched a couple hours of it. Obama is not the only lefty that thinks the election last night was a result of dems not pushing hard enough. One dolt on there said this wouldn't have happened if they had pushed the public option. Another one said the r's are going to ruin the recovery if they cut off spending and lower taxes. The ideology and way they arrive at certain conclusions is really really stupid. Yeah the economy would get better if we just suck more money out of it via taxes! Idiots...


I hope they push so far left 2012 is even a bigger year for us after people realize the new democrat party that came to power during GWB term is not the dems of the old. They are not fiscal conservatives like they were in the past. They are commie radicals who hate America, have complete ass backwards ideology that doesn't make any sense, and want to push the country into a little Europe like all knowing state.


Edit: Also a lot of the house seats that were lost were from districts that had more conservative democrats in them. The majority of the seats they kept were from districts that were commie anyways. That means many of the dems still in office are the far left types. They are not going to be willing to budge much at all on anything.

[Belmont31R]

Narcissism is an odd thing, isn't it?



Come the 2012 election he is not going to take responsibility for any failures. He is going to blame his entire first term on Bush and the republicans.

[skyugo]

I hope the Republicans will de-fund:

Evironmental Protection Agency
OSHA
Department of Labor
Department of Agriculture
White House Czars
Department of Energy
National Public Radio
Department of Education
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Housing and Urban Development
National Endowment for the Arts
Public Broadcasting System

foreign aid except to a select 5 or 6 countries, and then only very targeted aid. No more free food, medicine, etc. International welfare is just as wrong as homeland welfare.

i'm curious to see if the republicans finally have the stomach to actually REDUCE spending.

thus far i have never seen a political party take any serious action to reduce spending.

[jwfuhrman]

I wouldnt say people wont take trains. Id rather take a train than fly. Much less hassle. Road a passenger train from Chicago to Colorado then Colorado to Arizona. Sure, it took longer than flying, but it was also much less hassle and much more comfortable. Not to mention more enjoyable than driving all that way.

If we had the rail system China had, Id never fly again. It was foolish for this country to rip out all the rail lines like we did.

[Hmac]

i'm curious to see if the republicans finally have the stomach to actually REDUCE spending.



Yep. Time to put up or shut up. If republicans don't take steps to reduce spending, 2012 will bring a liberal resurgence.

[woodandsteel]

Yeah I watched a couple hours of it.

I got bored with the local coverage and got tired of Fox News saying Breaking News, over and over, when they already reported who the projected winner of a certain district or state was.

So, for entertainment purposes, I switched to MSNBC in time to see Lawrence O'Donnell and Rachel Madow looking depressed and saying that this wasn't really a Republican or Tea Party Victory. They were saying the sweep of the house wasn't really as bad as predicted.

Actually, watching the whole panel was like being at a funeral. It was like they were all standing around and saying "At least Grandma is in a better place".

[jmp45]

Yep. Time to put up or shut up. If republicans don't take steps to reduce spending, 2012 will bring a liberal resurgence.

Exactly..

This trip to India with the entourage of 3,000 @ $200 million a day is completely insane. Stopping that trip would be a good start.

[woodandsteel]

Yep. Time to put up or shut up. If republicans don't take steps to reduce spending, 2012 will bring a liberal resurgence.

I couldn't agree more.

It's time to be smart and to show some real leadership. Unfortunately, the left will portray this as Republicans being nothing more than obstructionists.

[Belmont31R]

I wouldnt say people wont take trains. Id rather take a train than fly. Much less hassle. Road a passenger train from Chicago to Colorado then Colorado to Arizona. Sure, it took longer than flying, but it was also much less hassle and much more comfortable. Not to mention more enjoyable than driving all that way.

If we had the rail system China had, Id never fly again. It was foolish for this country to rip out all the rail lines like we did.



Flying is a hassle because the TSA has ruined the entire experience. The first time I flew on a plane I think I was six, and got to sit in the cockpit for a little bit and they gave me a set of "wings". Air travel used to be somewhat enjoyable. Today the experience is nude scanners, pat downs, and everyone gets treated like a terrorist.


The only way rail travel is profitable or works in any capacity is huge population centers, countries full of poor people, and in places like Europe where they price auto travel out for enough people their only method of travel is public transportation. Lots of people over there simply cant afford to own a car or if they do they cant afford the gas. Just in Germany to get a license is around $2500.


