What do Republicans in Congress have against efficiency? They’ve recently voted against efficient public schools, against efficient light bulbs, and against efficient crane conservation. Now, Republicans in Congress are trying to destroy legislation that would promote efficient transportation.
For reasonable people, the issues related to the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 are straightforward.
The problems:
1. The cost of gasoline and other fossil fuels is increasing at an unprecedented rate, devastating the American economy.
2. Climate change is already burdening the American economy, and cause increasing economic damage as time passes.
3. The outdated petroleum-based transportation developed in the previous century contributes to climate change
The solution:
1. Improvement and expansion of the American passenger rail system will reduce demand for fossil fuels and cut the carbon emissions that accelerate climate change.
The crux of the matter: Fossil fuels transportation systems are inefficient. Modern passenger rail transportation systems are efficient.
The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, as its name implies, would begin a transition from reliance on out-of-date fossil fuels for transportation toward more efficient transportation by train. It’s exactly what we need to deal with America’s current economic and environmental problems.
For some bizarre reason, almost all of the Republicans in the House of Representatives oppose it. Yesterday, 186 Republicans tried to prevent the legislation from being considered for passage. These Republicans, once again, voted against economic efficiency. Their names are:
