Just to be clear: By “Congressman” here we’re referring to Ron Paul. Hard as it sometimes is to believe, he really is an elected member of Congress–because he’s also a weird old man with a blimp, more rabid fans than most rock stars, and lots of ideas that make you go “Hmm” (if not “Huh?!”).
One of Paul’s recent dispatches for blogworld is called “GM, Amtrak and an Increasing Fascist America.” Put on your brown shirts and your conductors hats, kids, hop in your Malibu and let’s go burn some books. Maybe? We’re not totally sure. Here’s what Dr. Paul says:
The promise that [the GM takeover] is temporary… is of little comfort to those who remember similar promises when the American taxpayers bought Amtrak. After three years, government was supposed to be out of the passenger rail business. 40 years and billions of dollars later, the government is still operating Amtrak at a loss, despite the fact that they have created a monopoly by making it illegal to compete with Amtrak.
So… the fact that it gets government subsidies makes Amtrak a fascist organization? YES! says Paul. “Comingling public control of private business is known as fascism. While today’s politicians may feel emboldened with all their new power, history will only repeat itself as all this collapses on itself.” Repeat itself like the Italian experiments in the 30s and early 40s, it sounds like he means to suggest. If that’s the case, in a few years we’ll need a liberating army to come in and break up the Amtrak monopoly and ceremonially blow up the GM headquarters (perhaps the French will do backsies).
More seriously, it seems odd to choose Amtrak as a primary example of intermingling of government and business interests. That phenomenon has certainly occurred in America and is disturbing in some cases, but the passenger rail company isn’t a very compelling case in point. For whatever reason though (rail reminds them of European-style “democratic socialism”?), critics fixate on Amtrak and turn it into this terrifying Frankenstein monster of state control and waste. The company and its service could certainly be better — but it’s crazy to suggest that Amtrak is some insatiable beast devouring massive amounts of America’s wealth. Over nearly four decades, Amtrak subsidies are a pittance compared to the taxpayer money that’s been blown on almost any other societal enterprise you could name–including other modes of motorized transportation. Actually, one could argue, our little fascist rail company has been quite a bargain.
Tags: ANTICS
Today’s lesson is on economic fascism…
http://www.lewrockwell.com/dilorenzo/dilorenzo173.html
“The free market is driven by …”
The whole point of a successful business is to gain competitive advantage.
Railroads dropped money losing passenger rail as cheap oil and government built Interstates allowed buses and autos to dominate the transportation industry.
Actually, what is fascist is that in the 40s and 50s the highway and airline lobbies conspired with politicians on all levels to regulate the passenger rail and urban transit companies out of existence so that we could be come a society totally dependent on the wasteful, filthy albatross known as automobile. Now we’re left trying to level the playing field by developing a form of travel that should have never been dismantled.
Wow – this is really exciting.
I had heard about them waiting on the internet for the slightest mention of the revered name of Dr. Paul, but I’ve never seen Paulbots conducting a real live raid.
there’s certain terms that cult followers enter into their computer and they get email alerts when a website or blog they’ve never visited has new posts, then they gather their army and attack. the term “ron paul” is one such well known example. ‘PRT’ is another.
it is really funny that with transportation, libertarians dont mind government regulation when it comes to government imposing an auto-centric lifestyle. they dont mind new public roads and bridges putting private ferries, railroads and streetcar companies out of business.
This thread seems to have run its course, but I’d like to pose one simple question to the Ron Paul supporters:
When gas spikes to $6, $8 or $10 a gallon in the coming years, wouldn’t it be prudent to have a national high speed rail system (supported by the federal government as necessary) in place as an alternative for the millions of Americans who will no longer be able to afford to drive or fly long distances?
Just because something doesn’t pass a narrowly defined libertarian economic litmus test under today’s conditions doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea. Some of us actually have the capacity to think about what the world may look like 10 or 20 years in the future and believe we need to prepare for likely circumstances. And the idea that gas may become prohibitively expensive within our lifetimes is a very real possibility.
“it is really funny that with transportation, libertarians dont mind government regulation when it comes to government imposing an auto-centric lifestyle. they dont mind new public roads and bridges putting private ferries, railroads and streetcar companies out of business.”
Where are you getting your ideas about libertarianism? We are very much opposed to the things you named there.
“When gas spikes to $6, $8 or $10 a gallon in the coming years, wouldn’t it be prudent to have a national high speed rail system (supported by the federal government as necessary) in place as an alternative for the millions of Americans who will no longer be able to afford to drive or fly long distances?”
Why does it have to be supported (or run) by the federal government? As has been pointed out, private rail moved freight very efficiently without government subsidy, why is it so hard to believe that private rail could move people too?
And this “Whackjob” ran for President ?
Whew! Boy, I sure wouldn’t want him to have his finger on the “RED”
button!!!!!!
An individual that can’t get his facts straight as is obvious in light of the convoluted
“JABBERWOCKY” logic he espouses in his little neo-con rightwing-nut tirade is
frightening.
THe fact of the matter is that Amtrak Employees worked [8] eight years without
a Union contract cheerfully and generously trying to help the System survive up to
2007 during all the bleak last ten years of the “paultry cheapskate” Budget
appropriations the “REactionary GOP” Congress parceled out. Some years the “BUSH
MAN” White Castle snapped the rug for not a “Red Cent”.
He had plenty money to throw away on TWO [2] Endless, Pointless WARS but nary
a soue’ for something practical or beneficial to the Country.
After running up the most reckless, horrendous explosive budget in 10 years and
sitting back and allowing Wall Street and his “Texas Cronies” take over, the end
result is the Country is now sinking in the “SECOND GREAT DEPRESSION” of the last
80 Years brought to you again by the those “Little Republicans”!!
Give me a break !!! Better yet, give this Country a break and all you “Idiots” go back
to your plywood shacks in the “backwoods and read your “ADAM SMITH” and bone
up on your “Free Markets” [Flea Markets], yeah its free for the “Big Dogs” and the
rest of the Schnauzers “HAVE to PAY” !!!!!!
[...] let’s not get government involved in funding transit. He once called public funding of Amtrak “fascist” and voted against increasing its funding several [...]
[...] not about to get government involved in funding transit. He once called public funding of Amtrak “fascist” and voted against increasing its funding several [...]