If you want to see what a failure rail transit is just look at AMTRAK. Just to stay somewhat competitive cost wise every ticket is subsidized (some several hundred), and they lose over a billion a year. A completely self sufficient rail system would cost 2-3X ticket compared to air or auto travel costs. Not to mention its much slower than air.

If rail was really a good way to travel some business would have already capitalized on it. The only way it will happen now is if local, state or the fed government's tax people and build it anyways. Thats not a way to operate a country, and adds yet another layer of spending that sucks money out of the economy that could be put to better use. Subsidies breed inefficiency because it almost always alters what would have been the normal course of economics. Just like ethanol being forced into gas to subsidize farmers. Now our gas is less efficient, it ruins small engines, and the cost of corn products goes up. There is a reason trains for human transportation outside of AMTRAK and other gov run operations are mostly just novelties anymore.

[Belmont31R]

I got bored with the local coverage and got tired of Fox News saying Breaking News, over and over, when they already reported who the projected winner of a certain district or state was.

So, for entertainment purposes, I switched to MSNBC in time to see Lawrence O'Donnell and Rachel Madow looking depressed and saying that this wasn't really a Republican or Tea Party Victory. They were saying the sweep of the house wasn't really as bad as predicted.

Actually, watching the whole panel was like being at a funeral. It was like they were all standing around and saying "At least Grandma is in a better place".




Really? Most predictions had the r's gaining about 50-55 seats. Last I saw they were at 60+. No one really said they would take the senate.

I think the predictions were pretty close to what happened even a little conservative with the house numbers.

[Palmguy]

Watching his press conference he is refusing to admit his agenda was on the chopping block, and that 60+ new republicans in Congress has anything to do with it. They got elected because the dems didn't push hard enough, and he says what he did was right.


Also says the economy is "not his fault", the debt is not his fault, and they plan to use the lame duck session to cram as much shit down our throats before R's take control of house in Jan.


He is going to try to use the EPA to institute cap and tax "its under their jurisdiction".



This dude is not pulling a Slick Willy. He is going to push on with his far left/commie agenda however he can.


Also have not seen him smile one time.


I doubt even if he is a one termer he will "get it". In his head he will believe it wasn't his agenda that did him in, and turned the country back over to republicans. He is going to think he didn't push hard enough and communicate his message. He is in complete denial that last nights elections was America saying "no more!".



Oh he also whined about China having better trains than us. Uh maybe because in the US everybody but basically the homeless and those on life support drives a car. No one here but the inner city bums and city dwellers have any need for mass transportation. No one is going to be hoping on a train over taking a flight or just driving. What do you do if you need to go from X city to Y city, and your destination is 5 miles from the train station? Walk? Take a taxi? Mass transportation rarely works here, and no one wants to spend billions of dollars building a huge rail network for human travel. This also isn't Europe where gas is 6-8 dollars a gallon, and many people simply cant afford to drive much if at all. Thats why they all have to drive diesels or tiny ass smart cars if they drive at all.


Now I really hope the republicans can get some candidates that can actually be competitive, and don't go around talking about how we have nothing to fear from Obama. We have a lot to fear about him unless you are a hard core statist who thinks the gov should spend unlimited amounts of money, and have unlimited amount of control over us and our economy. Of course they will probably run a democrat like Romney who is about 80% of Obama.

When I heard at around 1900-2000 last night that Baghdad Bob, err, Nancy Pelosi still thought that the democrats were on track to hold the house, I knew for absolute certain that these people actually believe the "we didn't press hard enough" nonsense. They don't get it, they are firmly in denial and fantasyland. That's not going to change, and they are going to push harder. They must have actually believed that they were going to win despite all evidence to the contrary. Totally delusional...

I'd love for Boehner to drop a "we won" on Obama's dumb ass when they all get together for their next pow-wow and Obama tries to tell them how it's going to be. I don't think it'll actually happen, but it'd be karmic and fitting.

And yeah, it's time to put up or shut up, the Republicans have a small window to really make a difference or it's going to bite them hard in 2 years.

[woodandsteel]

Really? Most predictions had the r's gaining about 50-55 seats. Last I saw they were at 60+. No one really said they would take the senate.

