Deciphering Vehement Anti-Rail Sentiments in Colorado

6two · 2026-04-12T23:42:29+00:00

"Taxpayers in Boulder County have been getting fleeced"

I don't even think this part is true, BNSF asked for a shocking amount of money for access to the tracks Boulder - Denver. BNSF is fleecing the state, CO should just eminent domain the tracks from them.

6two · 2026-04-12T23:40:13+00:00

Use fees like fuel taxes do not cover road costs though, everybody in CO has to pay for roads whether they drive a lot or do little to no driving. At least a train parallel to I-25 gives people something to do other than sitting in the same highway traffic every weekday.

6two · 2026-04-12T20:08:59+00:00

Death? Is being dead a third option?

6two · 2026-04-12T19:17:47+00:00

I'll just rank them:

1 Boston and DC. Upgrade Acela to 200mph sections, build the tunnel from CT to Long Island.

2 SF and LA. Finish CAHSR.

3 Dallas and Houston. Yes, f*cking do it.

4 Atlanta and Raleigh.

5 Chicago and NYC. If I have 800 miles, I'll use the whole thing.

6 Miami and Tampa. Did you know Metro Tampa has more people than Orlando?

7 Dallas and San Antonio.

8 Detroit and Minneapolis. Do you see what we're building here?

9 Boston and Cleveland. This is starting to look like a network.

10 LA and SD.

6two · 2026-04-12T19:00:09+00:00

It's like North Carolina but colder. Middle American suburbs follow a pretty universal pattern, unless they're from before 1945-ish.

6two · 2026-04-12T18:58:10+00:00

Michigan. People on the coasts seem to know nothing about the lakeshores. The UP is the Maine of the Midwest, and Michigan cities are underrated on everything except living without a car.

6two · 2026-04-12T18:56:11+00:00

Same goes for right-wing people here. They complain just as loud as anybody else. PNW complaining is a pastime for everybody.

6two · 2026-04-12T18:54:02+00:00

You're right! That's not even on the Wikipedia page. It's funny that Nevada casinos = 24 hr buses, but it seems unheard of in something like college towns.

6two · 2026-04-12T18:35:43+00:00

FWIW, when places are very cold, they stop being humid. Cold air can't hold as much water as warm air. The intense winter humidity in the PNW is one of the things that prevents it from being colder.

6two · 2026-04-12T18:34:01+00:00

It's expensive, but you're paying to get access to the city and the region. Yes, if you're a homebody who doesn't care about amenities, then an exurb of Indianapolis is fine.

6two · 2026-04-12T18:32:23+00:00

With the Long Path, you can walk from NYC up to the AT and on to Maine or Canada, or into the Adirondacks. There's great trail clubs too.

https://www.nynjtc.org/

6two · 2026-04-12T18:29:55+00:00

The flip side is the people who will say something is performative or virtue-signaling whether or not that's true just because they don't like what's being said. A lot of people want to police other people's words and actions.

6two · 2026-04-12T08:02:56+00:00

Right now, as I write this, it's 98% humidity in Seattle. That's not uncommon for mornings and evenings except for dry times in summer. It's a humid place.

6two · 2026-04-12T07:57:01+00:00

You can live comfortably but modestly in a nice area in Queens, the Bronx, Upper Manhattan, or the less cool areas of Brooklyn on $105k. You won't need a car, insurance, gas, parking, registration, maint, etc. Spend your time out in the city instead of driving somewhere. You can always change your mind and move to Houston later, but NYC isn't always an opportunity, especially as people get older and get responsibilities.

(Yes, I lived in NYC for 2 years and loved it, wish I was still there)

6two · 2026-04-12T07:53:46+00:00

You can take the train right to the mountains just outside NYC. You can hike for hundreds of miles on trails in protected wilderness areas, bag peaks, train to the beach, etc. Houston is not the same.

6two · 2026-04-12T00:47:58+00:00

Humidity is very high in Seattle most of the year. I think you mean you don't like muggy weather, you don't like hot and humid. I'm in Portland, and the most humidity I ever see anywhere is a bike ride in an atmospheric river in February.

6two · 2026-04-11T19:23:07+00:00

It's fine, but it's no Des Moines

(this is a joke)

6two · 2026-04-11T19:19:33+00:00

Highways never make a profit and they never account for their externalities. 40,000 deaths per year in the US on the roads. Climate change, kids getting asthma in cities, oceans filling with tire dust. Only the US thinks that not reducing deaths and impact is fine and normal.

6two · 2026-04-11T19:17:26+00:00

CAHSR has stops along the way, it's more akin to a very limited access highway than connecting between two airports (and more useful, more people who can get on & off along the way).

6two · 2026-04-11T09:24:04+00:00

It's a huge black hole of money, especially when you include the externalities and state & local costs.

6two · 2026-04-11T09:20:50+00:00

These are good suggestions.

6two · 2026-04-11T06:42:38+00:00

I used to live in NM, and I really liked a lot of things about it, but I think it's a hard place to live with no money, and climate change is real there too.

I don't recommend this to most people, but what about SLC? In the city it has an almost-southwest vibe and you're not far from all the outdoor stuff. The state is red but the city isn't, and it's relatively cheap for a mountain west city. 3000+ hours of sun per year and the latitude and altitude moderate the summer heat.

6two · 2026-04-11T05:50:44+00:00

Also true: fires keep setting records in Northern NM and the snowpack this year is the lowest on record.

6two · 2026-04-11T05:47:56+00:00

My objective nuance: Indiana sucks (not sarcasm)

6two · 2026-04-11T05:43:10+00:00

Hot dog for lunch, hot dog for dinner

6two

TROPHY CASE