codyg1985’s Think Tank

I am in the thinking mood tonight.

The candidates for President are on the campaign trail talking about the usual talking points. For the Republicans it is all about national security, family values, immigration, and lowering taxes while for the Democrats it is about health care, the economy, the war in Iraq, education, and tax breaks for the middle class.  However, neither party seems to want to talk about a few issues that may be just as important, but few people have thought about or know about.

The first issue is funding for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA. Funding for the agency has risen since its formation in the 1960’s, but when adjusted for inflation, NASA’s funding maxed out during the Apollo program.  With plans to develop the Ares I and V rockets as the successors to the Space Shuttle and further plans to return to the Moon and to Mars, funding for developing those rockets is needed now. Without it, our link to space will be severed once the space shuttle is retired, which will have tremendous implications for the completion of the International Space Station, satellite repair missions, and the return to the Moon.  Maybe space should not be something to be spending money on right now, but the fact is that much of today’s modern gadgets were developed from technology used in NASA missions. The pursuit of knowledge by mankind as well as more advancements in technology are more than enough to sustain funding for this agency.

The second issue that I consider to be important is net neutrality.  Basically, the issue rests upon who has control over what you can access on the internet. As the popularity of video websites such as YouTube soar, telecommunications companies are claiming that there simply isn’t enough bandwidth available for everyone to have a slice of the pie. Not everyone will be able to keep downloading videos, movies, music, games, the kitchen sink, and the bathtub.

Some telecommunications corporations propose that a fee be charged if someone accesses websites that fall into the high-bandwidth category. This leads to internet “packages” if you will: you pay a basic rate to get access to about half the internet. Want to check your MySpace or see that video on YouTube of the guy breaking his leg after jumping onto a trampoline? Then that will cost you more money per month.  Want to run a website? That extra bandwidth will cost you too. Time Warner Cable has already unveiled a plan to charge customers a rate if the customer exceeds their monthly bandwidth quota. Information should not be restricted from access based on how much of it there is.  Restricting access to that information based on its format or distribution medium puts too much power in the hands of telecom companies, and it threatens the free flow of information across the internet, which up until now has been considered a free medium.

The third issue that I consider to be important some people may think is hogwash.  That is the idea of a national high speed rail network.  Right now the only operating high speed rail system in the United States is Amtrak’s Acela line between Washington, D.C. and Boston, MA. It operates on an electrified rail line at speeds up to 150 miles per hour (mph). For many taking the train is a less expensive and faster alternative to driving or flying in the Northeast. However, outside of the Northeast, there is little passenger rail access outside of Amtrak and local commuter rail operations. Most of the time the only alternatives are flying and driving. For cross-country distances, flying would probably be preferable to high-speed rail, but inside of a region, high-speed rail would be more economically feasible for some than flying or driving. Just print the ticket online or at the train station, wait for your train to arrive, and you are good to go. No metal detectors, no security checks, and no taking your shoes off.

There are plans underway to extend the Northeast corridor south from Washington, D.C. through Richmond, VA, Raleigh-Durham, NC, and Charlotte, NC on a segment called the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor (SEHSR). Extensions from Charlotte would bring the line to Atlanta, GA and Birmingham, AL.  California has also developed an authority to oversee the design and construction of a high speed rail system within that state. Other states have shown interest in their own systems.

Many of the proposed systems are not affiliated with Amtrak. Amtrak is notorious for poor, unreliable service, and few locations are served.  The interstate system is a great way to move people across the country, but something needs to fill the gap between driving and flying. A high speed rail network would provide an alternative to flying or driving between inter-regional cities, which would unclog some of the highways and airports across the country.  In order to develop a high speed rail network, new track will need to be laid that can be grade-separated. Funding is needed to expedite the existing projects from the drawing board to reality. Interconnecting our cities with high-speed rail will help to make our country that much smaller and easier to access. Which would you rather do if given the choice to travel between Nashville, TN and Atlanta, GA? Would you rather drive I-24 and I-75 and negotiate with traffic and big rigs, go to the airport, get searched, fly for an hour or so and deal with the mess that is Hartsfield Jackson Airport in Atlanta, or hop on aboard a train and watch the scenery go by?