What did Obama know, and when did he know it?

[molson_golden2002]

Amtrack is underfunded and funding has been reduced. If it was well funded it would run much better

[Adam]

So one would wonder why he's still on the air, if no-one listens. Also why Colin Powell. coincidentally, made the statement reported yesterday that people need to stop listening to Rush Limbaugh and people like him.

I applaud Powell for that statement......Limbaugh's hateful rantings aren't even close to what conservatives believe and do nothing but undermine them. He is nothing but poison to their agenda

[stinky finger]

I applaud Powell for that statement......Limbaugh's hateful rantings aren't even close to what conservatives believe and do nothing but undermine them. He is nothing but poison to their agenda

Amen.....it's Glenn Beck or bust for me.

[blzrul]

I applaud Powell for that statement......Limbaugh's hateful rantings aren't even close to what conservatives believe and do nothing but undermine them. He is nothing but poison to their agenda

EXACTLY. They've used this divide-and-conquer for about 20 years now and it's just got to stop. People are tired of it, and it cost them the election in 2008.

[OCinBuffalo]

Amtrack is underfunded and funding has been reduced. If it was well funded it would run much better

That's interesting: since conductors make between $18-35 an hour with all the standard union scale/seniority stuff, benefits etc. (I know because they told me while they were bitching, of all things). Engineers make even more, I know because one dated the girl who lived downstairs from me. He reveled in getting paid so much to do so little. I reveled in the fact that he liked to spend big at the bar.

 

Are you suggesting they take a pay cut? Or that the union wages/seniority are removed in favor of bonuses based on performance?

 

How about the guy who I can only assume is a "manager", would put my train on the wrong track once a month at minimum, leading to the inevitable getting to Trenton, realizing the mistake, and riding backwards to Philly? One time we made it all the way to Newark, and they wouldn't let us take the PATH. That was fun riding all the way back. Nothing like 3 extra hours for exactly zero good reason.

 

Do you think he's going to make a better choice if he get's paid more? I mean, there's essentially two choices, the track on the right or the left. Do you think that adding $5 an hour is going to suddenly make this guy figure out his right from his left?

 

And finally, the one and only time I took AMTRAK longer than NYC to DC, I ended up being 10 hours late. On the way back the train killed a guy, so I guess they get a pass for making me an entire day late. Yeah, a whole day.

[OCinBuffalo]

EXACTLY. They've used this divide-and-conquer for about 20 years now and it's just got to stop. People are tired of it, and it cost them the election in 2008.

I can't wait to see reasonable Democrats do the exact opposite and show some true and thoughtful leadership that takes the good of the entire country into account, not just their campaign contributors. That would be something. Of course the operative words there are reasonable, and Democrat, not Crazy and Leftist.

 

Any word on when the Race and/or Gay card will be taken out of play? How about the "all rich people didn't earn it" card? Also, what's the timetable for withdrawal of the "America is a bad country because we said so" or the "wealthy (mostly Northeast) liberal guilt, who definitely didn't earn it" mindset? Finally, when can we expect an end to the "there's a consensus on man-made Global warming, although 1000s of scientists fervently disagree(650 just came out and said it again), and anyone who denies it = Holocaust denier" nonsense?

 

You get rid of all the silly things above and you have a decent chance of uniting the country. Because all of the things above have been the "divide-and-conquer" stuff that has been going on for 20 years, and I am sick of it as well. You've got your work cut out for you to be sure. But there's always hope....

[molson_golden2002]

That's interesting: since conductors make between $18-35 an hour with all the standard union scale/seniority stuff, benefits etc. (I know because they told me while they were bitching, of all things). Engineers make even more, I know because one dated the girl who lived downstairs from me. He reveled in getting paid so much to do so little. I reveled in the fact that he liked to spend big at the bar.

 

Are you suggesting they take a pay cut? Or that the union wages/seniority are removed in favor of bonuses based on performance?

 

How about the guy who I can only assume is a "manager", would put my train on the wrong track once a month at minimum, leading to the inevitable getting to Trenton, realizing the mistake, and riding backwards to Philly? One time we made it all the way to Newark, and they wouldn't let us take the PATH. That was fun riding all the way back. Nothing like 3 extra hours for exactly zero good reason.

