As we reported last night, the derailment of an Amtrak passenger train traveling from Washington, D.C. to New York City set off a fury of instant analysis that GOP cuts to infrastructure spending were probably to blame:
Partisan ghouls already blaming Amtrak crash on GOP and 'lack of funding' http://t.co/fAdTsYi3G2
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) May 13, 2015
But reports this morning suggest speed, not a “crumbling infrastructure,” might be the cause of the accident:
All #amtrak sources I'm hearing from keep pointing to the speed in this derailment in Philly. @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/5RD3L6j5IP
— Adam Tuss (@AdamTuss) May 13, 2015
Speed eyed as possible cause of #Amtrak crash: http://t.co/r6X3HuOZOn pic.twitter.com/rtgm3xmG6H
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) May 13, 2015
#Amtrak train derailed on curve near a freight yard. Could excessive speed have been a factor? #derailment pic.twitter.com/xjZo0Vt5yh
— Channing Frampton (@ChanningWINK) May 13, 2015
https://twitter.com/HannahMiyamoto/status/598323667425103873
But “human error” just doesn’t fit the lib narrative, now does it?
As for “infrastructure spending,” David Frum reminds us that we already did that:
Awful that America’s railway lines are in such bad shape. If only the country had committed $800 billion to a massive stimulus program
— David Frum (@davidfrum) May 13, 2015
Stimulus money that’s being used to fund California’s boondoggle high-speed rail plan:
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"I have not seen a single number that has come out of the California high-speed rail organization that is credible." http://t.co/0SHtE79rVp
— Next City (@NextCityOrg) May 13, 2015
None of the claims about California High Speed Rail are credible. http://t.co/pJzZk2hHF8
— drhug (@drhug) May 10, 2015
Which is taking money away from much more needed upgrades in California:
The governor of California really wants to spend $60 billion on a high speed rail line, but desalination plants are too expensive. ?
— Serena (@SerenaAlfaro) April 28, 2015
California doesn’t need a wasteful $100+ billion high speed rail system. What it needs is state-of-the-art water desalinization plants.
— Sanford Kahn (@econbusspeaker) April 26, 2015
Pretty much.
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Related:
Update: 6th person confirmed dead in Amtrak derailment
Donald Trump: ‘The only one to fix the infrastructure of our country is me’
Instagram video shows interior view of Amtrak train wreck aftermath