Actually the ACF/CIO ejected the Teamsters because of excessive corruption. If you dont think there is rampant corruption in labor unions as a whole then you are not paying attention. In a true free market system labor unions would be unnecessary because true competition for talent would exist. Unions as a whole stand for people who are unable to adapt to changing economic and social realities. If your job becomes obsolete or is outsourced, it's up to you to find a new one. If your particular skill set is no longer needed or in demand its time to develop a new set of skills. People are free to make the choices of education and training (at least in the USA). You are also free to accept the results of these choices (unemployment, lower wages than you would like, being tied to a job you dislike). Labor unions just distort those choices by keeping people employed at jobs that are no longer needed and by forcing above market wages and benefits that make their employers less competitive. The answer by unions is that "if everyone was in the union then everyone would be competitive". The problem with this is we now live in a global economy and at no time will everyone (or even a majority of people) be in a labor union.

I sure hope Obama can find the time to veto this abuse of power. Sure seems like the rights of ordinary citizens are taking quite the beating the last few years. Surely the legislative branch of the government can't wonder where their low approval ratings comes from.

What you describe as "ancient" technology was anything but at the time. State of the art would be the way to describe it back then. Just as the technology we use to extract energy now is considered "state of the art". As for the cost, it looks cheap compared to what they use now, but Ill bet at the time it was considered very expensive to drill a well. There are still independent producers that drill wells all the time for relatively little money. Sometimes they are successful, sometimes not. Just like 100 years ago. Also, the 'other' alternatives you mention are very heavily subsidized as well.

I'm not sure that GM is the company that I would trust with any prediction of future needs or supply. Math doesn't seem to be among their stronger skill sets.

Really like the "non-Slashdot" caveat. Very funny :)

As close as I can tell, they are all drunk by step 2.

"Linux and Mac are basically unused in China. Every single computer is running Windows." That can't be true. I've read several posts lately about the amazing imitation Apple stores in China. Someone is running pirated Apple software on an imitation Apple computer somewhere near a fake Apple store in China.

I don't think Jobs will go that far. Maybe just some mild torture.

Very flawed analogy. Stimulus is like taking water out of one end of a lake and dumping it back in the other end and wondering why the level hasn't come up.

What right wing opposition? The Dems decisively controlled both houses and the White House when the stimulus passed. The Republicans couldn't have stopped it. The only real opposition they faced was in their own party and the public. And if you dont think that stimulus funds benefited the SEIU then perhaps you should read a little at their website (which you so helpfully posted) and see what they themselves thought about the stimulus and its benefits to their members. Read before posting about ignorance of political reality.

As I look around I see tea partiers trying to lower the oppressive tax burden that is stifling business and employment. I see a currency that has been driven into the ground by Liberal Keynsian economic philosophy in action (government stimulus will save the economy, to get money for government stimulus we will take the money from those who make up the economic engine of the country. Then we take 25% of that money for administrative costs of a bloated and corrupt government and send the rest to out favorite causes, political boondoggles, and contributors and call it "shovel ready projects". Presto, we made 25% disappear completely and the rest went to people we really care about like the SEIU. Huh, wierd. The economy is getting worse. Obviously we didn't take enough money out of the economy to give it back to the economy. That must be because of the evil Republicans trying to get us to quit spending the money we confiscated plus the money we borrowed from China. Oh well, blame the rich people. Oh crap, they where the ones who donated to our election campaigns in 2008. That's strange, they get mad when you blame them and start talking about taking their money away. Then they put it in the bank instead of investing in things that create jobs. Must be those evil tea partiers talking them into it. Guess well have to borrow more money from China. Oh wait, that lowers our credit rating. Stupid bond rating agencies fault now. That's weird because they voted for us too. Oh well, back to basics. Must be Bush's fault. Even though the president can't spend a dime without a spending bill that originates in the house which Democrats controlled from 2007 on. That really weird. The economy started tanking right after Dems took control of the nations spending. I give up. This just isn't working like we planned)

Kind of like the real pilots who fall asleep and fly hundreds of miles past their destination or who forget to turn off their radios while they discuss things that shouldn't be broadcast to the world.

The only expansion projects are more than offset by abandonment of unused spurs and lines due to lack of demand. If you think that their is some pent up demand for passenger rail service, maybe you should take a ride on an Amtrak train sometime. If you dont think that truckers pay their own way, maybe you should pay some attention to the price of diesel fuel next time you fill up your prius (or at least research to see what percentage of that price is tax).

It doesn't have to make a profit but it should be the public's well informed choice to make. Most of the proposals for HSR have the appearance of billion dollar boondoggles rammed through by greedy or corrupt politicians. Not all infrastructure spending is good (bridge to nowhere comes to mind), some are just pork. I'm sure that if someone in the US can put forth a well thought out proposal and can justify its existence with real numbers, support will materialize.

Personally I feel this is way down the list of things that the government should be doing. I live in a very rural area and it seems that if there is a need then it should be filled with private enterprise and private dollars. Rural co-ops have served in this capacity very well for phone service and cable tv in the past and have worked very well recently for broadband. People need to start wrapping their minds around the fact that if the government pays for it then the government thinks it should regulate it and decide how to make it 'fair' for everyone. The people that say "this is something that the government should do" are usually the first people to complain when the government starts trying to enact usage policy and regulate content on the internet.