capltd29 wrote:DId you notice that he does his speeches in parts of the country that would not lose service under the Bush (un)plan, Detroit, Charlotte, Chicago (I believe). He is a thousand miles away from the Montanians that would lose service.
Why doesnt he go tell that old woman in Montana to her face that next time there is a major traffic disruption in Montana( due to weather or something) that she wont be able to get her cancer treatment, but that a New Yorker will get to work on time this morning!
Jon
Despite the "gloom" story that many pro-Amtrak groups like to cite, no Montanan would take Amtrak, or at least be solely dependent on Amtrak to receive cancer treatment.
First of all, any hospital that is in Montana and has the ability to provide most cancer treatments, is located in Billings, Great Falls, or Missoula. None of those communities have Amtrak service.
The most advanced hospital that is remotely close to Amtrak would be Kalispell Regional Medical Center, and it requires a $25 taxi ride from the Amtrak station in Whitefish (that's $25 one-way) since there is no bus service.
That leaves Minneapolis, Spokane, Seattle or Portland. Given that most of these people are probably on substantial drug therapies, they probably would not do well confined onboard any mode of transportation for very long. Amtrak is not a desirable option in this case.
Even if someone would ride Amtrak to Kalispell to the hospital, the train arrives at 9:00 PM, requiring the patient to spend at least two nights in a hotel, before catching an eastbound train leaving at 7:30 AM.
(And, most trauma cases, even those caused in run-of-the-mill auto accidents, are OFTEN airlifted to Seattle, Salt Lake City or Denver - even in the Kalispell area. Kalispell's ALERT helicopter (singular) is probably used more often on a daily basis than an ambulance in many towns.)
As for traffic disruption...well...it is a rare event that extreme snowfall shuts down any highway in Montana. Most people who live in Montana know how to deal with snow drifts and sudden snow storms. The Montana Department of Transportation spends MORE money on snow-fighting than it does on any other function, including pavement maintenance. The most common traffic tie-up in Montana is a slow moving piece of farm machinery.