Jun. 29, 2002 - 23:36 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW/P>

Place Mat

Long day for me today, but a very enjoyable one. Did a little work this morning and this afternoon and evening we spent a great time at a birthday party. Now in this family the population is so high the every month now has a birthday and sometimes two birthdays to be celebrated together. As most of our adult family are still working, the parties for most any reason are on Saturday or Sunday. Our senior grand daughter and her husband have birthdays not quite a week apart, consequently today was their party day.

This day was a hot day but there was a very light breeze and shady spots also around the yard. It was a short-coupled party as one of our sons had to be working and the other son and his wife are in Europe with a church group, grand daughters husbands family was not complete either but it was still a good group. Which gave us a grand opportunity to visit quite a bit with our daughter, more so than usual.

Our family gatherings are so pleasant and the attendants range in age from one month to my 81 years. Peaceful and sociable to the utmost with much bantering back and forth. I realize how lucky we are that our family is that kind. Our children's mates are of the peace-loving persuasion also.

I notice that now delving back into the past is started by our progeny talking about their past life and Heather and I helping them remember and then telling it like it was when we were young and relating some of our experiences. Then, with glowing faces the discussion comes round to their future plans and what they are trying for right now. I guess we could pass whole days that way if the little kids could stay amused for that long a time.

In the non-front page news today I see that Amtrak is in its usual panic mode and the Bushies are more or less calling the shots on a short term bailout. Guess that Amtrak is agreeing to find one hundred million dollar cuts in expenses. Of course under discussion are cuts in routes and maintenance. They have also agreed not to spend any money for expansion of service. Administration seems to want to break up the rail road now. To my mind I can see how that will go. The West will eventually lose the privilege to ride the rails so that the eastern commuters can still ride back and forth to work. Amtrak to my mind is a necessity on the eastern seaboard, imagine everbody there trying to drive to and from work there.

Also to my way of thinking Amtrak should be held together as one entity and subsidized by our tax money.

For years now Amtrak which has been cutting routes here and there and the question now in my mind is just where can they cut maintenance any further back.

After I retired and Heather and I could ride Amtrak the routes from Denver west suffered a loss of routes here and there, just the ones I know about. Early on Amtrak had been split into two trains from Salt Lake west, became just one. The Pioneer which ran from Denver to Portland, Oregon was discontinued. That one let us go to Eugene overnight. When they cut that route it was a long two day trip, Denver to Sacramento and then the next day north to Eugene. It has been obvious to me since Heather and I began to ride that the coaches are wearing out and not being brought to the level to provide the comfort they once had.

So, I wonder, is Amtrak going to do the Cheshire Cat bit like the one in Alice in wonderland, gradually disappearing bit by bit until only the grin is left and as a nation, riding on trains will be lost to us ? Railroads are still one means of mass transportation that I think should be kept as a travel option and even routes restored and new ones instituted. The rolling stock should be renovated and the fares brought to a reasonable level so that once again a train trip could be affordable to the 'average family' as it once was. For one thing it would let young folk who were earning money but didn't have cars have a method to explore our nation, to visit relatives, to go to new jobs. Jeepers I would think that all the Historic Landmarks we are putting tax dollars into that maybe Amtrak could be classified as a Historic Necessity and be subsidized too.

I remember here in Denver our Tramway system which functioned well until World War Two was over and its rolling stock then pretty raggedy began its downhill slide. The process of cut service and raise the fares enabled it to hari kari and eventually go to buses with the consequent air pollution. And the time between buses seems to be getting longer now.

Light Rail has become a realilty here now but of course does not serve all the Metro Denver area.

Instead of calling this entry a place holder perhaps the proper term would be Place Mat . . . . . . . .

Blog