If he’s going to be striking down transportation projects left and right, transportation projects that make sense and that are desperately needed, then don’t take it out on just rail. Extend that to road and air transportation…and see how many people go for this ridiculous bill.

John McCain is such a hypocrite when it comes to transportation. He strikes down public transportation BUT NOT road or air, because Arizona is dependant on those. Hold him accountable for his words – no pork projects whatsoever, not even that Hoover Dam bridge.

Figures the money for the Stamford Transitway (a somewhat new concept in a wealthy, dense, and growing, but relatively small, city in a northeastern state) is on his chopping block.

A good transportation bill goes hand in hand with our national security, there’s not even need to bring up the green argument (although that adds significant clout to said argument). Everyday life in the USA for the most part is affected by the price of oil. It goes up we feel the pinch form gas pump to gallon of milk. We have very few alternatives, although that seems to be changing, other than to drive everywhere. Living in North Dallas this is very much the case.

For him and the GOP to even think in these terms and propose these amendments shows how much they don’t give a damn about the people and their livelihoods. If anything spending tax payer money in this fashion far outstrips the bail outs we’ve been spectator to. Retire already, pick one of your 7 houses and watch the sunset. Let people that give a damn about the country and its people have a go.

I’d also certainly like to see some of the systems designed to help reduce roadkill. What exactly are we talking about there? Critter bridges and/or tunnels? I can easly be contacted on http://unpollute.ning.com

-emett, Portland, OR

The federal government supports transportation projects not because they have a completely tangible benefit to the entire nation (only projects that cross states lines would qualify for that), but because the projects — wrapped together — improve the nation’s transportation infrastructure as a whole.

If I live in Dallas, I might not support expanding Interstate 80 or light rail in Phoenix, but it’s likely I do support better transportation infrastructure for America. And that will directly benefit me.

And they call this guy a hero. Why? because he did his job?

I understand being philosophically opposed to federal funding of local things, (though usually people who are against federal funding of one thing or another really like federal funding of some programs.) I don’t agree, but I understand.

The problem is that without federal funding, transit projects are not going to be built. That’s the way it is. So, in the real world, being against federal funding is effectively being against transit.

And the billions of dollars spent on road projects in all these states benefits whom exactly? I’m in Richmond, VA – the interstate spending in California is benefiting me? Oh, wait, it’s not. It’s used primarily by Californians to reach destinations in California.

And let me preempt any comment you might make about interstate trucking. Interstate rail freight moves a significant percentage of goods across this country and the rails are exclusively supported/constructed by the freight companies. Interstate highway systems predominantly support private automobile traffic in their respective states, so perhaps the federal government shouldn’t be supporting them either?

Please contact your U.S. senators and representatives, and tell them to tell McCain, Kyl, Coburn, et.al. to go pound sand.

Pathetic. McCain/Palin would have been the end of America.

And walking and bicycling are actual forms of transporation and should not be included in add-ons like beautification and museums. I walked to elementary school. Is Sen. Coburn suggesting that I should have driven instead?