Amtrak Privatization Bill

[MasterJedi]

Nay

[jerusalemcar5]

Future votes:

If Hawk amendment passes: Aye.

If it doesn't: Nay.

[Jake]

I offer this amendment:

Amendment Withdrawn


6. The Federal Government shall retain 49% of Amtrak voting rights.

And I ask Hawk his own questions about this amendment.

Would private investors the federal government necessarily not have a say in the management of Amtrak? Would federal appointees private investors automatically close ranks to block any proposed intiatives from those representing private investors the federal government? Would federal appointees to the Board and those respresenting private investors not reach agreement as to its future?

[Јas]

Nay

[Democratic Hawk]

I offer this amendment:


6. The Federal Government shall retain 49% of Amtrak voting rights.

Well my amendment proposes 50% of the company be sold, while the federal appointees have 51% of the voting rights. I consider this to be fair enough given that the federal government, and not the private investors, fund the subsidies

In answer to your questions, here goes:

1) No - the federal government, as with private investors, would have a say
2) No - I don't see private investors closing ranks any more than the federal appointees would
3) No - private investors and federal appointees can reach agreement as to the future of Amtrak

But the private investors aren't the onces paying the subsidies

Nevertheless, whether it's federal appointees or the private investors who have 51% of the voting rights, the principle of a public-private partnership in the delivery of rail services remains intact and that would do me

'Hawk'

[Virginian87]

Nay. 

As I mentioned earlier, the federal government must increase subsidies in order to make the necessary improvements to Amtrak's infrastructure and trackage, both on the Northeast Corridor and on the freight railroads where Amtrak is a tenant.  Once these improvements are made, Amtrak will begin to prosper as an effective form of transportation in Atlasia.  Then, and only then, should privatization and withdrawl of federal sudsidies even be considered.

[MasterJedi]

This amendment has failed.

[ilikeverin]

I'd like to introduce this amendment:

Amtrak Privatization Bill
1. The Amtrak rail system is to be privatized through an auction.
2. The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to make necessary rules and regulations relating to the process of privatization.
3. The privatization of the Amtrak system shall be completed before the year 2007.
4. The person or corporation who purchases the Amtrak system will be authorized to terminate unprofitable routes at their discretion.

And the old clause one goes *poof*.  This makes this bill an actual 'Amtrak Privatization Bill' rather than an 'Amtrak Privatization Bill but oh wait we're removing every single rail subsidy too'.

[Democratic Hawk]

I'd like to introduce this amendment:

Amtrak Privatization Bill
1. The Amtrak rail system is to be privatized through an auction.
2. The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to make necessary rules and regulations relating to the process of privatization.
3. The privatization of the Amtrak system shall be completed before the year 2007.
4. The person or corporation who purchases the Amtrak system will be authorized to terminate unprofitable routes at their discretion.

And the old clause one goes *poof*.  This makes this bill an actual 'Amtrak Privatization Bill' rather than an 'Amtrak Privatization Bill but oh wait we're removing every single rail subsidy too'.

So, basically, you are proposing that we fully privatize Amtrak but retain rail subsidies

'Hawk'

[MasterJedi]

I hereby open up the vote on this amendment. Please vote Aye, Nay or Abstain.

1. The Amtrak rail system is to be privatized through an auction.
2. The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to make necessary rules and regulations relating to the process of privatization.
3. The privatization of the Amtrak system shall be completed before the year 2007.
4. The person or corporation who purchases the Amtrak system will be authorized to terminate unprofitable routes at their discretion.

[MasterJedi]

Aye

[ilikeverin]

Yup

[Virginian87]

Nay.  I don't support any privatization of Amtrak for the reasons I stated in my above post.

[Hatman 🍁]

Nay

[Jake]

Nay

[MasterJedi]

Nay.  I don't support any privatization of Amtrak for the reasons I stated in my above post.

Might I urge you to change your vote? This makes it so if it does pass at least not all rail subsidies aren't all gone. I think you'd like that, as well as Earl.

[Hatman 🍁]

Ok, I'll change my vote to abstain.

[Democratic Hawk]

Aye

'Hawk'

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Reading through the bill again (and the recent amendent)... the only people who'll take any interest in buying this will be asset-strippers...

[bgwah]

nay

[jerusalemcar5]

Oops. 

Aye.

Obviously I will vote against this in the final vote, but it is better than the original.

[Јas]

Nay

Sorry, misread the amendment. Make that an Aye.

[MasterJedi]

So everyone who voted Nay fails getting rid of all rail subsidies? Anyways WMS will decide the final outcome.

[Virginian87]

Nay.  I don't support any privatization of Amtrak for the reasons I stated in my above post.

Might I urge you to change your vote? This makes it so if it does pass at least not all rail subsidies aren't all gone. I think you'd like that, as well as Earl.

Reading through the bill again (and the recent amendent)... the only people who'll take any interest in buying this will be asset-strippers...

Al's comment sums up my reason for opposing this amendment nicely.  I fear that if Amtrak were simply placed on the chopping block and auctioned off, the only people who would buy it would be corporate raiders who would sell off all the rolling stock and retain only the Northeast Corridor as a passenger rail route.  I will certainly not sit there and watch the our nation's passenger rail system be broken up.  It has more potential than any form of transportation in this country, and the government must have faith in it. 

Yes, this amendment certainly is an improvement to the original bill, but I don't like the idea of handing over exclusive decisions over route authority to one private individual.  Several small towns depend on Amtrak for transportation, you know.  I am hoping my fellow Senators will give Amtrak another chance and vote against this bill.

[ilikeverin]

Why should the federal government be shedding money so that a couple of random farmers could have the option (that they don't particularly need nor want) to take the train into town every blue moon?  It's unfortunate that railroads aren't particularly profitable, but considering their limited usage they probably should be given the axe as far as completely publicly owned companies go.  And, who knows, maybe a short stretch of privatization will be just the thing that the railroads need, and we can just buy them back or something.