Are your referring to the new tunnel, station and Portal Bridge that would be open and running now if not for Chris Christie and the New Jersey Sierra Club?
21
NO! Never. This man must be erased from our lives. We'd rather suffer than have his ignominious name stuck on anything, anything at all.
41
Why should Democrats vote for any deal? The Republican-Reptilians would lose no time telling their base about their (Democratic) reckless spending habits?
And have Trump tweeting about his "Victory"?
Bipartisanship is dead, Republicans killed it.
29
What about the Obama Tunnel. On second thought eight expensive years later nothing would have improved.
3
Fine, name it after the philistine... and every sign bearing his name will be vandalized, replaced, and vandalized again.
34
Only if you rename all related rail service “The Benedict Arnold Express”.
19
Trump's name is all-over the crumbing US democracy!
21
Perhaps akin to the Warren G. Harding Memorial Through-Hole on The Simpson’s?
9
Fine, name it after the philistine... and every sign bearing his name will be vandalized, replaced, and vandalized again.
3
It's a good idea.
4
Yes, let's do build the Donald J. Trump tunnel. Dig it straight down, dig all the way to Hades, and make it One-Way.
30
Is Manhattan a Glittering Dream World? Its glittering. Its a dream world. So yes, its a glittering dream world.
2
If the NY Times is going to run a piece like this from the Editorial Board, it really needs to come with a snark tag. Otherwise, it comes across as just more normalization of Trump's behavior.
It's a tacit admission that we are living in a banana republic. This is NOT a silly fight over vital infrastructure as the the subhead on the title frames it. This is about a government where the whims of Dear Leader have priority over the people government is supposed to serve.
If this situation were taking place in another country, like, oh I don't know, Venezuela or North Korea or some other place where a strong man holds power, the petty vindictiveness and corruption would be reported as evidence of dysfunction and the absence of the rule of law.
The "Failing New York Times" needs to step up and call this what it is: a descent into authoritarian rule, where the only thing that matters is what Dear Leader and his toadies want.
If the Times wants to treat this as a joke, make it editorial policy to cover the Trump administration like the sick joke it is. Since no one is at the Times Editorial Board is willing to step up and call for impeachment or invoking the 25th amendment, that may be the best we can hope for.
22
Why is any entity named after a politician????? Names should represent the bridge or tunnel or airport where it is located, not after an egotistical politician. We've had enough of that in the south. It's the people's dollars at work. Name any public entity where it is located.
10
If it gets it done, then YAY - but as many other commenters have said, On November 6, 2020, it shall be re-named the Barack Obama Tunnel. :)
12
A tunnel under the Wall for immigrants from Mexico seeking asylum would also be a good thing and could be named The Trump Tunnel since it could make America Great Again!!
8
Konrad's illustration is exactly what the approach from Atlantic City to the beautiful island of Brigantine used to look like before bankruptcy tore all those tacky golden signs down in disgrace. Go ahead and put up the sign; tear it down when he's indicted.
8
Naming something dark and narrow after Trump — sounds about right.
13
An excellent suggestion indeed to put Trump's name on the tunnel to motivate him to use public funds for something with his name on it, a funding tactic that is his specialty. One simple question, even if you were able to motivate him to get over his tunnel vision of self interest, would there be light at the end of this tunnel?
5
How ridiculous has our country become that people know Trump would approve this project if the tunnel's plans included the signage in the accompanying illustration?
8
Naming the tunnel after Trump in exchange for federal funds to build it is insanity and a deal with the devil - nothing would thereafter get done without naming it Trump.
6
Ok, if you have to name anything after this president it might as well be a tunnel. A stretch of total darkness between two vibrant Democratic communities bathing in sunlight.
11
I think this is a joke, or at least I hope so.
4
No thanks. There are already enough Confederate monuments.
10
Why, in the midst of states finally removing statues, plaques and memorials to men who disgraced and dishonored America, would we agree to name a much needed tunnel after the most corrupt, unethical, divisive, rude and ignorant man ever to hold the office of President??
15
.
But if the name Trump shows anywhere on the tunnel,
it might be graffitized and that could be considered a 4th degree misdemeanor, maybe disorderly conduct, no matter telling or sardonic
.
2
If you could fit one end with an artificial circular muscle that opened and closed every time a train passed through, I'd be all for it.
8
Brilliant editorial!
Kudos to whomever came up with this terrific idea.
In fact, why stop there? We could have Trump highways and Trump railroads and Trump bridges to honor the notable builder for achieving the great national infrastructure program he envisioned during the 2016 campaign.
2
If the New York end of the tunnel could be engineered to surface right in front of, and encircling, the Trump Tower, then, yes, by all means, name it after him. Just imagine the Trump traffic tie-ups.
Call it the Trump Treadmill.
