Bob, take Amtrak to Chicago some time and look at the suburban sprawl along busy freight lines ouside of Milwaukee and Chicago.

This is NOT a Mayo Clinic issue: This is a University of Minnesota issue, a National Institutes of Health Issue, A National Cancer Institute issue — Mayo is a designated NCI Research Center..in addition to all the patient care.

Who did the city of New Orleans ask to provide follow up, and continuing medical care after Katrina? Mayo. A team has been there for the past 10 days. Mayo Clinic has its feet squarely on the ground of reality. Do you all always take wooden nickels so readily from your politicians?

To clarify, it’s 17 loads, 17 empties max out of the coal fields. (and 3 general freights). Even if this many run, many will be diverted long before they reach Rochester.

According to friends in the industry, about 45 trains a day go through La Crosse with no problems. About 55 through Moorehead. Have you been to the waterfront in Wayzata? They have built all kinds of things along the tracks there. And yes, coal trains go through Wayzata.

But yes, it’s not really a subject for MDE, and certainly not a partison one.

I hate gov’t subsidies, corporate welfare, etc. I see the Army Corp of Engineers as just big corp welfare for the barge companies.

You can oppose this project, but use facts please. The Mayo clinic (aka center of the universe) will not be harmed any more then Regions Hospital is harmed by 35E or St Lukes Hospital in Duluth was harmed by the I-35 extension a few years back.

-ask the utilities if there is competition to haul coal. Rates are raising and service is getting worse (although the Utilities won’t invest one dime in transportatin infrastructure).

-I’m about as right wing/free market as they come, but I see this as a good investment. I don’t have as much of a problem if you oppose it just because you don’t like gov’t loans, but the people in Rochester are not being truthful. That raises red flags about those who oppose the project.

I would create a thousand jobs for Minnesota if they were just to give me 2 billion dollars.

Where should I go to get my check?

Coleman is smart to lead on this issue and protect the third largest city in MN and the largest private employer in the state. The National Taxpayers Union, Citizens Against Government Waste, Minnesota Taxpayers League and former House Speaker Dick Armey’s 800,000-member FreedomWorks coalition all agree.

The main reason they have a high accident rate is due to the horrible condition of the physical plant. The huge bucko’s that will be invested here will make this into a world class freight hauler. I have a friend who works out of Weseca on the DME. He is looking forward to the rehab.

How about 35E and 494 being along hospitals in St Paul. How can those hospitals run.

When you look at the statistics on the Federal Railroad Administration’s website
you will find that Minnesota has four Class 1 railroads (Burlington Northern Sante Fe, Canadian Pacific, Union Pacific and Canadian National) then, there is the DM&E, which through annual profits is considered a mid-size or Class 2 railroad. DM&E had more accidents than all but one of the Class 1 railroads last year.

This is not the sort of safety record we should reward with a multi-billion bailout so that they can run trais past our best medical facility? And since when did Republicans join the chorus for corprate welfare?

You guys are both wrong. Do some objective research on this, not paranoid Rochester talking points.

Most of the traffic will be diverted long before it gets that far east. The few trains still on that route by the time they get to Rochester will glide through town at about 25 mph on heavy welded rail. Have either of you ever been trackside along a modern well-maintained railway?

Can you provide me with destinations east/south of Winona were all these coal trains are to go?

We will want a recorded vote on the Hill for any action taken on DM&E. Herseth is merely trying to weazel out of responsibility because she she’s she made a major goof supporting DM”&E. As for Coleman, he’s up in 2008 and we are watching as South Dakota’s Teapot Dome Scandal of the Century finally comes into public view. Go back and do your homework! A Wharton graduate did not cook this up; a politician did.

Norm and Tim are correct in opposing this plan, just as the Dakotan’s are right in supporting it. It will be good for them, and bad for us. I want a senator and a congressman who will vote on my behalf. If I wanted to be represented by people who cared about the Dakotas, I would probably MOVE TO THE DAKOTAS.

But, as they say, any cheap shot in a storm, ‘eh Michael?

Michael, if you have any contact with Norm’s people, tell them that not to be stupid about this. It looks like Coleman wants to kiss up to Rochester as he needs to carry that area heavily in 2008, but trying to block a project that means 100′s if not thousands of jobs to South Dakota is not the way to do it.