Sasha's commentary for October 15, 2013

The last forty-eight hours have been both good and bad for rail. Amtrak hyped up the fact that it carried 31 million riders this year. How about 35 million for next year?  And Indiana has FINALLY reached an agreement with Amtrak to keep the Hoosier State run. About time! But there's also bad news: the already financially strapped Adirondack Scenic Railroad has seen one of its leased engines sabotaged by some individuals. As I have posted in the past, rail advocates across the Adirondacks and all of New York have been fighting to keep the rail corridor from Utica to Lake Placid intact. The "Adirondack Recreational Trail Advocates", which I see as a railroad hate group, has been fighting railfans and the state Department of Transportation on whether to tear up the line or not. Needless to say I'll be drafting a letter to Senator Betty Little asking her to strengthen and protect scenic rail operators from both political and special interest harassment. I see whoever did this as harassment.

Lately this whole psuedo-hostage holding, whether it be towards a tourist railroad in Lake Placid that has big plans for the future or the Tea Partiers in Congress crying foul is getting not only out of hand, but sickening too.

Huffington Post (who I've been trying to boycott as their site slows down my web browser big time) has an article on several way to be annoying on Facebook. Needless to say I've probably lost a Facebook friend (or two, or three, or several) because of this.

If John Boehner is fighting to keep his speakership, he should just throw in the towel now. He's lost the support of the American people. And the Republicans in Congress are beyond stubborn; Boehner proposes something but even the GOP isn't happy with it. Harry Reid is right. I would not be surprised if the shutdown lasts until January 2015. He's trying now to get conservative support, not bipartisan support for a bill to end the stalemate in Washington. I'm calling the White House tomorrow and telling them to bring in a mediator. If we do default (which looks ) the GOP deserves to lose its majority and every member of the Tea Party voted out of office. If you are a moderate or someone who is open to compromise even if it doesn't make you happy (like me for the latter). I'd get rid of the debt ceiling, raise taxes on Americans making more than a half grand a year and a little on those making more than $250k. Boehner's turning out to be more selfish than anything else. If our nation's stability was at stake, I'd give up my job (and it's only an added position, sure the House speaker gets another almost $100k on top of what a member of Congress earns). Sure, even I agree that the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) probably needs to be re-written a little but what we really need is to put a leash on the healthcare industry and lobby. And Obamacare itself? It has teething issues, yes, but it still has a chance. Repealing it now would be worse than a new healthcare bill. I'd rather spend four years on a healthcare bill than trying to destroy it just to prove a point, while at the same time putting our nation's stability at risk.

Even special interest groups are making a bad situation worse. The Heritage Foundation has stated "it would “key vote”" the debt ceiling and continuing resolution, so needless to say, why I would make a different politicians: I would ignore whatever negative shenanigans that the Heritage Foundation throws at me. They're no more influential in my decision making than the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP). (Actually that statement is a boldfaced lie, but my point is that improving rail is bipartisan. Christian values, while can be bipartisan, tend to be prejudice towards some groups, in in some cases, snobbish). If I was in Congress, I'd advocate for doing SOMETHING. Forget trying to get a majority of a party, just get a freaking majority!

BTW for MSNBC: Chris Coons is from Delaware. Chris Murphy is from Connecticut.

Also, my alma maters don't have football teams. Okay, both Irvington and Brewster do, but they only sort of count, and I didn't graduate from those two high schools. And both SUNY Potsdam and North Country Community College lack football teams.

And lastly, I'll concur like most guys in the United States: Maria Kang is HOT. Three kids and you have a body like that? But I have to kind of defend her. Yes, it is a somewhat hurtful photo and statement as not all mothers can pull off what she can. But Kang has credibility, not only as a former beauty pageant contestant but as someone who has had a body image issue. What is bulimia? A psychophysical eating disorder that is also associated with poor body image. I don't think she's trying to be rude at all. Harsh? Maybe a little. But part of maintaining a healthy body weight is proper diet and exercise. Eat breakfast. Don't go overboard on the carbs and sugars (and for someone like me who does, DON'T bring soft drinks into the mix!), and eat right in general.