The first amendment isn’t about individuals or even corporations dictating what should or shouldn’t be said. It’s about the government saying that it’s LEGAL to say those things. Just because you can legally say things and not go to prison, doesn’t mean you’re not an asshole for saying those things. The freedom part is about government intervention into what you say, nobody else.

Wow. That company can go right ahead and fuck itself. Thanks for the link.

I moved here from Philly… the idea that Barre is “scary” is absolutely hilarious. Sure there are small town problems here with drugs and little bouts of crime, but you’ll find that anywhere that humans exist. Vermont is fucking wonderful.

It depends on the line. The empire builder on the high line will be put into the siding so that we can all get our Amazon packages on time. The southwest chief will always get priority over freight though. It all comes down to who pays more.

CSX in Springfield will cause delays. It’s their track and they make more money from their customers than they do from Amtrak paying them to run on the property 2 times a day. Same kind of thing happens west of Albany on the Lake Shore Limited line. Track work causes some delays because it enacts slow orders on the daily operating bulletin while the work is underway, but Amtrak is delayed before they even get onto the New England Central RR property at E. Northfield, MA. The recent heavy rains also cause speed restrictions because ballast washouts and landslides are pretty common along the NECR and it’s better to slow down and be safe than do have an accident and have people die.

If you want the trains to run closer to the posted schedules, vote for people who will invest in railroad infrastructure and who support railroad unions to have more workers and not run as lean. the companies would rather pay less people, than hire some more and have the jobs be covered and avoid delays. It always comes down to the big man making more money at the cost of the workers. Right now there are folks more concerned with an hour delay, than the quality of life for the workers that run the trains and literally keep this country alive. Please read up on the details of the class I railroad contract dispute. If a train is severely delayed going northbound, the crew will not be rested in time to take it southbound the next morning according to the schedule. Mandatory rest keeps the passengers and crew safe, but it also causes delays.

It all depends on if they are all weather or all season. All seasons are gonna get you stranded in a ditch. All weathers such as the Nokian WRG-4 is a snow rated tire and it does a pretty darn good job. The all weathers are great when you commute on mostly paved roads that are plowed and salted often, and occasionally you go on some back roads where a snow tire is usually needed. An all weather gives you less rolling resistance than a dedicated winter tire, better gas mileage, but they’ll wear out in the summer faster than a standard all season. If you live out in the country or drive a lot of country or mountain roads, spring for a dedicated winter tire, like the Blizzak, the Nordman, or Hakkapelita. I’ve never run studs, but some people swear by them. Don’t run all seasons around here though. If for nothing else, it’s an unnecessary danger to put a tow truck driver in, when the situation could have been avoided. Even if you can drive fine with the all seasons, STOPPING in snow is much much better with winter or all weather tires. Do some research, go to dedicated tire shops, don’t buy stuff from the dealer unless it’s damn close to free.

Uttons in Montpelier is fantastic. They’re up front and honest. Tuck’s Repair in Northfield is great as well. If you happen to have a VW or Audi, Auto Union is a wonderful shop dedicated to those cars.