General > General Technical Chat
The Hyperloop: BUSTED
cdev:
They just want to spend tax money on high profit get rich quick schemes which they undoubtedly get kickbacks from, instead of investing it into anything that would actually help people.
cdev:
I've flown between LA and SF dozens of times, and its a short relaxing flight with amazing views which is over before you know it. What sucks is the LAX and SFO airport traffic. Which is why smart travelers fly between Oakland and Long Beach. Its cheaper too.
There really is no need for a huge money spending hype-train project. Conventional high speed rail like they have in many other countries can make the trip in a bit more than an hour.
David Hess:
--- Quote from: cdev on August 04, 2017, 03:04:28 am ---I've flown between LA and SF dozens of times, and its a short relaxing flight with amazing views which is over before you know it. What sucks is the LAX and SFO airport traffic. Which is why smart travelers fly between Oakland and Long Beach. Its cheaper too.
--- End quote ---
I've flown and taken the train between Los Angeles and San Diego and despite its problems, the train is much nicer in every way from dealing with security to the trip itself. The same would be true between southern California and San Fransisco if the train was faster.
The only real problem with the train is that Amtrak runs on freight lines so is subject to freight scheduling lengthening travel time. Between LA and SD you spent half of the travel time creeping along.
If trains were competitive though, I doubt this situation would last. The government would screw it up.
cdev:
>The government would screw it up
It's a moot point.
My understanding that since January 1, 1995, our government, as well as other WTO members, are now largely prohibited from entering fields except where services are "supplied in the exercise of governmental authority"
"'a service supplied in the exercise of governmental authority' means any service which is supplied "neither on a commercial basis, nor in competition with one or more service suppliers."
Basically, competition policy makes it FTA-illegal for governments to enter fields where they would be competing with any commercial entity, unless they already had done so in 1995. (Especially in financial services, regulatory changes subsequent to a freeze enacted in 1998 must now be rolled back)
The ideology of progressive liberalization, (One way irreversible privatization) part of international economic governance now, gradually expands the sphere of corporate entitlement to include all service sectors and modes of supply, as well as captures all legislation in a one way manner if its deregulation. Thats called the "ratchet". CalTrain is a commercial entity and tickets are certainly not free- Like healthcare and higher education, railways are now commercial in the United States and cannot be expropriated. A few countries that make some services completely free, like healthcare in Canada, are exempted as long as they don't allow any commercial competition in (for example, private for profit healthcare, like in England, has caused the gradual privatization of the NHS, due to GATS and its progeny, TiSA.) (See also here)
Australia has seen much privatization of roads. Also, the agreements gradually force international tending process and procurement, i.e. outsourcing of public service jobs or quasi publc services (whenever tax money is spent)
mtdoc:
One problem with strictly private, commercial development of any Hyperloop route of consequence is that it would require that the government - through the legislature - acquire the necessary land in the name of the private entity building the route.
In the US anyways, the eminent domain clause of the 5th amendment requires "just compensation" be given to those whose land is taken.
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