“Noted Transportation Journalist” Don Phillips will be the presentor at tomorrow’s (Tuesday, July 19, 2011) Northwestern University Hagestand Sandhouse Gang meeting. 3:00 PM CDT.
There is a call in number for those of you who can’t get to Evanston, IL on such short notice. (877) 806-9883, passcode 9317334026. There is no slide show to follow along via the web.
More details from the flyer at the link (emphasis in the original) - but those are enough topics for a semsester-length seminar, not just a poor hour:
“Government: Is it Helping or Hurting Planes, Trains, and Trucks?”
Don Phillips, Noted Transportation Journalist, will address a wide variety of issues impacting the transportation industry including passenger and freight rail, trucking, intermodal, and security. He will also discuss the state of journalism today and how it helps protect our freedoms.
Don Phillips plans to cover the following topics during his talk:
Surface/Rail
How did freight rail become so successful and so profitable? Where is the industry going now?
Why are other forms of surface freight transportation – trucking, barges, etc. – deteriorating?
What sort of government actions and regulation can surface transportation expect?
How did the government badly lose its way in requiring railroads to install new safety systems?
Chicago and the CREATE program.
The vital Illinois role in passenger transportation.
What in the world has happened to poor Amtrak?
Air
When, if ever, will the FAA design and require a new space-based air traffic control system?
Why is Obama making corporate aviation the bogey-man?
Security
Will the TSA ever grow up?
Did we make a stupid mistake letting security specialists control security?
How the European system is so different.
Post-9/11 Loss of Freedom
Have some of the police forgotten their purpose?
The Supreme Court has consistently ruled for almost a century that photography from public property is always constitutional. So why are photographers being hassled for taking photos of
If I may, I’d like to offer some insight to the two questions related to aviation. Having spent the last thirty years of my working life in that industry gives me some small insight.
To answer the first one, the FAA’s wheels turn extremely slowly in adopting new technology. Many places in their system are still working with fifty year old equipment. They are bloated, and overloaded with paperwork. Just look at how many years it takes to get a new airliner approved in spite of all the manufacturers must do to satisfy FAA inspectors during production. Certification rules for all aircraft large and small are very complex, and new ideas such as composites are very slow to be accepted.
The answer to the second question can be summed up in one word; POLITICS! He wants the American public to think they are ‘fat cat perks’ that are used more for personal trips than for legitimate business. Nothing could be further from the truth. Businesses large and small use them as a tool to save their executives precious time.
Tuned in already; listening to Bach, Haydn, and Mozart (so far) until it’s time. Anyone else want to use this thread for comments during and afterwards? And just to let us know who’s listening?
Interesting takes on things that we all “know”. Unfortunately, he was preaching to the choir…I suspect there should have been a few police chiefs in the audience. Ken, I missed your sign-in; heard yours, Jay!
I was there in person. Drove all the way down to Evanston. And I now must corrrect an error on my part. I thought Mr. Phillips was from southern Illinois. His bio says he’s from Alabama.
I agree, there wasn’t much new or much detail. I think he could have better tailored his talk to his audiance. People who attended in person on over the phone are knowledgeable about railroads. We don’t need the basics. Yes, we already knew the railroads are now doing well financially. He didn’t go in to how that happened.
The only thing he got enthusiastic about (IMHO) was railfans being hasseled for taking pictures. (Plus a couple of gratuitous shots at the Tea Party.)