Amtrak

As we know, Amtrak has been underfunded for a long, long time. SEPTA, our local transporation authority, uses Amtrak corridors for many of its commuter routes and often has delays because of Amtrak’s poor maintenance.

It happened again this morning, and I thought back with fondness to a time when I was commuting from the Hellmouth to downtown Philadelphia. After we sat for 40 minutes in the cold, our train finally started up and we got to the station. As commuters milled out into the crowd, I said very loudly, “I’d like to thank all the people who voted Republican for the cuts in Amtrak subsidies, contributing to this morning’s delay. Thanks, everyone!”

A lot of people laughed; some looked baffled. You mean, there’s a connection between your vote and the condition of public utilities? Imagine!