"The railroads went under because they did not understand they were...."

[kentuck]

part of the transportation system. They thought they were just railroads..."

Paraphrasing Bob Shieffer on C-SPAN from a filmed discussion about the media and the role of newspapers...

Is the Internet and DU, in particular, looking at themselves just as the railroads did? DU is as much a part of the media as is talk radio or cable television. They are all parts of a multi-media.

In my opinion, to think DU is only a place to find fellow travelers and to blow off steam and to rant is to miss the big picture. Words, indeed, have meaning. The purpose of a free press is to inform the public. Where it comes from is not as important as what is said.

Naturally, we use newspapers to validate much of what we discuss. We do not do "investigative" journalism, in that, we do not pay reporters to go to New Orleans to report on Hurricane Katrina or to Italy to report on the recent election. However, we analyze and editorialize about those events, much more than any other medium. But there is a value in that.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. the railroads went under because

the oil companies could make more money using trucking, and it was more flexible

[kentuck]

4. My point exactly...

They thought they were substitutes for trucks...they did not realize their future was in transportation. So they lost out to airlines and other means of transportation. They did not invest in transporting people. Otherwise, they would be flourishing today.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. The railroads went under because the levees failed. n/t

[saltpoint]

3. Much value, yes. Information is much more rapidly circulated

as a result of DU and other left sites.

We're a motivated bunch. That could only be good for blue candidates.

[notadmblnd]

5. You're absolutely right. We'd be foolish to think that DU

is insignificant as a player in the multi media field. In fact, over the few years that I've been a member, I've seen the impact on events that DU has made. Hurricane Katrina is just one example; where our outrage and our cry for something to be done was heard and reacted to.

I know DU is a very significant player... and that our logic, our passion our beliefs in what is right and what is wrong, our rants, our outrages and even sometimes even our prejudices are being seen and are influencing events in our time.

[Dr.Phool]

6. WTF. The railroads didn't go under.

They've been merged into bigger and bigger railroads. Also, railroads pay their own costs for building and maintaining their right of ways, unlike the trucking and airline industries.

I probably know a bit more about railroads, than does Schieffer. I worked on one for 31 years.

[kentuck]

7. With all due respect, Dr. Phool..

I think you miss the point. The railroads should be in the transportation business today - not just the freight business. They did not have the foresight to understand their potential.

[kentuck]

12. On further reading, maybe they did see their potential..

and it was mainly in freight and not as a passenger service?

But the analogy was meant to be toward the Internet and newspapers and communication...

[INdemo]

8. Yes but there are still many areas of the country where the rail system

was dismantled and the right-of way sold..We need and should have had a high speed rail system 30 years ago. The cost now would be prohibitive..The so called Amtrak (high speed system) is a joke.The major routes that still exist are in need of major maintenance* but the Railroad companies cannot afford the needed maintenance staff..Engineers and train crews are being pushed to the limit also.

*many areas of train routes actually have very low max speed limits because of the rail condition...

[Jazzgirl]

11. Thank you Dr. Phool.

I work for a major railroad. We are making more than ever before and have more traffic than we can handle. All the major railroads are and yes, there are only 5-6 major railroads left in the US.

[Hidden Stillness]

9. AMTRAK Suffers Because Republicans are Trying to Kill It

The reason why the railroad system has such a hard time meeting its budget--it still exists, by the way--is that, ever since the days of that bastard Reagan, the budget has been cut to below the amount needed for operating expenses, and corporate executives from the airline and etc. industries have been appointed to "run" AMTRAK, with the purpose of destroying it and seizing assets. For the past few years, the Bush/Cheney Administration has actually tried to slip by an operating budget of 0 dollars, but continued protests and petitions from users has killed their glorious "plan." They have tried to kill and commercialize ("privatize") several regions of the country, starting again recently with the most profitable ridership area in the country, the Northeast corridor, from New England to Washington D.C.--isn't that "odd," they want to seize and commercialize the most profitable section--but they are trying to "save" something that "doesn't work"! They have outsourced and commercialized many aspects of operation that used to be intrinsic railroad operations, "odd," because then, that reduced the number of union jobs with Federally guaranteed pensions. Since AMTRAK has not been given a suitable budget since the days of Pres. Carter, I'm surprised they do as well as they do. Meanwhile, we are all being drained by endless subsidies to the commercial airline industry, which does nothing to control prices or protect jobs, for this privilege.

[Toucano]

10. Bob Schieffer is wrong.

The railroads didn't really go under. They were transformed into other corporations in other industries.

Sprint is an offshoot of railroads. Hence, they were able to install "the world's first all fiber optic network" along existing infrastructure: railroad tracks.

Money, like energy, is never actually lost. It's just transformed. The railroad barrons are in IT and telecommunications, hospitality, defense contractors, and "health care" and big pharma. The same families, the same names, the same money.

One edit:

I realize this isn't the crux of your point, but I couldn't get past the initial misconception.