I think the predictions were pretty close to what happened even a little conservative with the house numbers.

Those weren't my words.

It was what ODonnell and Madow were talking about. At the time the Republicans were up something like 45 seats and they made it sound like that was about it for the Republicans. I think they were trying to find ome bit of hope. They claimed that this was not going to be viewed as a historic election.

This discussion took place midway into the evening.

[Belmont31R]

Those weren't my words.

It was what ODonnell and Madow were talking about. At the time the Republicans were up something like 45 seats and they made it sound like that was about it for the Republicans. I think they were trying to find ome bit of hope. They claimed that this was not going to be viewed as a historic election.

This discussion took place midway into the evening.




I know what you meant. My comments were directed at they said.



But yeah they are delusional. Their entire ideology is based on illusions and an alternate made up truth. Its no wonder Pelosi would be out there saying they were going to retain the house. She lost it by a huge margin. Its like there is a parallel universe we live in and one they live in where everything is opposite of each other.

[jklaughrey]

His lack of common sense and overwhelming abuse of power while he has his head firmly in the clouds, due to some obscure vision of what he thinks America should be is criminal. I wish he had enough sense to step down or at least go hide in the closet with Michelle until 2012.

[woodandsteel]

You know it's a good election night when no one on MSNBC talks about a tingle going up their leg. :sarcastic:

[ForTehNguyen]

Come the 2012 election he is not going to take responsibility for any failures. He is going to blame his entire first term on Bush and the republicans.

its probably a good thing for 2012 that Reps didnt take the Senate. If Reps had taken both Senate and the House, come 2012, Uncle Bama can just blame everything on them. It will get worse by 2012, but since its a Dem Senate and Rep House, Uncle Bama cant play the blame card as good.

[woodandsteel]

His lack of common sense and overwhelming abuse of power while he has his head firmly in the clouds, due to some obscure vision of what he thinks America should be is criminal. I wish he had enough sense to step down or at least go hide in the closet with Michelle until 2012.

I am really interested in seeing who will be the GOP front runner in 2012. Even I can't decide who I'd really like to see run.

[Palmguy]

its probably a good thing for 2012 that Reps didnt take the Senate. If Reps had taken both Senate and the House, come 2012, Uncle Bama can just blame everything on them. It will get worse by 2012, but since its a Dem Senate and Rep House, Uncle Bama cant play the blame card as good.

I hear you, but don't at all think they'll be shy about using the blame card on just the House come 2012. They'll be using it as much as they currently use it with respect to the Bush years, and as much as they currently use the race card.

[The_War_Wagon]

KLIN - TON I was a pragmatist; he drifted middle. Der Kommissar Obamassar is a die hard idealogue. He will not budge, and will use executive fiat as necessary to get his way for the next 2 years.

The end of this hopeychangey insurrection will not be pretty... :(

[rubberneck]

It will get worse by 2012, but since its a Dem Senate and Rep House, Uncle Bama cant play the blame card as good.

I hope you are dead wrong. There are a shit load of good people who are really suffering right now. Many can't wait another two years for things to get better. I know I am doing much worse than I was two years ago despite working harder.

The prospect of facing another two shitty years just so the Republican party can grab the White House and screw the pooch again isn't a bright prospect. There is no Reagan on the horizon for the GOP. Of the candidates with the necessary experience (more than Obama's two years in the Senate) there isn't one that excites me. There are a bunch of young promising members of the GOP but none of them will be ready from prime time by 2012.

Pawlenty, Romney, Gingrich, Palin, Barbour, barf, barf and barf.

[chadbag]

Don't think that TSA would not have their hands all over rail travel if it became more mainstream and big.

The "China" bullet trains (ripped off from the Japanese and Germans) and stuff are fine and dandy when you have millions of people who have to travel once a year and cannot afford a car or to fly.

Except for a few areas, the US is too far spread out to be able to take advantage of a passenger rail network.

[THCDDM4]

At this point, I'm just hoping this country makes it as far as the 2012 election without imploding...

[jklaughrey]

Lets not forget many of those millions of Chinese commuters wear diapers because the amenities are severely lacking on China's trains. Maybe Oblammo can go ride one for a day at 150% capacity and attempt to find a place to squat and pee.

