"By the time the Trans Texas Corridor is built, no one will be able to afford to drive on it."
Comment: Build rail lines, not more highways
06/04/2006 12:00
Michael McWilliams
San Antonio Express-News
Copyright 2006
Gov. Rick Perry's Trans Texas Corridor idea is almost right, but who will be able to afford gasoline or diesel in five, 10 or 50 years?
Let's think about the generations to come and leave a legacy we can be proud of.
In light of escalating fuel prices, the last thing we need is to build more highways. By the time the Trans Texas Corridor is built, no one will be able to afford to drive on it.
Instead, let's build and expand on the idea of the rail system. Create and have people ride the TEX (Texas EXpress).
Create a quick and efficient rail system to move people between major cities via the TEX and create “feeder” lines to get people to those major lines.
Have people spend their hard-earned dollars on something other than gasoline.
That is a tough pill to swallow here in Texas, but as President Bush said, it is time to quit relying on foreign oil, not to mention getting scalped by speculators and oil barons.
If we have an efficient and reliable rail system and a natural disaster hits, who cares? There will be that much more money to spend on rebuilding instead of the price-gouged cost of gasoline.
If some lunatics in a foreign land decide they want to blow up their country's primary source of income, who cares?
The Amtrak system is a joke. Do you know anyone who has ridden on Amtrak?
Did you know it takes about eight hours to get to Dallas via Amtrak?
Come on. I did that in my car on a Wednesday before Thanksgiving because of traffic. That's an average of 35 mph on Interstate 35, and it will only get worse.
Perhaps the real issue, Mr. Bush and Mr. Perry, is if this rail system was built, what would the impact be to the $3 billion annually brought in from motor fuel taxes alone? Perhaps Bush did not mean what he said about finding alternate ways.
Bush, Perry and the Texas lawmakers who are in their roles to shape the future of Texas need to be leaders and show the nation that the great state of Texas can and will adapt.
Michael McWilliams of San Antonio, whose career expertise is in the software field, was born in Africa, was in the military in Europe, spent 10 years in Iowa and has lived most of his life in Texas.
© 2006 San Antonio Express-News: www.mysanantonio.com
06/04/2006 12:00
Michael McWilliams
San Antonio Express-News
Copyright 2006
Gov. Rick Perry's Trans Texas Corridor idea is almost right, but who will be able to afford gasoline or diesel in five, 10 or 50 years?
Let's think about the generations to come and leave a legacy we can be proud of.
In light of escalating fuel prices, the last thing we need is to build more highways. By the time the Trans Texas Corridor is built, no one will be able to afford to drive on it.
Instead, let's build and expand on the idea of the rail system. Create and have people ride the TEX (Texas EXpress).
Create a quick and efficient rail system to move people between major cities via the TEX and create “feeder” lines to get people to those major lines.
Have people spend their hard-earned dollars on something other than gasoline.
That is a tough pill to swallow here in Texas, but as President Bush said, it is time to quit relying on foreign oil, not to mention getting scalped by speculators and oil barons.
If we have an efficient and reliable rail system and a natural disaster hits, who cares? There will be that much more money to spend on rebuilding instead of the price-gouged cost of gasoline.
If some lunatics in a foreign land decide they want to blow up their country's primary source of income, who cares?
The Amtrak system is a joke. Do you know anyone who has ridden on Amtrak?
Did you know it takes about eight hours to get to Dallas via Amtrak?
Come on. I did that in my car on a Wednesday before Thanksgiving because of traffic. That's an average of 35 mph on Interstate 35, and it will only get worse.
Perhaps the real issue, Mr. Bush and Mr. Perry, is if this rail system was built, what would the impact be to the $3 billion annually brought in from motor fuel taxes alone? Perhaps Bush did not mean what he said about finding alternate ways.
Bush, Perry and the Texas lawmakers who are in their roles to shape the future of Texas need to be leaders and show the nation that the great state of Texas can and will adapt.
Michael McWilliams of San Antonio, whose career expertise is in the software field, was born in Africa, was in the military in Europe, spent 10 years in Iowa and has lived most of his life in Texas.
© 2006 San Antonio Express-News:
posted by Porkus Maximus Tex: at Sunday, June 04, 2006
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