Comments on: ‘We’re All Keynesians Now’ and the Narcissism of Small Differences http://gregor.us/policy/were-all-keynesians-now-and-the-narcissism-of-small-differences/ Energy and Economics Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:33:48 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: GloomBoom http://gregor.us/policy/were-all-keynesians-now-and-the-narcissism-of-small-differences/comment-page-1/#comment-3785 GloomBoom Thu, 15 Jan 2009 02:57:31 +0000 http://gregor.us/?p=540#comment-3785 I agree that if we are going to spend that kind of money, we need to focus on things like rail transportation. However, that may be too difficult a leap for the Feds. After all, we have the excellent example of European rail systems that just keep getting faster and faster and go to more and more locations and we still don't seem to be inspired to emulate them. Why? Because the government is in bed(or in the oval office) with the companies that build the roads and bridges and they are both happy. It's quite a sad state of affairs............... I agree that if we are going to spend that kind of money, we need to focus on things like rail transportation. However, that may be too difficult a leap for the Feds. After all, we have the excellent example of European rail systems that just keep getting faster and faster and go to more and more locations and we still don't seem to be inspired to emulate them. Why? Because the government is in bed(or in the oval office) with the companies that build the roads and bridges and they are both happy. It's quite a sad state of affairs……………

]]> By: GloomBoom http://gregor.us/policy/were-all-keynesians-now-and-the-narcissism-of-small-differences/comment-page-1/#comment-371 GloomBoom Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:57:31 +0000 http://gregor.us/?p=540#comment-371 I agree that if we are going to spend that kind of money, we need to focus on things like rail transportation. However, that may be too difficult a leap for the Feds. After all, we have the excellent example of European rail systems that just keep getting faster and faster and go to more and more locations and we still don't seem to be inspired to emulate them. Why? Because the government is in bed(or in the oval office) with the companies that build the roads and bridges and they are both happy. It's quite a sad state of affairs............... I agree that if we are going to spend that kind of money, we need to focus on things like rail transportation. However, that may be too difficult a leap for the Feds. After all, we have the excellent example of European rail systems that just keep getting faster and faster and go to more and more locations and we still don't seem to be inspired to emulate them. Why? Because the government is in bed(or in the oval office) with the companies that build the roads and bridges and they are both happy. It's quite a sad state of affairs……………

]]> By: gregor.us http://gregor.us/policy/were-all-keynesians-now-and-the-narcissism-of-small-differences/comment-page-1/#comment-369 gregor.us Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:07:24 +0000 http://gregor.us/?p=540#comment-369 Hi. I actually have not looked yet at the LA commuter trains. At the moment I am just looking at the 5 LA lines composed of 2 subways and 3 light rail lines. <br><br>However, it's my understanding that the LA Commuter trains as elsewhere in the country share track with freight. This is why Union Pacific understandably does not want to share more track with more passenger rail in CA--especially not the proposed high speed CA rail which was on the ballot. (BTW, I am against very expensive high speed rail in CA before alot more Light Rail and commuter rail is built--of course, it doesn't matter because they are broke anyway and have no funds to build high speed CA rail regardless).<br><br>10 dollar a gallon gasoline will squash the economies of southern LA county and Orange county when that unfolds no later than 2012. I think even 5 dollar gasoline gave a good taste of what's to come in California which I regard as one of the most vulnerable States in the country as its southern 1/3rd was almost completely built out past WW2 for the automobile.<br><br>Quick take: It looks like the 5 LA lines are costing over a quarter billion a year to run. But those 5 lines are providing 90 million trips per year. That's not 90 million unique users. That's 90 million human trips. Even if we assume there is zero revenue from fares, that is a huge all-in bargain when one takes into account externalities. However, it's doubtful that, at this point, there has been much of a return on the original construction costs which I assume were huge. <br><br>I hope to get a post up today on how to look at this stuff. <br><br>G Hi. I actually have not looked yet at the LA commuter trains. At the moment I am just looking at the 5 LA lines composed of 2 subways and 3 light rail lines.

However, it's my understanding that the LA Commuter trains as elsewhere in the country share track with freight. This is why Union Pacific understandably does not want to share more track with more passenger rail in CA–especially not the proposed high speed CA rail which was on the ballot. (BTW, I am against very expensive high speed rail in CA before alot more Light Rail and commuter rail is built–of course, it doesn't matter because they are broke anyway and have no funds to build high speed CA rail regardless).

10 dollar a gallon gasoline will squash the economies of southern LA county and Orange county when that unfolds no later than 2012. I think even 5 dollar gasoline gave a good taste of what's to come in California which I regard as one of the most vulnerable States in the country as its southern 1/3rd was almost completely built out past WW2 for the automobile.

