Inevitably, this headline
-- Probe begins after Conn. commuter trains crash -- will lead to the conclusion what any rider of the New
Haven Railroad could tell you: the
tracks are in need of serious upgrade. Yet, investment in the railroad's
infrastructure is one of those things that is constantly postponed -- until a
tragedy occurs, and this could have been a much more serious accident with loss
of life in addition to the injuries. But
making this expenditure is a political hot potato, no one wants to take
on. Again, until.....
Fact of the matter, not only do the tracks need
upgrading, the entire system -- which to a degree is still mired in its late
19th century beginnings -- needs to be addressed, bringing public
transportation for the heavily populated northeast corridor into the 21st
century. We are a third world country
when it comes to such transportation -- ask anyone from China or Japan who
visits and rides those rails. And, with easy
credit and the need for jobs, it would seem to be a no brainer to make this
investment, but do we have the vision and determination?
Meanwhile, on the Florida political front, an apparent self-serving decision by Governor Rick Scott: to deny Amazon.com the ability to build a warehouse in the State as it would appear that he (the Governor) is supporting
an Internet sales tax and he wants to be perceived as being against tax
increases. Consequently, the Governor has given tacit approval of
the commonplace practice of avoiding the payment of "use tax" on such
purchases, a law already on the books. In
rejecting Amazon's application for a warehouse in the State, he is also
foregoing more than a thousand new jobs, an initiative that was the centerpiece
of his election campaign. No surprise,
he is up for reelection next year, and being perceived as a champion of tax
avoidance now seems preferable to job creation.
And speaking of things that never seem to change, the
Mourning Doves (or their descendants) that have made their nest year in and year out underneath our roof eaves have two new chicks and here mommy is
feeding one of them. They are messy nest makers and it is amazing they don't
all fall out.
