Autos are strangling Florida and the fatality rate from crashes is horrifying. Los Angeles, diffuse as it is, had an excellent public transit system until the oil and auto interests shut it down. Good public transit creates urban centers and transport hubs around its stations.

A billion people travel by train and plane for every one that flies in space. The country and NASA need to focus on practical needs first or we will never be able to afford spaceflight.

Also some of the money could be spent on advance space technologies and commercial crew systems.

Most people in Florida don’t need high-speed rail.

Rick Scott reasoning is simple. He doesn’t need high speed rail. But then, he has a private jet. If you don’t have a private jet, you should consider high speed rail.

His reasoning is very simple: it’s a boondoggle that the state can’t afford.

“Soviet style high-speed rail”

You mean like Japan, France, and many other nations have?

If you’ve ever ridden the Amtrak high speed versus any of the others you would know the difference.

While this is going to be tough on short haul aircraft market, it has to be done, given oil supply and prices.

Also, given the importance of tourism, snowbirds, and retirees to Florida’s economy, I think this decision may cost Scott re-election. His reasoning in this is completely baffling.

Looks like the Post missed that one. They have Obama in Orlando and St. Petersburg on August 1, 2008, but have nothing for August 2.

FWIW…

Moreover, the Washington Post data shows that the Obama campaign never visited Titusville or any Space Coast location, which reiterates the point I made earlier — that the KSC workforce is so small that space issues are swamped by issues of importance to other demographics, even in the space launch state of Florida.

I’m sympathetic to your point of view, but Obama did visit Titusville on August 2, 2008. Here’s the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdvAVSNRni4

This is the speech the local GOP and space worker unions often misquote to falsely claim that Obama said he would keep Constellation going and that no one would be laid off.

Compared to what?

According to the Washington Post, the winning campaign had Obama visit Tampa or Orlando only one time more than Miami or Miami Beach — 10 visits to Tampa/Orlando versus 9 visits to Miami/Miami Beach (out of 44 total campaign stops in Florida).

projects.washingtonpost.com/2008-presidential-candidates/tracker/candidates/barack-obama/states/fl/

Whoop-dee-freaking-doo. Since when does one more visit to a particular area of a state constitute “so much time” for a Presidential candidate making 44 visits in that state? That represents only about 2% of the total time Obama spent in Florida.

Moreover, the Washington Post data shows that the Obama campaign never visited Titusville or any Space Coast location, which reiterates the point I made earlier — that the KSC workforce is so small that space issues are swamped by issues of importance to other demographics, even in the space launch state of Florida.

“Tell me, which Presidential campaign were you working on?”

Why does it matter? I’m either able to read my own sources and understand the difference between counties and media markets, percentages and votes, and so much or “one”.

Or not.

Oy vey…