Quick take: It looks like the 5 LA lines are costing over a quarter billion a year to run. But those 5 lines are providing 90 million trips per year. That's not 90 million unique users. That's 90 million human trips. Even if we assume there is zero revenue from fares, that is a huge all-in bargain when one takes into account externalities. However, it's doubtful that, at this point, there has been much of a return on the original construction costs which I assume were huge.

I hope to get a post up today on how to look at this stuff.

G

]]> By: daveinmarinca http://gregor.us/policy/were-all-keynesians-now-and-the-narcissism-of-small-differences/comment-page-1/#comment-367 daveinmarinca Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:07:59 +0000 http://gregor.us/?p=540#comment-367 After years of debate and false starts, we finally passed a 1/4 % sales tax increase this past November to fund the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoma-Marin_Area_Rail_Transit....Bay" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoma-Marin_Area_...</a> Area trains and ferries run full....rebuilding passenger rail travel is long overdue in the US. Unfortunately, your assessment of the decision making process and fiscal/monetary results of the stimulus will most likely come true.<br>Maybe we'll at least get a bike lane on all the freeways. After years of debate and false starts, we finally passed a 1/4 % sales tax increase this past November to fund the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoma-Marin_Area_... Area trains and ferries run full….rebuilding passenger rail travel is long overdue in the US. Unfortunately, your assessment of the decision making process and fiscal/monetary results of the stimulus will most likely come true.
Maybe we'll at least get a bike lane on all the freeways.

]]> By: Tim Flanagan http://gregor.us/policy/were-all-keynesians-now-and-the-narcissism-of-small-differences/comment-page-1/#comment-365 Tim Flanagan Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:45:09 +0000 http://gregor.us/?p=540#comment-365 The commuter trains in LA County are, financially speaking, a disaster. So few people use them that it costs the County about 30x the price of a ticket to move a passenger from place to place. Oh, and they occasionally kill people, and that adds greatly to the cost of operations.<br><br>TsF in LA The commuter trains in LA County are, financially speaking, a disaster. So few people use them that it costs the County about 30x the price of a ticket to move a passenger from place to place. Oh, and they occasionally kill people, and that adds greatly to the cost of operations.

TsF in LA

]]> By: Adrienne http://gregor.us/policy/were-all-keynesians-now-and-the-narcissism-of-small-differences/comment-page-1/#comment-364 Adrienne Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:17:42 +0000 http://gregor.us/?p=540#comment-364 I may pay my bills with US dollars but that certainly doesn't make me Keynesian, I just don't have the choice to get paid in Euros or gold or oil. So keep your "we" to yourself ;)<br><br>I agree with you that if we are going to be forced into turning into Zimbabwe, we might as well try to get some decent infrastructure out of the deal. Sadly... probably not likely. It's too easy to pour the worthless loot into toxic banks. Light rail is an unpopular subject and with all this scrambling to spend what we don't have quicker than we print it, few will even consider it a viable option.<br><br>But that won't matter when we're shuffling from shantytown to shantytown in broken down covered wagons a la Oregon Trail now will it? I may pay my bills with US dollars but that certainly doesn't make me Keynesian, I just don't have the choice to get paid in Euros or gold or oil. So keep your “we” to yourself ;)

I agree with you that if we are going to be forced into turning into Zimbabwe, we might as well try to get some decent infrastructure out of the deal. Sadly… probably not likely. It's too easy to pour the worthless loot into toxic banks. Light rail is an unpopular subject and with all this scrambling to spend what we don't have quicker than we print it, few will even consider it a viable option.

But that won't matter when we're shuffling from shantytown to shantytown in broken down covered wagons a la Oregon Trail now will it?

]]> By: gregor.us http://gregor.us/policy/were-all-keynesians-now-and-the-narcissism-of-small-differences/comment-page-1/#comment-363 gregor.us Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:18:26 +0000 http://gregor.us/?p=540#comment-363 I fear you'll be proven correct. <br><br>G I fear you'll be proven correct.

G

]]> By: Steve http://gregor.us/policy/were-all-keynesians-now-and-the-narcissism-of-small-differences/comment-page-1/#comment-362 Steve Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:17:14 +0000 http://gregor.us/?p=540#comment-362 This policy of deficit spending has nothing to do with benefiting society at large or improving the economy. <br><br>It is just an aggressive continuation of the time honored custom in Washington to loot the taxpayer so as to benefit government contractors, military industrialists, banks, lobbyists, think tanks and other sorted patrons of the political class. <br><br>All of the USA is Washington DC's personal fiefdom, and it doesn't matter one bit which party is in power. Keynesianism is just another form of kleptocracy. This policy of deficit spending has nothing to do with benefiting society at large or improving the economy.

It is just an aggressive continuation of the time honored custom in Washington to loot the taxpayer so as to benefit government contractors, military industrialists, banks, lobbyists, think tanks and other sorted patrons of the political class.

All of the USA is Washington DC's personal fiefdom, and it doesn't matter one bit which party is in power. Keynesianism is just another form of kleptocracy.

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