PS, the economy sucks, but we are still breathing. If your not taking fire it is a good day.

[Rmplstlskn]

KLIN - TON I was a pragmatist; he drifted middle. Der Kommissar Obamassar is a die hard idealogue. He will not budge, and will use executive fiat as necessary to get his way for the next 2 years.

The end of this hopeychangey insurrection will not be pretty... :(

Major +1...

He is nowhere near Clinton, he is a true-red believer and one who will have his "plausible denial" Mandarins execute his insurgency from behind AGENCY and COMMISSION curtains. A Saul Alinsky prophet...

These next two years and some months will be VERY DANGEROUS for our Republic... I truly believe he does things to PROVOKE the "right-wing" into armed rebellion (disgrace the national anthem, remove Creator from DoI, spend $$$ to India, etc...) so he can use government force to upsurp "Emergency" powers...

He is CAPABLE and WILLING, I do believe...

Rmpl

[Von Rheydt]

The only way rail travel is profitable or works in any capacity is huge population centers, countries full of poor people, and in places like Europe where they price auto travel out for enough people their only method of travel is public transportation. Lots of people over there simply cant afford to own a car or if they do they cant afford the gas. Just in Germany to get a license is around $2500.


On behalf of all of us poor, malnourished, deprived Europeans.

Rail travel is used because it is on time and clean. It is used mainly by commuters going to and from the office/workplace ................... oooh let me think, ah yes, a bit like all the poor people that commute into New York every day. Y'know, all those poor millionaire bankers that live in Connecticut and work in Manhatten.

Rail travel is also used by people travelling long distances because it is a viable alternative to air travel. personally I enjoy travelling by train from London to Paris .......... its quicker than all the hassle of flying. Then there is the alpine express that takes the poor skiers down to Switzerland. I also used to enjoy the trip from Dusseldorf down to Frankfurt, cos I missed the city traffic at my destination.

As for expensive driving schools. I'd rather see that than the driving test in the car park outside the DMV that takes all of 8 minutes............next pleaaaaaase. The car here is treated as if it drives itself, I see women yakking on the phone, balancing a coffee and putting their make-up on............all of which are reportable offences in Europe. 1 in 4 deaths on the roads is caused because a moron is on the phone, as I recall from the radio there is a fatal accident caused by moronic mobile phone usage every 6 minutes in Florida.

[Palmguy]

On behalf of all of us poor, malnourished, deprived Europeans.

Rail travel is used because it is on time and clean. It is used mainly by commuters going to and from the office/workplace ................... oooh let me think, ah yes, a bit like all the poor people that commute into New York every day. Y'know, all those poor millionaire bankers that live in Connecticut and work in Manhatten.

Rail travel is also used by people travelling long distances because it is a viable alternative to air travel. personally I enjoy travelling by train from London to Paris .......... its quicker than all the hassle of flying. Then there is the alpine express that takes the poor skiers down to Switzerland. I also used to enjoy the trip from Dusseldorf down to Frankfurt, cos I missed the city traffic at my destination.

As for expensive driving schools. I'd rather see that than the driving test in the car park outside the DMV that takes all of 8 minutes............next pleaaaaaase. The car here is treated as if it drives itself, I see women yakking on the phone, balancing a coffee and putting their make-up on............all of which are reportable offences in Europe. 1 in 4 deaths on the roads is caused because a moron is on the phone, as I recall from the radio there is a fatal accident caused by moronic mobile phone usage every 6 minutes in Florida.

Missed the point completely...but don't let me interrupt your "Europe is Great" rant...

[chadbag]

On behalf of all of us poor, malnourished, deprived Europeans.


To be fair, he never said that. He listed 3 places where rail travel works. He did not say that places where rail travel works conform to all three of his criteria. So he did not call Europeans poor and malnourished.



Rail travel is used because it is on time and clean. It is used mainly by commuters going to and from the office/workplace ................... oooh let me think, ah yes, a bit like all the poor people that commute into New York every day. Y'know, all those poor millionaire bankers that live in Connecticut and work in Manhatten.

Rail travel is also used by people travelling long distances because it is a viable alternative to air travel. personally I enjoy travelling by train from London to Paris .......... its quicker than all the hassle of flying. Then there is the alpine express that takes the poor skiers down to Switzerland. I also used to enjoy the trip from Dusseldorf down to Frankfurt, cos I missed the city traffic at my destination.



