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i am so tired of hearing politicians talk about california high-speed rail like it was a huge stupid mistake. the reason it hasn't gone anywhere isn't because it was a bad idea, it's because politicians aren't investing in it because they don't give a shit. it took twelve fucking years after it was approved by the legislature for it to even show up on the ballot, and it's been another eighteen since then. thirty fucking years to barely break ground on one fucking train line!!! transportation in the united states is decades behind every other country of remotely comparable size and it's not for any reason other than a complete lack of political will. to get from my home in san diego to san francisco—that is, to travel between two of the largest destinations in the country, which are about 500 miles apart in essentially a straight line—takes me about 7 to 8 hours of driving, but when i enter it into amtrak's trip planner the shortest route it gives me is over 13 hours, and most of the options it gives me require me to spend over half the trip on a bus. (lest anyone think i'm deliberately nerfing the numbers by picking san francisco, whose geography makes it tricky to reach directly by train, i also ran the options for sacramento, which is about the same distance but more directly accessible. there were more options, including some that don't require buses, but the fastest route is still almost 12½ hours long, and even those without buses still require transfers because the only amtrak route leaving san diego ends in san luis obispo 🙃)

meanwhile, to get from paris to barcelona, which is approximately the same distance as the crow flies and probably even a little bit longer than sd–sf on the actual route, takes less than 7 hours. beijing to xi'an, which is actually a bit longer of a distance (closer to 650 miles), has trains taking as little as 4 hours and 10 minutes. it is extremely doable. politicians who call it a "boondoggle" are lying. (where do you even hear the word "boondoggle" outside of politicians complaining about spending money on anything other than bombs?) california high speed rail isn't a wasteful pipe dream. it is a vital necessity that is being needlessly murdered by a political system that does not serve the public good

quendergeer

also, paris and barcelona are in TWO DIFFERENT COUNTRIES and have THE PYRENEES in the way

and you can do it for about 50 euros which is about 60 bucks and you'll be lucky if that covers your gas cost for that trip

#if you hear someone say boondoggle you can just assume theyre an enemy of anything decent lmao

mlarone

neontologist-deactivated2020100

people really watching “shows”… 🙄 society is spectacle enough

rogersandclarke

omegaversereloaded

I have to go to caelid to pick my toddler up from daycare

hungwy

hey why did you reblog that from someone else and not me? are we not acquaintances any more? i guess the bond between mutuals who dont talk to each other means nothing to you.