1. Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

Because a good poll discussion was pre-maturely shut down

Discussion in 'Political Debate & Discussion' started by HeirofSalvation, Feb 12, 2013.

?
  1. He should vote yes, many reasons that will help the whole country

    33.3%
  2. He should vote no if it does not help his State/Commonwealth

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  3. He should vote based on what his constituents want

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  4. He should vote according to how it will help him in running for re-election

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  5. He should vote yes if it will help people in his State/Commonwealth

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  6. Such a scenario would not be helpful for anyone in the country

    16.7%
  7. Other Answer

    50.0%
  1. HeirofSalvation

    HeirofSalvation Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2012
    Messages:
    2,838
    Likes Received:
    128
    Suppose a few congressmen wanted to start a high speed AMTRAK line from Washington, DC to Los Angeles. The only stops would be Charleston, WV; Louisville, Ky; St. Louis,MO; Oklahoma City; Amarillo, Tx; Albuquerque, NM, Phoenix,AZ and LA.

    If this was approved - only residents in nine States/Commonwealths would be affected. For arguments sake, lets say that would be 12% of the US population.

    On the positive side - the defenders would say we need a national rail line in the event that planes are again grounded ( either mechanical or another "11 Sep), trains can be more cost efficient, thousands of jobs will be created for the building of the rails, as well as the impact on the local community, and then the employment of those to work on the train, ect, ect, ect.....

    Lets say the only disadvantage is that this train would only be of value to a small number of people.

    So, how should a congressman vote?
    ( as listed in the poll)

    For the sake of argument, this question is posted to assume it is Constitutional. If you believe otherwise, please feel free to explain. I am just trying to find a good example about the reasoning behind the way a congressman should vote.
     
    #1 HeirofSalvation, Feb 12, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 12, 2013
  2. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2006
    Messages:
    52,013
    Likes Received:
    3,649
    Faith:
    Baptist
    How is the question of whether or not it is constitutional not a good reasoning behind how one should vote?
     
  3. HeirofSalvation

    HeirofSalvation Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2012
    Messages:
    2,838
    Likes Received:
    128
    It is, of course a good reason...please feel free to vote other and suggest whether or not you believe it to be Constitutional. I don't personally think it to be un-constitutional, but I'm open to someone explaining otherwise. This thread is essentially based upon the assumption that it is...But if you feel it isn't, than feel free to suggest as much. I changed the text of the OP...
     
    #3 HeirofSalvation, Feb 12, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 12, 2013
  4. LadyEagle

    LadyEagle <b>Moderator</b> <img src =/israel.gif>

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2002
    Messages:
    22,028
    Likes Received:
    1
    Dear Heir: The other poll was shut down at the request of the person who posted the original post.

    Now on your poll, I cannot vote in your poll. You have not provided a choice that I can click, just as I could not vote in the previous poll. But, in case you haven't heard, our nation is broke. There is no money for a high speed railroad. They tried that out west. It was a waste of money. A total waste of tax dollars. Besides the fact that we are broke and the high speed rail is a waste of tax dollars, there are other considerations. You know we have an EPA that is out of control and the environmentalists are out of hand. By the time all of the environmental impact studies are done, it will be years, if not decades, to get approved (more waste of tax dollars) and your high speed rail of today will be yesterday's technology by the time it is built. This is akin to a bridge to nowhere and the pork laden Sandy bill.
     
  5. Don

    Don Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Oct 7, 2000
    Messages:
    11,048
    Likes Received:
    321
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Error #1 - job creation. In the long view, the jobs created to build such a railway are "temporary"; it may take them years to build it, but once it's done, those jobs go away, and the workers will have to search out new jobs.

    Error #2 - spending the money, man-power, and resources of an entire nation for something that will only benefit a few ... how will this benefit the entire group in the long view? If it doesn't, then how can it be of any real benefit to the nation?

