Letters: Why are Ohioans so against Amtrak?

Letters to the Editor
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An Amtrak train departs 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021.
An Amtrak train departs 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021.

Why are people against the Amtrak?

I write in response and support of the Nov. 25 Linda Porting Pitt column “Cars can't cut it alone; Ohio needs more passenger rails.”

For the life of me, I cannot figure out why people are against the Amtrak passenger rail expansion in Ohio.

More:Opinion: Our cars aren't enough to keep Ohio moving. We desperately need passenger trains

It is referred to as the 3C+ D rail corridor, as it connects Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton.

What is the cost to Ohio citizens?  Nothing for 5 years. Amtrak has pledged to pay for the cost of construction, track upgrades, and operating costs for 5 years, then split the annual operating costs of $17-$20 million.

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I completed more than 50 Amtrak trips between Norfolk and Washington D.C. from 2013 to 2018. The distance is 170 miles with driving time of 2 hours 47 minutes, often with many traffic jams.

More:MORPC, Columbus Partnership throw weight behind Amtrak expansion in Ohio

My one-way fare for the Amtrak trip cost about $60 and took four hours 30 minutes.

The great benefits of Amtrak were that you could work on the train (no kids or loud noises allowed in the quiet car), café car with drinks and snacks, two seats together with great leg room (I am 6’5”), electrical outlets, free baggage space overhead, and a restroom in each car.

Ricksecker: Ohio must move past '1960s highway-only mentality' and embrace Amtrak service

And what do you do with a car in downtown D.C. — average cost of $25 per hour for parking. The Metro can get you about anywhere in D.C .and you can use Uber for short trips.

Amtrak will reduce the number of cars on our roads, especially on the freeways between major cities.

Pete Kienle, Powell

We can change politics

The state of democracy in Ohio is scary.

Ohio has some of the strictest ballot access laws for minor parties and independent candidates in the country, and some of the strictest voter eligibility requirements as well.

If we want to help to restore our very broken electoral system, then we must work to amending and changing these laws so every American feels like their voices are heard.

We have a challenging future ahead: the worsening climate crisis, student loan debt, wars for oil abroad, the increasing threat of domestic terrorism, and a worsening pandemic with no end in sight. We can fix this with ranked choice voting and proportional representation.

Opinion'Without democracy, your voice will not be heard.' Autocratic rulers our enemy| Opinion

Instead of just picking one candidate, with ranked choice voting, you can rank your candidates based on how you approve of them.

Proportional representation guarantees that all voices are heard and all opinions matter.

Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor

More:How to submit a letter to the editor for The Columbus Dispatch

If a party gets 3% of the vote, they should receive 3% of the seats in the State House.

The Green Party and Libertarian Party each receive 1% of the vote in the gubernatorial election. They deserve a voice too.

Politics is broken, but it does not have to be this way.

We can change it.

Austin Bashore, Kent

Get more political analysis by listening to the Ohio Politics Explained podcast

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Letters: Why is Ohio so against Amtrak?