This was one of his criteria. He said "huge population centers" which I am expanding to "densely populated with relatively short distances between cities and towns."

Europe qualifies. The US does not except in certain areas like the DC to Boston route and a few other areas like some places in California.

I took a train (including couchette car) from Stockholm to a little place an hour outside of Stuttgart. This was about 20 years ago. It was terrible. Because it was basically 24 straight hours and two changes of train (once in Hamburg and once in Stuttgart). I would have flown if I could have afforded it. 24 hours sitting in a train (and except for the couchette car I was in 1st class compartments) is BORING and hard to take.

That is a shorter ride than SLC to Chicago on the current AMRACK "California Zephyr" and is a longer distance. The US is not dense enough in general to support major rail travel. Maybe it eventually will be, and some areas like DC to Boston are.





As for expensive driving schools. I'd rather see that than the driving test in the car park outside the DMV that takes all of 8 minutes............next pleaaaaaase. The car here is treated as if it drives itself, I see women yakking on the phone, balancing a coffee and putting their make-up on............all of which are reportable offences in Europe. 1 in 4 deaths on the roads is caused because a moron is on the phone, as I recall from the radio there is a fatal accident caused by moronic mobile phone usage every 6 minutes in Florida.

[Belmont31R]

On behalf of all of us poor, malnourished, deprived Europeans.

Rail travel is used because it is on time and clean. It is used mainly by commuters going to and from the office/workplace ................... oooh let me think, ah yes, a bit like all the poor people that commute into New York every day. Y'know, all those poor millionaire bankers that live in Connecticut and work in Manhatten.

Rail travel is also used by people travelling long distances because it is a viable alternative to air travel. personally I enjoy travelling by train from London to Paris .......... its quicker than all the hassle of flying. Then there is the alpine express that takes the poor skiers down to Switzerland. I also used to enjoy the trip from Dusseldorf down to Frankfurt, cos I missed the city traffic at my destination.

As for expensive driving schools. I'd rather see that than the driving test in the car park outside the DMV that takes all of 8 minutes............next pleaaaaaase. The car here is treated as if it drives itself, I see women yakking on the phone, balancing a coffee and putting their make-up on............all of which are reportable offences in Europe. 1 in 4 deaths on the roads is caused because a moron is on the phone, as I recall from the radio there is a fatal accident caused by moronic mobile phone usage every 6 minutes in Florida.




Chad pretty much said it but Europe has a lot denser population, and the areas of travel are much smaller than here. One European country is as big as a state here in many cases.


Areas like NYC benefit from mass transit because you have several million people crammed on top of each other. Everyone driving a car would not work. It would take a day just to get from one side of the city to the other. In those cases things like u-bahn's work.


Drivers are worse here but the cost of driving in Europe is prohibitive to almost everyone being able to own a car and drive where they please. All the Germans were pissed at us that I talked to because our AAFES gas station sold the same gas they bought but we were getting it for ~$2 a gallon while they were paying 1-1.5 Euros per liter.


The rail system in Europe is pretty good. Not only was I stationed in Germany for over 3 years but my best friend and I went to Europe for 6 weeks after HS, and had rail passes we went all over the place on. Ive traveled thousands of miles on their rail system. They are convenient but if your trip is over a few hours you're better off trying to fly. Those long over night trips on the trains get old, and especially as a foreign traveler we ran into all kinds of people who weren't too friendly. While I was stationed there I also took the trains quite a bit.


I do not think that system would work here, and not have to be heavily subsidized. It would cost over a trillion easy to build as extensive of passenger rail system here as they have there, and the system would have to be heavily subsidized to keep running. Not to mention all those rail employees would form a union, and we'd be in a huge debt hole that would make the teachers and other public pensions pale in comparison. America is just too spread out except in the big cities, and too many people own cars here. Like I mentioned earlier they just put in a commuter rail system here in the Austin area, and every time I see the train its mostly empty. They are basically using tens of millions in tax dollars to fund a system few people use but these sorts of things are always touchy feely do gooder liberal projects that never live up to expectations, and end up costing way more than projected.

