General

Re: Why are leftists obsessed with mass transit (particularly rail)?

sthomper — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 05:24:45 GMT

i have read that theoreticaly mass transit (rail) can carry more people than the current road&car combination.

i guess this holds true for freight as well.

perhaps people loose some flexibility in mobility when moved like freight.

as for leftists being obsessed with rail, i would assume it is because of alleged ecological benefits - and there may be some,and perhaps some drawbacks that i am unfamilliar with.

i dont know wy any leftist would care how busy roads are. roads are typically jammed up for a few hours in the morning and early evening. beyond that (the ones in my area - about 365,000 people) they seem to move people pretty well.

Re: Why are leftists obsessed with mass transit (particularly rail)?

John Ess — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 04:33:24 GMT

liberty student:

Better Civilization, End the Fed.:
Clearly, even hard core leftists favor cars. In fact I be the mass majority of leftists actually own them.

And most of the anarcho-primitivists have DirectTV. Not too many people walk the walk.

Haha. I must be unfrozen caveman lawyer, then. I *gasp* don't have DirectTV.

I do ride on airplanes though

Re: Why are leftists obsessed with mass transit (particularly rail)?

sicsempertyrannis — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 02:29:31 GMT

garegin:

i think the analysis is spot on. "vulgar" objects like the car were condemned before as being against the republican spirit long before pollution became an issue. the point is clear- the left loves collectivism.

Yes, and I think this also explains why the soft left is the main driving force for 'national service'. They seem to like the idea of collective suffering.

Re: Why are leftists obsessed with mass transit (particularly rail)?

garegin — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 01:36:00 GMT

i think the analysis is spot on. "vulgar" objects like the car were condemned before as being against the republican spirit long before pollution became an issue. the point is clear- the left loves collectivism.

Re: Why are leftists obsessed with mass transit (particularly rail)?

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:56:32 GMT

The left has an obsession with communal living and the group mentality. The '70s saw hippies trying communal living. Before that, lefties were preaching the glories of communism.

Mass transit is part of this obsession. Crowded buses and trains give them the illusion of being in a small community - they are always surrounded by other people instead of being alone in their cars.

Re: Why are leftists obsessed with mass transit (particularly rail)?

Cork — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:06:38 GMT

Without them, there will be no way to ship people to the camps...oops...I've said too much.

Re: Why are leftists obsessed with mass transit (particularly rail)?

Ansury — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:05:05 GMT

I don't think it's control in this case. Sure they do want control, but generally over other stuff. I think it's almost entirely environmentalism--it's that strong of a movement. Although I could see an element of "fairness" involved as well. If everyone has to ride the same trains, everyone suffers the same.

Re: Why are leftists obsessed with mass transit (particularly rail)?

Bostwick — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:56:28 GMT

garegin:

you guys know that rothbard said that road socialism hurts the railways in favor of cars, right?

And our present form of rail socialism hurts the railways, too.

Re: Why are leftists obsessed with mass transit (particularly rail)?

liberty student — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:43:58 GMT

Better Civilization, End the Fed.:
Clearly, even hard core leftists favor cars. In fact I be the mass majority of leftists actually own them.

And most of the anarcho-primitivists have DirectTV. Not too many people walk the walk.

Re: Why are leftists obsessed with mass transit (particularly rail)?

Bogart — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:37:05 GMT

Sure, but the author asked why, not what the result was. Clearly, even hard core leftists favor cars. In fact I be the mass majority of leftists actually own them. I am sure that the trillions plowed into roads has forced out the rails just like the take over of interstate passenger rail, Amtrack, has also forced out other potiential providers.

Re: Why are leftists obsessed with mass transit (particularly rail)?

Solomon — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 10:38:41 GMT

They are obsessed with public transit for the same reason they are obsessed with public education and public healthcare: it forces an arbitrary standard onto society for the dual purposes of disincentivizing competition and making everyone equal(ly miserable).

Re: Why are leftists obsessed with mass transit (particularly rail)?

William — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 06:04:20 GMT

liberty student:

Dondoolee:
what is the obsession with leftists and public rail?

They hate themselves, and by extension, hate everyone else.

That actually could be true, at least with the hip yuppie group. They seem obsessed with "authenticity" and status. Not so much money being status, but liberal idea fads. They also seem very obsessed and guilt ridden about money. This combonation I think may lead to, if not hatred, massive insecurity.

Re: Why are leftists obsessed with mass transit (particularly rail)?

garegin — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 05:59:58 GMT

you guys know that rothbard said that road socialism hurts the railways in favor of cars, right?

Re: Why are leftists obsessed with mass transit (particularly rail)?

liberty student — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 05:13:03 GMT

Dondoolee:
what is the obsession with leftists and public rail?

They hate themselves, and by extension, hate everyone else.