No mention of trains in Obama's inaugural speech?

[george matthews]

in Obama's inaugural speech.
Therefore there is no clue to his likely policy on railways. He did mention roads and bridges and energy.

[gprimr1]

I got a letter from NARP that railroads had been axed out of his stimulus bill and to write your Congressmen to tell them to restore funding for rail projects.

[Terrapin Station]

in Obama's inaugural speech.
Therefore there is no clue to his likely policy on railways. He did mention roads and bridges and energy.

If it is any consolation, MSNBC did mention Amtrak (and Scranton!) when talking about Biden.

[Gilbert B Norman]

However we should note that Brian Williams made reference to that Vice President Biden "is an Amtrak fan and arranged for this reporter (Mr. Williams) to have a cab ride in their high speed Acela".

Be mindful that Amtrak is already one step ahead of the other "infrastructure" interests in that PRIIA 08 is enacted legislation. While of course it contains no specific appropriations, it does call for an Amtrak funding level some 30% higher than presently exists ($1.8B guideline less existing FY 08 $1.3 - 500M or 30% increase) - and no doubt most of that funding will find its way to infrastructure along Amtrak owned ROW's, i.e. Corridor.

But as Mr. Primrose noted above, the initiative for any legislation must come from Congress; at this time I'm certain President Obama is prepared to sign anything hitting his desk.

Incidentially and finally, it should be noted that President Obama became such while the Shaker melody "A Gift to be Simple a Gift to be Free' (often attributed incorrectly to Aaron Copeland - he was just one of many a borrower for several of his works) was being performed. Succession passes at 12N ET whether or not the oath has actually been completed.

[2nd trick op]

Gilbert B Norman wrote:

Incidentially and finally, it should be noted that President Obama became such while the Shaker melody "A Gift to be Simple a Gift to be Free' (often attributed incorrectly to Aaron Copeland - he was just one of many a borrower for several of his works) was being performed.

Well, just to elaborate a bit further, let's take note that that melody is the central theme of the "Appalachian Spring" or "Tender Land" suite, which my local PBS makes a point of playing, along with Beethoven's Sixth, on the first day of spring every year.

Politics aside, an exposure to the classics rounds us all out.

[mkellerm]

In any event, I'd consider that a rhetorical "roads" rather than a policy "roads". Inaugural addresses are rarely programmatic; for that, we'll have to wait until Obama's State of the Union (or budget address, which might substitute) in a few weeks.

[Gilbert B Norman]

Well, just to elaborate a bit further, let's take note that that melody is the central theme of the "Appalachian Spring" or "Tender Land" suite, which my local PBS makes a point of playing, along with Beethoven's Sixth, on the first day of spring every year.

And, Mr. Second Trick, let us add the 4th movement of Copeland's Symphony #3 to the compilation.

[buddah]

Well yes there was no mention of train, but I Believe Amtrak will get some good under the table funding. U know the story when a little kid has a mut dog he loves so much he will give him all the good scraps and half of his food under the table when Mom is not looking. Well Congress and the House are mom and dad, President Obama is the Kid, and Amtrak is the lovable mut that u cant resist, even when everyone tells you don't feed him anything extra over his kibbles and bits.

[AgentSkelly]

I think it would wise to assume that he will delegate Amtrak affairs to Biden who would know better. And I would bet you if you wrote the new president on the subject, he would tell you he did not leave it out either.

However, I do remember reading in this very forum that during Obama's campaign through Pennsylvania that he did mention he would like see the various AmShacks and other lousy platforms that are out there remodeled or replaced with better facilities.

[Kaback9]

I don't think we have to worry Amtrak will be around in 4 years, will it be the same who knows.

[Vincent]

Trains may not have been specifically mentioned in the speech, but consider several quotes that we did hear:

We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.

The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end.

The question isn't whether or not we should move forward with transforming transportation and mobility options, but how we move forward.

[george matthews]

Well yes there was no mention of train, but I Believe Amtrak will get some good under the table funding. U know the story when a little kid has a mut dog he loves so much he will give him all the good scraps and half of his food under the table when Mom is not looking. Well Congress and the House are mom and dad, President Obama is the Kid, and Amtrak is the lovable mut that u cant resist, even when everyone tells you don't feed him anything extra over his kibbles and bits.

I would hope he will act in a more rational fashion than that. His scientists will be telling him that he has to persuade people to use much less oil and coal. That implies a much greater use of public transport - its reinvention. Some kind of rail network is the logical consequence of that thinking. (Not necessarily the present network, or its expansion).

[MudLake]

Well yes there was no mention of train, but I Believe Amtrak will get some good under the table funding. U know the story when a little kid has a mut dog he loves so much he will give him all the good scraps and half of his food under the table when Mom is not looking. Well Congress and the House are mom and dad, President Obama is the Kid, and Amtrak is the lovable mut that u cant resist, even when everyone tells you don't feed him anything extra over his kibbles and bits.

So we've gone from the "most Amtrak-friendly administration in recent memory" (paraphrasing) to "table scraps"?

No matter where anyone is on the political spectrum, all of these declarations are meaningless right now. Let's come back in two years and then decide who's been "Amtrak-friendly" and who hasn't.

[NRGeep]

Well, just to elaborate a bit further, let's take note that that melody is the central theme of the "Appalachian Spring" or "Tender Land" suite, which my local PBS makes a point of playing, along with Beethoven's Sixth, on the first day of spring every year.

And, Mr. Second Trick, let us add the 4th movement of Copeland's Symphony #3 to the compilation.

And here is a short excerpt from modern classical composer Steve Reich's 'Different Trains' : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd1Hx0vZIDE (what this may or may not relate to the new President's Amtrak policy is unknown).

[Gilbert B Norman]

Yesterday, The New York Times noted the sentiment that severzal preceeding posts have expressed:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/po ... works.html

Brief passage;

• But proponents of mass transit, which has had a significant increase in riders in recent years, even as the recession is forcing many major transit systems to reduce service — had hoped that much more money would be devoted to transit projects.
  
  Phineas Baxandall, a senior analyst for tax and budget policy at the United States Public Interest Research Group, a liberal advocacy organization, noted that highways still stood to get three times as much aid as rail and transit systems.
  
  “Money included to modernize and expand public transportation networks will put thousands to work while reducing our nation’s dependence on oil, traffic congestion, and global warming pollution,” Mr. Baxandall said. The demand for more public transportation has been evident recently. Voters authorized spending more money on mass transit and rail projects in local ballot measures last November. Californians voted to authorize $10 billion in borrowing to begin bringing high-speed rail to the land of the freeway

Being the exceptionally intelligent individual he has already shown the world that he is (and there is no sarcasm whatever in this statement), President Obama know that what legislation he gets to enact into law is what the Congress offers him. Simply that his own party controls both houses (OK, so the Senate is not completely filibuster proof; but all that is needed is one or two "moderate' Republicans - remember they are not all disciples of Sean Hannity - after allowing a colleague of theirs to 'blow his wind' for a few hours, will join the Democratic majority in a Cloture motion) is no antidote to ensure he has crafted every piece of legislation.

Somewhere I noted a remark of President Obama in which he stated Stevie Wonder is his favorite musician. I think he should also be prepared to have the Rolling Stones on his I-Pod;