I figure we need a thread dealing with transportation in America. And just to throw you people a curve ball to start, let's not start with the TSA (I'm sure they'll get their due here), but with street signs. http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/66395.html Why are street signs in the purview of the federal government? Can someone explain where in the Constitution the federal government is enumerated the power to have any say on street signs? Now, somewhat uniform sign design may be a good idea. And maybe all caps isn't the way to go? But there is a superior way to come up with uniform standards without involving the horrific evil that is the federal government. That is to have an association of state transportation officials, or even multiple associations on a regional basis, to come up with uniform designs. That is the true American way.
That is a dopey waste of money. I guess they want America's street signs uniform I'm more concerned that the Chinese are eating our lunch with regards to developing high speed rail. I think I read that we will have a regional high speed rail system in place in like 30 years...we're so slow with everything today
And why? Will the country implode and the terrorists win if a street sign in Los Angeles looks different than one in New York City? F*** you Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. I see, regardless of how they were built, no need why roads need to be a federal matter. But especially street signs.
Please do not try and derail (pun intended) this thread. Feel free to debate the issue at hand or introduce something new on topic.
One I have dealt with recently- The FRA, whose regulatory expertise is about as sophisticated as the TSA, has a react-to-the-problems-after-they-happen style regulatory structure, just like the TSA. This means that when a crash happens and someone gets injured, they change the regulatory requirements for collision protection...not collision avoidance, but rather collision protection. So now, as a result, we have passenger rail transportation systems which weigh between 2-3 times what they do in other countries, which couldn't make an emergency stop if their life depended on it. But don't worry, there will be less injuries The other result is that passenger rail is 1) Not financially viable, 2) has extremely high operating costs, 3) has extremely high fares, 4) has extremely low ridership, and 5) takes decades to construct. ******** you, FRA. ******** you.
so what exactly is the topic? you called it the transportation thread, but the first thing you do is go on about what the federal government should or shouldn't do, with a very level-headed "Fascist Federal gunvernment". are you seriously trying to tell me that you think the number 1 transportation problem in the US is whether NYC changes it's traffic signs or not?? and you'd think that standard signs across the country is a good thing, and that a recession is a good time to change them if necessary, but as it usually is government phobes demand to make everything more complicated than needs to be for no other reason than ideological posturing. in other words, I don't believe you were really interested in a discussion about transport in the first place. that wasn't the reason you started this thread. the proof for that is - if you have a look at that list I posted - in your first two posts you manage tick 3 of the 6 points. hardly a coincidence.
No, it just happened to be the article I had in the pipeline to post, because it was in the news. Please read what I posted. I didn't slam all government. I simply slammed the federal government. Federal Government <> All Government I hope you realize. As for the recession part, it seems when you have less money, this probably shouldn't be your #1 priority over things like preventing crime and stuff, but that's me. Again, this is a thread for discussing transportation type issues of all kinds. If you have a topic, post away. It need not be the most critical issue in the world.
which makes your phobia even more irrational... I take it you were, of course out of shear ideological reasons, against the stimulus package then. well, I don't want to derail this even further, but given that the economy is one of the major indicators governments are judged on by the voters, you'd think the government should, in fact has to, try to help the economy. if something needs to be done anyway at some point, you might as well do at a time when a) prices are low, and b) sign makers don't have much business. which is now. and if you think road signs are not important then you have no clue about road traffic. poor signing is a major accident contributor.
Source article: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local...treet_sign_leading_ny_to_say__it_is_just.html "The changes are among many in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices that regularly changes to improve road safety ... The mixed upper- and lowercase rule was adopted in 2003, but municipalities were given until 2018 to comply ... The additional cost to the city, if any, will be "marginal" because it receives a steady stream of state funding for routine sign repairs and replacement ... The life of a typical sign is about a decade, so most of the city's signs would be replaced in the next few years anyway" Count again. I see all 6.
No, it makes it intelligent. But that's for another thread. See above. You're failing reading comprehension. Please stop. I agree that road signs are important. I know plenty of ones around me that suck, or just plain lie to you. I don't believe that everything important in life needs to be done by the federal government. State and local governments can screw up road signs just as well as the feds can.
Right. Why do we need federally employed idiots to come up with these things? Surely state representatives can do just as well. Do you feel the need to support the pro-authoritarian position in every thread I start?
Federal employees can set national standards. State employees cannot. On the state level, it would require a consensus of 51 DOT officials to develop a single standard, which would require more government action than one federal official acting. The feds also have the hammer of federal funding to get everyone in line on issues as small as this, or as large as .08 BAC. No state has to follow the federal guidelines, but they risk a loss of funding in doing so. Yes!
The morons running the Federal Government plan to try and ruin some people's train commutes. And, at the risk of going slightly off topic, why are there so many terror threats? From the same thread... Nah, not related at all.
so you finally admit that your thread was never actually meant to be about transport in the first place. thanks, that's what I thought.
Is this for real? http://www.saviodsilva.org/fear/fear-sex.htm Yeah right. Sounds like a wise guy to me.
I like this one. We see it on these boards a lot: http://www.saviodsilva.org/fear/fear-republicans.htm We see this one on our boards also, but not quite as much: http://www.saviodsilva.org/fear/fear-democrats.htm
And leave it to the same dumb********s who run the DMVs all over the US? No thanks. I mean, the DMV is the "go-to" punchline for jokes about shitty gvt. service. The Feds have got to be better than those DMV numbnuts.
Don't know about where you live, but New Jersey's MVC (Motor Vehicle Commission) has been actually almost competent recently. Of course, it's called the MVC and not the DMV anymore because the DMV was such a disaster. Thanks Christie Whitman! Street signs and things like that aren't done by the DMV. Actually, we already have a group that could do this, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. It's a group where each state is represented, but isn't a federal agency.
http://www.theagitator.com/2011/04/20/in-other-words-just-about-everyone/ What would we ever do without the TSA? Besides not getting felt up by strangers that is...
http://radio.woai.com/cc-common/mainheadlines3.html?feed=119078&article=8731718 That's nice of the Obama Administration goon to try and bully the state legislature to drop the bill.