Money Leaving U.S. at 300 MPH

[marmar]

via MichaelMoore.com:





May 12th, 2010 11:29 AM
US transport chief rides 300-mph Japanese maglev

By Jay Alabaster / Associated Press


TSURU, Japan — U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood took a ride Tuesday on the fastest passenger train in the world, a Japanese maglev, as part of Tokyo's sales pitch for billions of dollars in high-speed train contracts from the U.S.

Washington is attempting to drive development of a new train network that will eventually span the country, but the U.S. has almost no domestic experience or technology. Japan, with one of the most advanced train systems in the world, is an eager seller, though it has had scant success with exports so far.

LaHood, who in the past few months has also ridden high-speed trains in Spain and France, said he was impressed with Japanese technology but that was only part of the equation. He said potential manufacturers need to "come to America, find facilities to build this equipment in America, and hire American workers."

"It's getting America into the high-speed rail business, but it's also putting Americans to work building the infrastructure," he said.

During his short visit to Tsuru, a quiet town in the shadow of Mt. Fuji about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Tokyo, he came straight to the Maglev Test Line in Yamanashi prefecture. The train hit speeds of 311 miles per hour (502 kph) during a 27-minute run. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latest-news/lahood-rides-502-kph-maglev-train-japan-seeks-us-sales

[Sebastian Doyle]

1. No question that the trains themselves would be a much needed improvement in this country.

But there's a difference between a Japanese company building the trains, and taking most of the money back to Japan, and an American company building them, hopefully with a union labor force, and putting that money in the American economy where it is most needed.

Surely there is a company here that is capable of building these trains?

[Toucano]

4. "...and taking most of the money back to Japan...

I have listened to people say that type of thing for 30 years.

It's a myth because it implies that a company registered and headquartered in the United States somehow "spends" or "invests" their proceeds here to the benefit of old Glory.

That simply doesn't happen.

A so-called U.S. company spends no more money inside the United States than is absolutely necessary. It pays shareholder dividends with no regard to the flag flying over the bank where the check is deposited. It reinvests those proceeds in whatever market they think can produce the most profit for the next quarter - be it Indonesia, El Salvador or Switzerland.

Capital recognizes no national boundaries and corporations know no patriotism.

The localization of the labor is what matters, not the localization of the capital.


This idea that the Japanese set up shop here and run back to Japan with bags of money that they throw in the streets of Tokyo is simply not true.

[Dappleganger]

7. The Japanese have a long history of being anti-union.

That's my biggest beef with them.

[Toucano]

8. That's true.

Their compliance with U.S. laws and regulations is more enforceable in U.S. borders than outside U.S. borders.

[Vincardog]

2. We should learn all we can from them so we can BUILD it here

[FarCenter]

5. It is probably impossible to design a US train that doesn't infringe on foreign-held patents

The US has no technological base in high-speed rail.

[Vincardog]

6. SO? Why not just pay for the use? I saw MAGLEV last century.

[reggie the dog]

3. damn it, we just set the fastest train record a year or two ago

now we will have to get our French TGV's to go faster to keep up with the Japanese, I love friendly competition.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

9. As far as I know, the maglevs are not yet in service in Japan

but there are plans for a second route from Tokyo to Osaka using maglev technology.

They've been testing high-speed rail technology forever in Japan. I recall seeing the test tracks at Hyuga when I visited Kyushu over thirty years ago.

[Lagomorph]

10. I'd like to see how...

...you can scale up a high speed train in the US. 3000 miles through flood plains, tornado zones, earthquake zones, the Rocky Mountains and the Cascades/Sierra Nevada's sounds kinda spendy to me. I think that's why we went with interstate highways in the first place.