[Armati]

Also keep in mind that many European cities were in great disrepair at the end of WWII. Europe was rebuilt, with a lot of help from the US. Most of Europe was rebuilt thru a lot of central planning and communitarianism.

America, on the other hand, only grew it's infrastructure and post-war America was largely suburbanized as returning GI's were given an education, a job, home loan, and a choice between Buick Imperial and a DeSoto Suburban. Europe didn't get this deal. In 1947 Italy was still trying to make the trains run on time.

American and Europe are different because we have been built on different foundations. Things that seem to work well in Europe may not work well at all in the US because we have a fundamentally different architecture.

[Von Rheydt]

Drivers are worse here but the cost of driving in Europe is prohibitive to almost everyone being able to own a car and drive where they please. All the Germans were pissed at us that I talked to because our AAFES gas station sold the same gas they bought but we were getting it for ~$2 a gallon while they were paying 1-1.5 Euros per liter.


I benefitted from subsidised petrol too whilst in Germany. However, nowadays in Germany I pay full price as I have always done in the UK. I can honestly say that after 6 months here comparing the cost of motoring between here and the UK there is no difference. I know this because my wife keeps accounts accurate to the penny.

Insurance is far cheaper in the UK and Germany, as all civilised European countries are meant to be comparable that should carry across the whole of europe.

Whilst petrol is more expensive the most popular car sold in europe is not the F150, as it is here. Europeans drive more eonomical cars and the price vs. MPG balances out ........... honest. So petrol wise we are about equal..........double honest.


The rail system in Europe is pretty good. Not only was I stationed in Germany for over 3 years but my best friend and I went to Europe for 6 weeks after HS, and had rail passes we went all over the place on. Ive traveled thousands of miles on their rail system. They are convenient but if your trip is over a few hours you're better off trying to fly. Those long over night trips on the trains get old, and especially as a foreign traveler we ran into all kinds of people who weren't too friendly. While I was stationed there I also took the trains quite a bit.

Firstly my hat is off to you. Many US troops I met simply hid around the base area during their entire tour in Germany. Which is sad as they missed opportunities to see some truly interesting places.

You have to know which trains to take. Many of them are not much different to a bus service on rails stopping at every staion they come to. There are faster more comfortable cross country and cross border trains.

I used to have a 911 in Germany, overpaid soldier;), and the wife had a Ford XR3. At weekends though if we were travelling around sightseeing we would generally use the train as it meant not having to deal with city centre parking and traffic problems.

Even recently in the UK it would take me 40 minutes to drive into London. But when I could not park in Duke of Yorks Barracks anymore it became a pain. Therefore family outings to London were done on the train, as did everyone else we knew.

Its actually more expensive to travel by train than it is to travel by road.

[Belmont31R]

I benefitted from subsidised petrol too whilst in Germany. However, nowadays in Germany I pay full price as I have always done in the UK. I can honestly say that after 6 months here comparing the cost of motoring between here and the UK there is no difference. I know this because my wife keeps accounts accurate to the penny.

Insurance is far cheaper in the UK and Germany, as all civilised European countries are meant to be comparable that should carry across the whole of europe.

Whilst petrol is more expensive the most popular car sold in europe is not the F150, as it is here. Europeans drive more eonomical cars and the price vs. MPG balances out ........... honest. So petrol wise we are about equal..........double honest.


Exactly. The cost of vehicle ownership over there means many people can only afford small compacts. I mentioned that earlier in that the average European drives either a diesel or small compact car such as a smart car.



Firstly my hat is off to you. Many US troops I met simply hid around the base area during their entire tour in Germany. Which is sad as they missed opportunities to see some truly interesting places.

You have to know which trains to take. Many of them are not much different to a bus service on rails stopping at every staion they come to. There are faster more comfortable cross country and cross border trains.

I used to have a 911 in Germany, overpaid soldier;), and the wife had a Ford XR3. At weekends though if we were travelling around sightseeing we would generally use the train as it meant not having to deal with city centre parking and traffic problems.

Even recently in the UK it would take me 40 minutes to drive into London. But when I could not park in Duke of Yorks Barracks anymore it became a pain. Therefore family outings to London were done on the train, as did everyone else we knew.

Its actually more expensive to travel by train than it is to travel by road.



