This is an instructive game to play, and the title of a tabular piece in the most recent (August 2012) issue of Trains Magazine written by Fred W. Frailey.
As a game, it can really bring home the impact of government regulation and intervention in all sorts of things. In the case of Mr. Frailey's piece, its about building a transcontinental railroad, and is written on the 150th anniversary of the Union Pacific Railroad. Mr. Frailey posits that, instead of the 7 years that it took (1862-1869) to build the Union Pacific, today it would take from August 1, 2012 until May 2069, about 57 years.
Tongue in cheek, he throws in all the possibilities: Federal court intervention, ten years for an environmental study, EPA intervention, both Democrat and Republican intransigence, environmental activist intervention, endangered species, and forest fires. In this scenario, it takes until 2057 just to break ground. You know what, although this piece reeks of sarcasm, I think it is closer to the truth than not.
As a matter of fact, this kind of thing reminds me so much of what goes on in New Mexico, and in Albuquerque in particular, that I am doing this same post on my political barb blog, Turn Right At Albuquerque.
©2012 - C. A. Turek - mistertrains@gmail.com
