My wife and I arrived at the train station a bit early so that we wouldn't be rushed. We had spent a wonderful weekend in San Luis Obispo but were anxious to enjoy the senic train ride home down the coast of California. After unloading our luggage from the shuttle and carrying it inside the depot, I immediately noticed a lack of other passengers.
"Where is everyone?" I asked myself.
When I looked out the door to the train tracks and did not see the train, I knew something was wrong. Going against my male instinct never to ask for help, I approached the desk.
"Where is the train?" I inquired of the man behind the counter. He was wearing a wonderful uniform with a large belt full of different colored tickets and an official Railroad Punch. I could tell he was really busy, because it took him about a minute before he stopped reading the newspaper and looked up at me.
"What's your question?" he asked, keeping his finger on the part of the news story where he had stopped to answer my question..
Now you must understand that I am no stranger to working with government employees. I have worked in the aerospace industry for years and I could tell you dozens of stories about the gross inefficiency of big government. Afterall who else but big government could produce a $1000 toilet seat?
And don't forget the Department of Motor Vehicles. Ever since I learned to drive I hated to go to the DMV. You have to wait in one long line after another just to submit the form to take the written test, then another line to get the test graded, and another line to have your picture taken, and another line to pay your fees, and another line to take the driving test, only to have to wait 90 days to get the actual license in the mail.
Or what about the Federal Passport process? I remember standing at the counter in the Federal Building in Santa Monica, CA, while the government employee spent 5 minutes filling his stapler with fresh staples and mending the hanger for his calendar so that he could mark off the days until he got his next fat paycheck. I didn't dare say anything for fear that my urgent passport application might mysteriously finds its way into the trash bin at his feet.
No, this was not my first encounter with a finely tuned organization, owned and operated by big government.
"Where is the train?" I repeated to the man behind the train counter.
As I expected, he was slow to respond, but finally he said, "It's about six hours late. It should be here about 6 o'clock this evening." He continued, "You see this train originated in Seattle, Washington, and a lot can go wrong between here and Seattle."
"There goes our senic ride up the coast," I mumbled to my wife when I returned to the hard wooden bench where she was sitting. "It will be nearly dark by then," I explained to her.
My wife and I kept busy during the long wait, taking pictures, reading magazines and visiting with fellow passengers. Many had arrived to find out that the train was even later than they had been told. I met a wonderful family from North Platte, Nebraska, who were enjoying a month long family vacation traveling by train across the country. The father explained how relaxing it was to sit back and look out the windows without a care in the world.
"There is only one problem, that you MUST overcome," he warned me. "You must forget about following any kind of schedule or time table. The trains are NEVER on time."
"You don't need to tell me about that," I responded. "We've been sitting here for over five hours waiting for our train."
When I looked at my inexpensive Timex watch, it was nearly 6 o'clock. A quick glance out the window to the empty railroad track prepared me what I knew was inevitable. There must be another delay. I approached the counter to find out.
"It's a long way from Seattle," he told me again. "They had some problems at the last station and were delayed on a siding up the track. They should be here shortly."
About an hour later, we heard a garbled announcement over the ancient public address system. The train was approaching. We drug our luggage out to the platform and I pulled out my camera to record the arrival.
As we loaded our luggage onto the train. I thought to myself....
How will it be when the US health care system is run with the same efficiency and competence as Amtrak? I have been to the UK and I know first hand that going to a doctor in England is no different that visiting a veterinarian in the US, except that they mop the floors more often in the US.
And what will it be like to have the US government produce our automobiles at the new Government Motors? It could very well turn into the situation like they had in Germany before WWII when Hitler ordered the design and manufacture of the Volkswagen ("The People's Car"). If it hadn't been for funding from the Third Reich and mandatory payroll deductions, nobody would ever have owned one.
One thing I know for sure, whatever happens in the US with healthcare, banking, and the automobile industry, our experience with Amtrak is typical of what we can expect.
Pay your taxes and enjoy the ride....Too bad it is six hours late!
