Conservative and libertarian organizations have
long had an ax to grind against Amtrak. They continue to cry
about Amtrak's over-subsidization all the while closing their
eyes to the massive subsidies paid to commercial aviation and
highways. When they lost an argument in the fight over the
federal government providing a $200 million emergency loan to
Amtrak (as opposed to the $2 billion loan United Airlines is requesting
from the federal government), those who have an agenda
against passenger rail resorted to name-calling.
On July 1, 2002, the Heritage Foundation's Ronald Utt, a supposed
senior research fellow, used an expletive in his continual attack
on Amtrak.
In "A Gunn to their head: The Amtrak bailout
and its lessons," Utt
calls Amtrak's new bold CEO "...an intensely determined
S.O.B. with no apparent federal political experience."
Am I missing something here? Have journalistic standards fallen
so low that supposed think-tanks can resort to curse words when
their arguments fail?
What happened to copy editing? I can imagine the trouble any
other columnist would get into by using such language against a
congressman or president. Remember New York Times columnist
William Saffire's problems when he referred to Hillary Clinton as
"a congenital liar."
Is this incident indicative of Heritage's sloppy handling of
important facts in the Amtrak issue?
Amazingly, not one staffer from Heritage, nor anyone from
National Review Online, which republished the article, bothered
to acknowledge my email to them when I complained about the
offensive term they used.
Utt, who thinks he knows everything about Amtrak, certainly
understands that calling a CEO an "S.O.B." seriously
hurts his weak cause. Most critics would never consider resorting
to name-calling and using such derogatory language when upset
that a stronger opponent comes along.
The solution to the Amtrak mess is to stop running its trains to
most of the U.S., according to Utt and the Heritage Foundation, a
misguided view that has apparently been embraced by the Bush
Administration and the so-called Department of Transportation
Secretary Norman Mineta.
Utt, the Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute and other
whiners such as Wendall Cox and Joseph Vranich have never lifted
a finger to improve Amtrak and give this country a modern
passenger rail system. All they want to do is destroy passenger
train service. These selective free-market "thinkers"
believe passenger trains should stand on their own while the
government pours billions of dollars into unprofitable aviation
and highway systems.
The money that funds Amtrak - a mere 2% of the DOT's annual
budget - would very likely be dumped into money-losing aviation
and highway systems.
Amtrak critic Sen. John McCain recently promised that the
federal government would build Chicago a third airport. So much
for the Amtrak self-sufficiency lie.
Too bad Utt - and Heritage Foundation - can only resort to name
calling when someone who is truly working to improve Amtrak comes
along. I couldn't imagine any Heritage Foundation staffer using
the same derogatory term against a congressman or a president.
Utt's slur reflects the true spirit of the Heritage Foundation
and their shallow arguments against passenger rail funding.
It's amazing what one can do, like David Gunn, when he bucks the
system and actually tries to get results. Perhaps this is what
Heritage et. al. are afraid of: that Gunn will be successful in
instituting true reforms at Amtrak- not government- or
think-tank-led "reform" that will stop passenger trains
from running.
If the Bush Administration - and Amtrak's nagging critics - had
more patience, Amtrak CEO Gunn’s effort to make the railroad
more accountable – and its accounting more transparent
– will produce the financial details Congress, the White
House and Department of Transportation have been seeking for
years. Instead, the administration proposes knocking down the
house Gunn’s new broom is promising to sweep squeaky clean.
Thankfully, Amtrak's new CEO won't back down in the face of clear
political interference. Gunn has a strong record of turning
around transit systems and other organizations. Congress should
allow him to make reforms without trying to sabotage our
important national rail passenger system.
Doug Ohlemeier
MOKSRail vice president
Lawrence, Kansas
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