Monday, July 03, 2006

What Part Our Budget Don't You Understand?

We will never understand the political process. Or perhaps, we understand it too well.

We understand what it says in The Constitution without too much difficulty. Even though it was written over 200 years ago, it is clear and concise, and you get a real feel for what The Founding Fathers were thinking. The Supreme Court should be a real easy job. Just read The Constitution.

But we still don't understand the political process. When Amtrak says it needs $X for the next year's budget, Congress always gives it a number $Y that is $X minus $A, where $A is an arbitrary number. There also seems to be some rule that says when a Republican administration is in office, $A has to be more than 50% of $X.

We suppose it is because the Constitution doesn't really account for government subsidy of Passenger Rail. Viable railroads were nearly a half century in the future for The Framers. In those days, it was hard to imagine a private enterprise that would one day be so important to the National Welfare that government would consider a subsidy to establish, advance and run it. About as close as it comes would be the need, recognized in The Constitution, for Federal Government to support and maintain a standing army. That was about as large as enterprises had grown, and the first large railroad corporations were patterned along military lines.

It's too bad that The Constitution doesn't say, "In recognition of the Fact that Anything Worth Doing By Government is Worth Doing Well, it shall be the Duty of Congress to fully fund all Government Enterprise." We would also like it to say, under a chapter titled "Waste and Deception," that, "All government waste and deception discovered by audit or other devise shall be subject to a rebate in taxes to all payers equal to twice the amount of deception or waste."

Back to Amtrak budgets.

We run about waving our hands and yelling that Congress is intentionally trying to bankrupt Amtrak and it will have to be liquidated. (There are times when we see this as a good thing.) Nonetheless, we have to recognize that this is more likely, absent Constitutional clauses to the contrary, politics as usual. Congress doesn't want to bankrupt Amtrak any more than it wants to push elderly ladies into the Potomac. It just wasn't given any specific directions to the contrary.

© 2006 - C. A. Turek - mistertrains@gmail.com

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The framers were very leery of standing armies. That's why the Constitution requires they be reauthorized every two years, unlike the navy, which has no such clause. A better comparison might be to mail.

mistertrains said...

Point being as follows: A standing army was probably the largest single enterprise that the Framers could imagine. To field an army requires more men than to man a navy. The mail was small potatoes at that time in history, in my opinion. Pity that many corporations don't require re-authorization every two years these days. The stockholders just might find out what's going on.

Steven Reed said...

Time for Passenger Rail Service

In 1990 I started an effort to get Passenger Rail Service to southwest Missouri and across the state. During my time at (School) College of the Ozarks they helped some on the effort. After graduation I worked on several attempts to place it on the state ballot. People support the effort all across the state but it is impossible to put an issue on the state ballot unless you have over $100,000 to spend. After 17 years I have 15 boxes of contacts and names of people who want such service. So I am running for Mayor of Springfield and people can find out more about the rail issue by going to www.reedforcouncil.com

MODOT announced last summer that they want such service to help with traffic relief on I-44. They are also lobbying the legislature at this time for help with funding. Such service is wanted and would benefit the downtowns of St. Louis, Rolla, Lebanon, Springfield, and maybe Branson. People all across the state want it but we have no organized lobbying group for such rail service. It is critical people speak out now. Write letters to your local newspapers call your representatives and yell from the tallest mountain!

Steven Reed
1441 S. Estate Ave.
Springfield, MO
417-368-1481