You have to figure in the majority of the US mil are 18-22 year olds who have been away from home for the first time. Would the same be true of a european mil stationed in the US for the first time? Probably.

I was lucky in that Id already been to Europe twice...once after HS as mentioned and once when I was 13 visiting my family in holland...Im only 2nd gen US. Anyways I do firmly believe between the gas prices and denstity of Europe road travel is much more subdued there than here.

One thing Im curuious about is how much the rail system over there is subsidized like AMTRAK is. Almost every single route AMTRAK runs is run on a negative balance meaning the feds (owners) have to supply subsidies to them paid out of general tax dollars.


Id actually like a similar rail system here because it has its benefits but theres no way to do it without huge tax dollar subsidies which Im firmly against. If there was a way to have a profitable rail system here a private company would already be building it. At present the only way mass transit rail projects keep the lights on is taxing other people to pay for a few to use the rail.

[Belmont31R]

Oh I forgot to mention on the OP Obama pulled the random person "sob story" routine. Why is it when dems need to pass something they pull some random sob story out of their ass, and use that as a means to pass their pet projects?





" I just read a letter from Gloria who is confronting bankruptcy because she cant affort her cancer treatment. Im confronted by stories like this all the time, and is why Im pushing for comprehensive health care reform. Do we want to go back to the days when people were denied care for pre-existing conditions?"



**** yes I do. I was able to afford at least basic coverage for my family before rates went up 30%. At this point Id rather take my chances than pay 750-1k for the same coverage I could get 3 years ago for 400-500. I dont give a **** about Gloria's pre existing conditions. Maybe I should go buy a beater car, and tell my car insurance company I want a Porsche because my car had pre-existing conditions that made it a crappy car. I deserve a nice ride and I dont give a **** what it costs other people as long mine's is taken care of. Auto insurance should go to 1k a month and then everyone can drive BMWs, Mercedes and Porsches. It would be like a utopian dream where everyone has everything in their lives covered. They want to travel. We got that shit covered with tax subsidized transport. You got 500k worth of medical needs? We got that shit covered too!

[M4arc]

Is it possible that he may have been watching MSNBC, lastnight?

They were in denial as well.

Or CNN. Anderson Pooper is so furious his head might explode.

[500grains]

Maybe President Obummer will go into African dictator overdrive by declaring martial law, arresting the Supreme Court, dismissing Congress, seizing key industrial assets (that he has not already taken), setting prices, and then unleashing his brown shirt Hitler youth goons on us.


...

[GermanSynergy]

Chris Matthews blamed white males w/o a college degree for the defeat of the Dems....:rolleyes:

[chadbag]

Insurance is far cheaper in the UK and Germany, as all civilised European countries are meant to be comparable that should carry across the whole of europe.



When I lived in Germany and purchased automobile insurance (1991-93) it was not any cheaper than my US insurance had been. Not at all. I don't remember the details but my impression was that it was more expensive but I could be misremembering but it was not any cheaper. The German company I was with (HUK-Coburg) did accept a letter from my US coverage about my existing claims and they did give me a comparable discount too. That was nice.

Overall motoring costs for me were much more expensive due to the higher price of gasoline. I drove 50 miles each way to work and it was expensive (gas, insurance, very expensive every other year safety inspection at the TüV, high cost of things like oil changes, etc.) But the train was more expensive (for me). I looked into it. I would have had to drive to the train station (and probably pay for parking) or take a bus to the train station (probably a good 30 min trip by bus at least), take the train, then take a subway or S-Bahn. And timewise I would have been underway for twice as long each way. ( I lived in a village named Essenbach in the Landkreis of Landshut -- 20 min drive into Landshut city center so I was not your typical commuter -- I drove to Munich to work in the NE corner of Munich called Johanneskirchen IIRC at Digital Equipment GmbH (German subsidiary of DEC, RIP).

While the cost of commuting was higher than living in Munich (though that was not cheap to get a monthly S-Bahn and U-Bahn pass), I made up for it by having a rent that was 1/2 the price of a flat in Munich for a good sized flat, out in the countryside.

I did not have to pay for parking (company parking lot) nor did I have any toll roads or anything.

[Bolt_Overide]

Id pay real money to see a video of the majority leader wearing a t-shirt that says " PWNT, WHAT NOW FAGNERDS?!"