 

Do you think he's going to make a better choice if he get's paid more? I mean, there's essentially two choices, the track on the right or the left. Do you think that adding $5 an hour is going to suddenly make this guy figure out his right from his left?

 

And finally, the one and only time I took AMTRAK longer than NYC to DC, I ended up being 10 hours late. On the way back the train killed a guy, so I guess they get a pass for making me an entire day late. Yeah, a whole day.

Pay for employess is hardly the only expenses a major railroad has to pay. Any business needs capital. If it doesn't have enough it doesn't run well. It's that simple

[OCinBuffalo]

Pay for employess is hardly the only expenses a major railroad has to pay. Any business needs capital. If it doesn't have enough it doesn't run well. It's that simple

Again ever heard of ECON 110? How about FIN 215? Capital is nothing compared to revenue. Sure I have to have a decent war chest, but the size of it and how fast I can grow has a lot more to do with how much I sell rather than how much is handed to me by an investor. Besides, do you have any idea the amount of $$$ that was thrown at AMTRAK for Acela? Only to have them deliver it 5 years behind schedule, over-budget by 80-100%, and only recently able to hit the promised performance specs?

 

Where I come from that gets you fired as a project manager. Interestingly all the top guys got raises and bonuses. So, I guess that's "running it like a business"-->well, a wall street business or a auto manufacturer, if you want to use the word "business" loosely.

[Adam]

I can't wait to see reasonable Democrats do the exact opposite and show some true and thoughtful leadership that takes the good of the entire country into account, not just their campaign contributors. That would be something. Of course the operative words there are reasonable, and Democrat, not Crazy and Leftist.

 

Any word on when the Race and/or Gay card will be taken out of play? How about the "all rich people didn't earn it" card? Also, what's the timetable for withdrawal of the "America is a bad country because we said so" or the "wealthy (mostly Northeast) liberal guilt, who definitely didn't earn it" mindset? Finally, when can we expect an end to the "there's a consensus on man-made Global warming, although 1000s of scientists fervently disagree(650 just came out and said it again), and anyone who denies it = Holocaust denier" nonsense?

 

You get rid of all the silly things above and you have a decent chance of uniting the country. Because all of the things above have been the "divide-and-conquer" stuff that has been going on for 20 years, and I am sick of it as well. You've got your work cut out for you to be sure. But there's always hope....

Anyone who denies the Holocaust is an absolute piece of trash.

 

As far as thew withdrawl, it can't happen soon enough- the war was EXACTLY what AL Quaeda wanted and we played right into our hands- they wanted to fight us over there and they wanted us to set up house of cards democracies.

[DC Tom]

Where I come from that gets you fired as a project manager. Interestingly all the top guys got raises and bonuses. So, I guess that's "running it like a business"-->well, a wall street business or a auto manufacturer, if you want to use the word "business" loosely.

 

Actually, that's running it like a government program. My project, right now, is two years behind and 400% over budget, and the managers got a bonus in November for "meeting their goals".

 

Business, even Wall Street and Detroit, have far more accountability than that.

[RI Bills Fan]

Actually, that's running it like a government program. My project, right now, is two years behind and 400% over budget, and the managers got a bonus in November for "meeting their goals".

 

Business, even Wall Street and Detroit, have far more accountability than that.

 

I must not be working for the right contractor. The last Submarine we delivered was 8 months ahead of schedule and 86 million under budget. All we got was tighter timelines and 200 million off the price for the next contract...

 

Plus a new union contract, and we're hiring 650 people in the next year...

[Wacka]

Plus a new union contract, and we're hiring 650 people in the next year...

 

Not with Obama cutting the budget.

[OCinBuffalo]

Actually, that's running it like a government program. My project, right now, is two years behind and 400% over budget, and the managers got a bonus in November for "meeting their goals".

 

Business, even Wall Street and Detroit, have far more accountability than that.

That would piss me off to no end. I admire your patience...or have you just given up on caring? I mean, that far gone? Your status meetings must be like the twilight zone.

 

Then again, maybe the opposite is true: the status meetings and the methodology meetings and the strategy meetings and the architecture meetings and the configuration meetings all run great, but you only get to actually do work about 1.5 hours of real work a week, and I bet those Gantt charts and time sheets are all pris-f'ing-stine. Continuous Improvement indeed. Been doing much planning to plan?

[OCinBuffalo]

Anyone who denies the Holocaust is an absolute piece of trash.

