Home | About Natural News | Contact Us | Write for Natural News
Search our 25,000 free articles and special reports
railroads

Railroads Look to the Public's Purse to Fund Their Expansion

Thursday, September 18, 2008 by: Barbara Minton, Natural Health Editor
See all articles by this author
Email this author

Key concepts: Railroads, Elevators and Asia

Email this article to a friend Printable Version  FREE Email Newsletter

Breaking News for Thursday, January 08, 2009

     See all Breaking News...

FREE Natural Health Newsletter

Receive natural health product reviews, recommendations and alerts.
Instant download of 20+ free health reports and exclusive interviews.
Join over 1.2 million monthly readers.



Unsubscribe anytime, email privacy guaranteed


Products Related to This Article*

Boku Superfood
High-potency superfood powder
for preventing numerous diseases

Living Fuel SuperBerry Ultimate
Delicious superfood meal powder
for disease prevention, antioxidant boost

Appetite for Profit (free download)
Free download summary of this top book
for discovering the truth about food companies

* Recommended by the Health Ranger.


Articles Related to This Article:

Good news for menopausal women: You can avoid hot flashes by changing your diet

Good news for menopausal women: You can avoid hot flashes by changing your diet

Studies show reishi mushrooms benefit people stricken with a variety of ailments, from high blood pressure to AIDS
(NaturalNews) We hear a lot about food shortages, but in the U.S. there is plenty to go around. It just can’t be moved quickly enough. Grain is being left to rot on the ground because of crumbling infrastructure, particularly of the rails. As a result, the railroads will need massive cash infusions to bring the infrastructure up to speed. If Americans have a dime left in their pockets after bailing out those involved in the collapse of the mortgage industry, they will most likely have to give it to the railroads.

Ground work is now being laid for public subsidy to the rails. In a recent CNBC televised interview, Oklahoma Wheat Commissioner Mark Hodges talked about the need for America to compete in the global economy for agriculture based on price, quality and service, with quality being paramount. When the crops mature and there is no quality transportation system in place to move them to market, the quality can only go down.

Once grain is harvested it is delivered to silos commonly referred to as elevators, where the grain is dumped. The people who manage these elevators are experts at keeping grain in good shape, so while grain is stored in the elevators it is not a problem. But once it leaves the elevators it must be sped quickly to its destination. As harvest moves from start to finish, each additional load of grain has to move out of the elevators and into export locations or mills in order to accommodate the new loads coming into the elevators from the fields. The principal way this is done is by train or truck. If the trains or trucks are not available, the grain is going to end up being left on the ground to rot. This is already happening. When the grain is put on the ground it is subject to the elements and there is about a 10 percent loss.

The rush to join in the globalization frenzy is to blame for this loss of produced grain according to Peter Freeman, Executive Director of the Agricultural Transport Coalition. For more than two decades America has had an ocean and rail transportation system that has been devoted to handling imports coming to the U.S. from Asia, such as toys, apparel and consumer electronics. But things have changed.

The dollar has fallen in value, and the people of Asia are in a better position to purchase more and better food from the U.S. And as the earnings of Asians have risen, there is more of a demand for goods made in Asia to remain at home and fulfill the burgeoning needs of Asians. This shift in shipping trends is one that Freedman sees continuing long into the future.

This new trend calls for the railroads and ocean carriers to look not only at U.S. consumer imports for their revenues, but to be able to provide the service needed to come into the U.S. warehouses and populated areas to pick up the agricultural products produced in the U.S. and to go to Asia loaded with these products. To do this will require more railroads allocating more lines to more places where lines have previously been abandoned in the rush to bring imports into the U.S.

Reinstating this previously suspended service and adding to it, along with getting ships reallocated in U.S. export areas to service and handle the massive volume of U.S. exports expected would add 20 to 30 percent to the current export figures. It would also allow for almost all agricultural production to be transported with very minimal spoilage.

The railroads have enough track and cars to handle current demand according to John Gray, Senior Vice President of American Association of Railroads. The rail industry has handled 20 percent more grain in the past few years than handled previously, mostly for the export market. Railroads have invested 40 billion dollars in infrastructure and equipment over the last 5 years. But to handle more shipments in the future will require continued investment. He sees 150 billion dollars needed over the next 30 years to get the railroads ready for their future. The railroads will be able to fund about 70 percent of that figure, but there will be a need for the public to participate to the tune of 45 billion dollars in investment tax credits.

Meanwhile, investment gurus Warren Buffett and Carl Icahn have been busy buying up shares in some of the U.S. freight hauling railroads, confident that no new railroads will try to create a competing network -- the cost would be prohibitive. Buffett’s investment vehicle, Berkshire Hathaway now owns 18% of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, as well as shares in Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific. Icahn has invested in CSX.

Buffett and Icahn see the powerful trends that are working for the railroad industry now and in the future. As diesel prices continue to increase, shipping by rail instead of truck will only become more attractive. And not the least of these trends would be the influx of public money in the form of the predicted tax credits. An investment formula that has the public footing the bill while the shareholders collect the profits has always been an appealing one to investors.

Source:

Associated Press, "Buffett Climbs Aboard Railroads"

"Why Warren Buffett Is Buying Railroads" Money


About the author

Barbara is a school psychologist, a published author in the area of personal finance, a breast cancer survivor using "alternative" treatments, a born existentialist, and a student of nature and all things natural.


