zorionek0

zorionek0 t1_jdqhoqa wrote

  1. Do really believe that having an oligopoly of 4 class-I railroads operating for profit compared to if we nationalized it and ran it as a public good would mean LESS service and expansion? The rail companies happily take record profits for declining service. The less they spend on crews and actual improvements to rail the happier their shareholders are.

  2. Because the railroads declined to install required safety infra to go above 79 mph for huge swaths of the rail network making rail uncompetitive with early regional airlines.

  3. A concerted government and business campaign to get people into cars rather than onto trains. It’s as much a policy choice as a consumer choice.

  4. Again- CORPORATIONS. I am proposing a national freight carrier (call it Amfreight) that would be responsible for doing all this without concern for profit. Unions are a good thing- the only reason they’ve been demonized is because the ownership hates having to share the fruits of labor’s labor with the actual workers.

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zorionek0 t1_jdqg9n7 wrote

Part of that unsustainability is runaway corporate profits. Compare the price of sending mail via a public good like the post office to that of UPS or FedEx.

Imagine if instead of free roadways you had to pay a toll every time you left your driveway. 75 years ago we invested in car infrastructure. Today we should invest in train infrastructure.

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zorionek0 OP t1_jczxtlx wrote

If you're a Penn Stater, a Centre County resident, or just love craft beers, Otto's in State College has been a landmark and mainstay for over 20 years. Some dedicated fans even went so far as to but "lifetime memberships" with perks like discounts and free birthday entrees.

Now the pub has announced they're unilaterally ending the program in 2024.

I know there are so many bigger problems out there, but this is the kind of petty crusade I need right now.

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zorionek0 OP t1_jclwz5l wrote

I made this neighborhood map based on Scranton City Planning's Scranton Open Data (arcgis.com). They've divided the city in 35 neighborhoods.

This was a fun little project, especially because I have never heard of some of these neighborhoods, but it doesn't surprise me that there are neighborhoods with like 30 houses in them.

Some fun little quirks of the map: East & West Mountain neatly show the geography of the valley, and then the Lackawanna river cutting through the city is clear in the shape of some of the other neighborhoods, for example the edge of Minooka.

Iron District I was tempted to call The Furnaces, which is how I always thought of that, but Iron District makes sense too.

Montage is wide open but it also has the baseball stadium, ski resort, shoppes, and some other cool stuff.

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zorionek0 OP t1_jad53ca wrote

Never been to Kennywood, but Knoebels and Hershey are both really nice. Hershey's getting a little too expensive, but Knoebels is nice because you only pay for the rides you go on.

And of course, every little firehall with their annual carnival featuring questionably safe amusement rides gives you that extra "thrill." A couple years ago, the Jefferson Fire Co.'s fair one of the rides got stuck - good thing they were already at the fire hall!

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