 

As far as thew withdrawl, it can't happen soon enough- the war was EXACTLY what AL Quaeda wanted and we played right into our hands- they wanted to fight us over there and they wanted us to set up house of cards democracies.

Did you even read my post? Let's try it again: Questioning, even denying, man made global warming until such time that there aren't 10,000 scientists who fervently say its BS not only isn't wrong, its the rational thing to do. I know this is a tough concept for many here to grasp, but it's called being objective.

 

It's called not falling for/actively joining up with whatever buffoonery comes along so that one can appear "committed" and "caring" or to find any excuse to be relevant, or because "your team" says so. And it certainly is NOT anywhere near denying Holocausts, in Germany, or Cambodia, or Viet Nam, or the former USSR for that matter.

 

And again, what does my post have to do with Iraq? Blzurl is talking about looking forward, not back.

[OCinBuffalo]

I must not be working for the right contractor. The last Submarine we delivered was 8 months ahead of schedule and 86 million under budget. All we got was tighter timelines and 200 million off the price for the next contract...

 

Plus a new union contract, and we're hiring 650 people in the next year...

Ahhhh, the big difference rears it's ugly head once again. The DOD actually was forced kicking and screaming to run things like a business all through the late 80's and early 90's, and now they get the job done far and away better than the other departments. Well, I guess it's probably better to say that they massively f things up a lot less often.

[RI Bills Fan]

Not with Obama cutting the budget.

 

Every time you open your mouth you reveal how little you actually know.

 

Typically Defense Contractors do 10-15% better under democratic administrations than they do under republican administrations.

 

So pardon me if I don't hold my breath waiting for your doom and gloom predictions (fantasies?) to come true.

[Adam]

Did you even read my post? Let's try it again: Questioning, even denying, man made global warming until such time that there aren't 10,000 scientists who fervently say its BS not only isn't wrong, its the rational thing to do. I know this is a tough concept for many here to grasp, but it's called being objective.

 

It's called not falling for/actively joining up with whatever buffoonery comes along so that one can appear "committed" and "caring" or to find any excuse to be relevant, or because "your team" says so. And it certainly is NOT anywhere near denying Holocausts, in Germany, or Cambodia, or Viet Nam, or the former USSR for that matter.

 

And again, what does my post have to do with Iraq? Blzurl is talking about looking forward, not back.

Didn't say you EVER said anything of the sort- I just saw it in your post and it pissed me off even seeing what an idiot said awhile back.....my bad, I should have clarified.

[StupidNation]

OMG, quit your whining already... P.S. We started attacking Bush as bad when he started talking about "edumacation" the moment he took office. And he gave us plenty of fodder....

 

P.S. That RW quote of a previous Axelrod comment was edited and is not fully what he said. He said the he "assumed", but leaving out a key word is easy to do with the Drudge/OXY Boy crowd.... That being said, forget about the economy, lets talk about something that has nothing to do with the Presidency, but a corrupt arrogant ILL Gov. Meanwhile, we are giving Billions away to Paulson who said "Trust Me." Now where is that bank liquidity Bush and he promised???? Talk about corruption.

 

Ok, I agree with you on this 100%, but your next statement puzzles me.

 

And in other news some goof from FLA has introduced a bill to privatize Amtrak... wonder who is paying him off... another Brain dead idea. Amtrak may not be perfect, but nothing like privatizing a well used public good to screw it up and make it unusable, while letting more corporate scoundrels steal from the American taxpayer.

 

You contradict yourself from the previous statement. If the government is so wonderful at screwing things up what makes you think that privatization is bad? Privatization is only bad when the gov't makes laws to benefit the corporation over the individual and gives them rights over others to stop competition and unfair advantages. Think of the Post Office when a company wanted to compete against it saying they would be cheaper, faster, and just wanted the opportunity to compete. The gov't wouldn't let them and took out all clocks out of Post Offices so people wouldn't complain about the inefficiency.

 

Ask yourself what got us in this mess to begin with and you'll realize quickly it was the gov't backing these ridiculous loans and decreasing risk to the investor to pawn them off. The gov't artificially lowered rates to fix the recession in 2001, now they are trying to reflate the bubble with more "liquidity" on bad loans and bad businesses. Gov't and business and gov't and socialism are birds of the same feather.

 

Follow the money boys.

Yes, you are right.