Get articles like this delivered to you FREE in our popular email newsletter

Related CounterThink Cartoons:


Related Articles:

Good news for menopausal women: You can avoid hot flashes by changing your diet

Good news for menopausal women: You can avoid hot flashes by changing your diet

Studies show reishi mushrooms benefit people stricken with a variety of ailments, from high blood pressure to AIDS

Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com

Email this article to a friend

Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us

Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/024239.html

Reprinting this article: This article may not be reprintied without permission. Syndication available upon request.

Embed article link: (copy HTML code below):

Why this newfound omega-3 oil makes fish oils obsolete

Why did the Health Ranger ditch fish oil and krill oil? He found something that's more potent and more sustainable.

Click here to find out more

This is the new marine omega-3 oil that thousands of readers are switching to. Click the link for full details.



Over 100 ways to survive and thrive during the unfolding economic crisis

The Health Ranger reveals the most powerful financial protection strategies that have ever been made public in this 8-CD audio seminar.

Click here to protect yourself now

"Guaranteed to deliver the most powerful financial protection advice you've ever seen or your money back!" - Mike Adams, the Health Ranger




Free Special Reports

How to Build Your Financial Safety Net
The 7 Principles of Mindful Wealth
The Healing Power of Sunlight and Vitamin D
The pH Nutrition Guide to Acid / Alkaline Balance
Pet Food Ingredients Revealed! (shocking)
Medicine From Fish
The Water Cure

Recommended Products Related to This Article*:

Boku Superfood
High-potency superfood powder
for preventing numerous diseases

Living Fuel SuperBerry Ultimate
Delicious superfood meal powder
for disease prevention, antioxidant boost

Appetite for Profit (free download)
Free download summary of this top book
for discovering the truth about food companies

Vitamineral Green from Healthforce
Nutrient-dense superfood powder
for disease prevention, body alkalizing & more

Better Than Roasted - Macadamia Nuts
The most delicious raw nut spread ever
for heart health, circulatory health

Additional Products of Interest to All

Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL
Simply the best juicer in the world
for fast, easy juicing

Paraliminal Audio Courses
Powerful mind-enhancing audio therapy
for reprogramming your mind for a new future

How to Halt Diabetes in 25 Days
Health Ranger guide to reversing diabetes
for reversing type-2 diabetes

Preparedness Tools Natural News Bundle
For preparedness and safety: 60% off
for preparing for natural disasters

Katadyn Exstream XR Water Purifier
#1 personal water purifier
for clean, pristine water in seconds

Healing Cancer From the Inside Out (DVD)
Amazing, eye-opening cancer documentary
for anyone wanting to know the truth on cancer

Zeitgeist: Addendum - Must-See Movie
A shocking documentary about money
for people who wan to know the real truth

The Genie In Your Genes by Dawson Church
A free, downloadable summary of this book
for learning about the biology of intention

Spirulina Pacifica
Pure, pristine spirulina superfood
for cancer prevention, alkalizing, immune func

The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton
A free download of Biology of Belief
for learning about the mind-biology connection

The Weiss Method for Heart Disease
How to reverse heart disease naturally
for heart disease, high cholesterol

Hair Soap
A pure, simple and chemical-free shampoo
for washing hair without chemicals

Exposed! The Toxic Chemistry of Products
Free summary of this shocking book
for learning the truth about toxic products

Aloe Vera 100
Pure, dried 100% aloe vera gel flakes
for sludge blood, IBS, Crohn's disease

Free download: Selling Sickness (summary)
Read the best book on disease mongering
for learning the truth about Big Pharma

Revealed: Natural Health Solutions (free)
Free summary of book by Mike Adams
for learning censored natural health remedies

Katadyn MicroPur Water Purifier Tablets
The best water purification tablets
for purifying almost any water source

Fucoxanthin with PinnoThin
Natural appetite suppressant
for obesity, overweight, overeating

Zyflamend
Powerful anti-inflammatory herbal formula
for arthritis, joint pain, inflammation

Nascent Iodine
Miraculous nascent iodine solution
for thyroid function, Alzheimer's, brain func.

Blood Support
Halts growth of cancer tumors
for breast cancer and all cancers

Amaz-a-Power
Amazing wild berry tincture from Peru
for eye & brain protection, cancer prevention

P-73 Oreganol
Potent source of wildcrafted oregano oil
for parasites, heart disease, immune func.

Ocean Minerals Pure Magnesium Oil
#1 product for magnesium therapy
for back pain, heart health, muscle health

MGC-5 Mushroom Extracts
Potent extracts of medicinal mushrooms
for reversing cancer, boosting immune function

* Products do NOT pay to be listed here. These are genuine, independent recommendations by the Health Ranger

☯ Products with this symbol are sold by NaturalNews or its affiliates and earn revenues for NaturalNews

Discover on NaturalNews NaturalPedia™

Railroads
Elevators
Asia

Also on NaturalNews:

Streaming Health Ranger Videos
CounterThink Cartoons
FREE Special Reports
Podcasts


This site is part of the Natural News Network © 2008 All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Terms All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing International, LTD. is not responsible for content written by contributing authors. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms and those published here. All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.