[DragonDoc]

You forgot BAFTE.

QUOTE=500grains;803954]I hope the Republicans will de-fund:

Evironmental Protection Agency
OSHA
Department of Labor
Department of Agriculture
White House Czars
Department of Energy
National Public Radio
Department of Education
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Housing and Urban Development
National Endowment for the Arts
Public Broadcasting System

foreign aid except to a select 5 or 6 countries, and then only very targeted aid. No more free food, medicine, etc. International welfare is just as wrong as homeland welfare.[/QUOTE]

[Irish]

If rail was really a good way to travel some business would have already capitalized on it. The only way it will happen now is if local, state or the fed government's tax people and build it anyways. Thats not a way to operate a country, and adds yet another layer of spending that sucks money out of the economy that could be put to better use. Subsidies breed inefficiency because it almost always alters what would have been the normal course of economics. Just like ethanol being forced into gas to subsidize farmers. Now our gas is less efficient, it ruins small engines, and the cost of corn products goes up. There is a reason trains for human transportation outside of AMTRAK and other gov run operations are mostly just novelties anymore.

Just a little history... The Great Northern did just what you're talking about, the only privately funded railroad to be built in the U.S., pretty interesting history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Northern_Railway_(U.S.). There's a lot more to it than that article and our government gave out millions in subsidies to the competition, who were both money pits and failures from the beginning, which made it impossible to compete due to not having an even playing field. More proof that .Gov can't compete with the private industry. Do some Googling for more info, it's pretty interesting, I first read about it in Unintended Consequences many years ago.

[skyugo]

I couldn't agree more.

It's time to be smart and to show some real leadership. Unfortunately, the left will portray this as Republicans being nothing more than obstructionists.

well they can say that if they want, but that's what they were hired to do.

I duno why obama looks so butt-hurt in the newspaper today, he said he wanted to work with republicans :D

[Belmont31R]

well they can say that if they want, but that's what they were hired to do.

I duno why obama looks so butt-hurt in the newspaper today, he said he wanted to work with republicans :D





He said the same thing in 2008/2009. Then once he got elected with a super majority in the senate, and control of the house it turned to "We won", R's gotta sit in the back, his "enemies" comment (just 2 weeks ago), during the health care shit they didn't adopt a single republican idea into the bill that passed, ect. Basically they ignored and derided republicans for the last 2 years. During his election remember all the talk about bipartisanship and transparency? Yeah that went out the window as soon as he took the oath.


Any talk from this man boy is just talk. He doesn't have any real notion of sitting down at a table and working with them. How can you go from 2 weeks ago telling us to sit in the back and calling us enemies to wanting to work with us? You can't. If that was a concern of his the tone he has had for the last 2 years would have been a complete 180 from what he actually did.


My guess is he isn't going to budge much on anything, and then blame the House for his failed first time. Aside from his constant cheap shots his presidency is marked by not taking ownership of any failiures, lack of action, results, ect. Even during his speech he said the economy wasn't his fault. The "Summer of Recovery" was a complete failure yet the lack of results isn't his fault.



He is a con man, liar, narcissist, and an empty suit. All his talking points are complete lies like the stimulus kept the country out of a depression, health care reform they passed would lower costs, ect. Everything is based on lies and distortions of the truth.


Its going to take a decade for the full impact of just the last 2 years to come out, the truth heard, and he will be known as a failure like Jimmy Carter to all except the most hard core lefties out there.

[Left Sig]

Obama is in denial, and not nearly as intelligent as the left claims. I'm waiting for someone to pay enough money to get his college transcripts. They will show he was an average student at best.

As for trains, one of the problems in the US is that we subsidize the trucking industry tremendously. The gov't builds the roads with fuel taxes imposed on everyone, but the big trucks do 1000 times more damage to the roads than passenger cars. If the trucks paid their share of the highway upkeep costs, they would be less economical and rail would look better. Railway companies have to maintain their own tracks, which is expensive.

That said, our air travel systems beats the train any day. It's much more efficient. Why replace newer more efficient technology with older technology just because Europe uses it? That's like telling countries that went straight to cellular phones that they need to build land lines instead because that's how the US did it.

I took Amtrak from NYC to Indianapolis once and it took over 20 hours. I could have done that trip more quickly (and have) by car.