Thursday, January 11, 2024

Trains From Hell

Written Jan 9, 2010

Many Americans thought that the fall of the Berlin Wall meant the collapse of Communism, however the Marxist government of China continues to thrive by exporting shiploads of shit that American consumers need to feel good ie TVs, cheap clothing, and just about everything else purchased online. The extraction of wealth has led to a boom in the Middle Kingdom and this winter the Chinese proudly unveiled the swift train traveling from Guangzhou to the central city of Wuhan, shaving six hours off the 1100 klick journey at speeds of nearly 300 mph. The $17 billion dollar project was completed in four years.

For comparison Boston's Big Dig cost $22 billion to bury an existent highway of five kilometers. Amtrak's annual budget is $3 billion. A fraction of the Chinese expenditure and this weekend the gap in train travel revealed itself once again, as an eastbound train from Sacramento was delayed twenty-four hours in Nebraska by ten-foot snow drifts.

Of course the Chinese also aren't spending $100 billion per annum on wars in Asia.

"We #1."

It sounded so true under Bush.

No comments: