You see what Dick says, I think he is right ! Why does Amtrak have to suffer? BOB FLETCHER US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS MILITARY DESIGN SECTION 10th FLOOR S.W. SACRAMENTO DISTRICT 1325 J STREET, SACRAMENTO CALIFORNIA, 95814-2922 Phone (916) 557-7235 -----Original Message----- From: dick_friedman@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:dick_friedman@xxxxxxxxxx] Sent: Friday, December 10, 2004 2:33 PM To: Fletcher, Robert SPK Subject: Re: SFGate: Mineta lays out second-term agenda/Transportation secretary says states will have to pay larger share of Amtrak costs Bob, Amtrak's "drain on the budget" for it's entire history is about one month's defense department budget. In the 30+ years of Amtrak's = existence, no one was deliberately killed by decisions of Amtrak's management. The same can't be said of the defense department. Since he's the head of FedDOT, he must know that the Fed gov't pays 92% of the cost of = interstate highway construction, and 100% of air traffic control costs. So maybe = the states should agree to put up 8% of interstate rail costs and none of = its operating costs. Oh, and by the way, NASA will get $18.5 billion to put one team on Mars. That would fund Amtrak for two decades! I hope Mineta and that crowd = fry in hell for what they are doing to the American travelling public. Richard L. Friedman Caltrans Division of Rail Marketing Branch