    Error #3 - Using a justification like "we need a national rail line in case planes are grounded" would indicate that the rail system will have more than just a few terminal stops ... which we already know, from your description, that it doesn't; it would also indicate that the rail would be of use to many, many people in such a case ... but the description indicates it's only of benefit to a few.

    Before I say "Error #4", someone educate me: Is AMTRAK in the business of hauling cargo? I thought they were primarily passenger-based? In which case, I'd have to say the current railroads are quite capable of taking over should the planes stop flying. I mean, there's at least one cargo train a night passing practically through my backyard.

    And with that many errors sticking out to me right off the bat, I'd have to say a resounding NO. If it's paid for by ALL of us, then it needs to be of benefit to ALL of us.
     
  6. HeirofSalvation

    HeirofSalvation Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2012
    Messages:
    2,838
    Likes Received:
    128
     
  7. HeirofSalvation

    HeirofSalvation Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2012
    Messages:
    2,838
    Likes Received:
    128
    Agreed...but the problem isn't so much that they are "temporary" jobs...since the job of maintaining such a monstrosity WILL create permanent jobs as well. And similarly, there are always good and necessarry jobs which are by definition "temporary" such as every construction "job" extant. The problem is more that it would be an economically zero-to-negative-sum gain for the economy as a whole since any "jobs" are essentially "created" by the tax-payer and filtered through government...Ultimately, it results in merely the re-allocation of actual wealth FROM one sector TO another...that does not increase the over-all Gross Domestic Product at all.
    I agree...so vote option #6 ( as I did) it reads: Such a scenario would not be helpful for anyone in the country
    Agreed....hence option #6 Moreover...the inter-state high-way system (which already exists) was put in place for precisely that reason....that scenario is already covered.
    To my knowledge....AMTRAK does not haul cargo...yet one more reason for their insolvency...Hence, the transportation of individuals in a "National Emergency" is not critical.
    That's why there is option 6...you have not "clicked" it.
     
  8. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2006
    Messages:
    52,013
    Likes Received:
    3,649
    Faith:
    Baptist
    It is not constitutional. Nothing in the constitution provides for this. The more laws we pass, the less money and freedom we have.
     
  9. blackbird

    blackbird Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2002
    Messages:
    11,898
    Likes Received:
    4

    Just as easy to bomb a rail line as it would be to ground the airlines!! Ask the Germans!!
     
  10. Squire Robertsson

    Squire Robertsson Administrator
    Administrator

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2000
    Messages:
    15,371
    Likes Received:
    2,405
    Faith:
    Baptist
    As i noted on the other thread:

    Folks, please remember, the transcontinental railroad was built with massive federal subsidies in both money and land. Today it's not a whole lot different.
     
  11. HeirofSalvation

    HeirofSalvation Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2012
    Messages:
    2,838
    Likes Received:
    128
    True...but we don't derive an "ought" from an "is"..

    It is true that the "Trans-continental Railroad" was fashioned thus...but that doesn't mean they were "right" to do so...or that they "ought" to have done so.

    REV...believes it is un-constitutional wholesale...

    I don't..but, at the same time, I know that Abe Lincoln signed the "Trans-Continental Railroad" into law, and "HONEST ABE" may have been the MOST un-constitutional president to date...in his era. Whatever Abe was. being overly constitutional is NOT something he gets regularly accused of.

    So...we don't derive "oughts" from any "is"..
     
  12. HeirofSalvation

    HeirofSalvation Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2012
    Messages:
    2,838
    Likes Received:
    128
    Two things I would LOVE to see discussed here:
    1.) Squire (I assume) not only thinks that this is a Constitutionally viable idea...but, also a presumably positive one

    I would like to hear what he has to say about it

    2.) While I am of the opinion that this is NOT a "wise" idea...or a good one for the country writ large...I don't claim that it is strictly "un-Constitutional"...as Rev contends.

    I would love to hear BOTH Squire's arguments about how it is a practical and good thing for the country.

    I would also like to hear Rev's position about why it would be strictly "Un-Constitutional:applause:
     
Loading...