3
I have another idea we should consider: let's raise one billion dollars and give it to the Donald to go away. We know all he cares about is money, publicity and the pleasures of the flesh. One billion seems like a cheap price to save our nation from further damage. We can call it the ONE BILLION DOLLAR PLEASE GO AWAY DONALD FUND. Then, he actually would be a billionaire, maybe for the first time. How about a GoFundMe campaign starting today? Everyone's name and address can be noted so that if Trump refuses the offer the money automatically goes to the Democrat's nominee for president.
We gotta do something. This might be our only hope.
15
But--to make explicit what is implicit throughout the margins of this article--our country is already IN the Trump Tunnel!
6
I earnestly hope this is a sincere proposal. It's important to get things done rather than die on a lofty mountain you are unwilling to concede isimply to win the battle but lose the war. This proposal- unless it is tongue in cheek, and sadly the visual with it suggests this might be the case- shows a deeply patriotic (albeit regional patriotism it is still deeply rooted in achieving good for all). Promoting an urgently needed tunnel is important; refusing to stoke the Trump egotism is a shallow reason to delay it. Advising the swallowing of a bitter pill takes some courage. If you are in earnest, then bravo editorial board.
5
the pentagon admits the war in Afghanistan costs 45 billion a year
and we can;t get it together to fund this project about a third of one year of that war
our money goes to endless wars (that we can't win) in far off places
who is getting all that money?
wonder why we can't afford anything ?
this is the reason
16
Trump doesn’t have to state what is obvious. The whole world knows that the motto in his life is: “You’ve got to put your name on stuff or no one remembers you.” The numerous Trump Towers he has built around the world bear testimony to it. Who knows, more towers may soon rise in North Korea and Russia, too.
But your suggestion that the proposed tunnel under the Hudson River be named after him is going to be greeted revulsion. Taxpayers are going to rise in revolt against it. A better way of boosting his ego would be to build casinos and spas and put his name on them in larger-than-life letters. You don’t have to waste any time coming up with another editorial suggesting it. Trump's courtiers, who know that the best way to please their master is to salve his ego, will be happy to do it.
I don't mean to belittle the stress in your editorial that the proposed Hudson project not be delayed. But don't you think getting it mired in controversy over what the new tunnel should be called is a sure way of delaying it? Trump can rest assured that, even without any monument, his presidency will always be remembered for the “tremendous” (to use his favorite adjective) things he has said and done during the past 31 months. One can safely bet that more “tremendous” things will follow.
But Trump can be sure of one thing, though: If he refuses to fund the Hudson project or if haggling over funding it leads to government shutdown, he will be made to pay a heavy price.
4
"It would make much more sense to name the tunnel after a builder, someone with deep roots in the region, someone who knows what it’s like to pass through a dark and seemingly endless tunnel to abruptly emerge into the glittering dream world of Manhattan. "
Nah. Not Trump. Just wait a few months and we won't have to worry about him any more. Let the next President finally honor the country's obligation to pay their fair share of this much needed project. Forget trying to bribe Trump into doing his job.
But, it wouldn't be hard to take Trump's name off this project, either. Lots of buildings have already done just that. Must be a trend. So why not a tunnel, too?
3
Ever wonder why donor plaques are so important?
Narcissist social climbers can be coaxed into doing the right thing by giving them lots of publicity and “credit”.
5
This pres will be remembered for a funnel, not a tunnel. At least he'll be remembered for that by the wealthiest 1%.
7
Ok. Tricking Trump into building the tunnel by letting his name be on it sort of works. The cost is that it encourages weak pandering to the worst President in history at a time when he needs discouragement in a massive way.
4
He's absolutely right! No one will remember him. Even with his name plastered over everything.
4
the solution is obvious if New York needs it New York should pay for it.
3
@plainleaf The solution is obvious. If New York needs it, New York will ask for it. Otherwise - - - - -
1
@plainleaf
Here's another solution.
Look at a map.
New York isn't the only state that would benefit from a tunnel.
4
Buildings all over the city are taking the Trump name down.
Who would drive through a tunnel with his name and feel safe?
8
How do you memorialize a complete, utter failure?
Though, I suppose offering to name it after Trump, watching him 'humbly accept the honor', then have a huge, celebratory renaming event after he's sent to Rikers Island would be extremely satisfying.
6
If they were to name it the Trump Tunnel, I'd rather swim across the river than travel through it.
6
Fine, call it the Trump tunnel, but be sure to have an additional sign underneath the Trump name that says -Abandon hope all ye who enter here.”
11
Oh, he will be remembered!
He will become a cautionary tale to the repubs that they got their just desserts. After the way they treated President Obama, they so thorougly deserve him, but the rest of the country doesn't.
8
We already have a Trump tunnel and it is taking us into oblivion.
6
This is a very disturbing suggestion coming from the editorial board. I understand it as maybe tongue in cheek (?), but this country is on a dangerous path towards autocracy and placing your name on government infrastructure projects is what dictators do.
6
We could always change the name when the nightmare ends.
4
Sure. I'm all for the Emperor Trump tunnel.
2
Unfortunately this tactic could well encourage him to hold up other stuff for naming rights as a "deal" maker...he is a bully. Bullies are encouraged when they perceive themselves to be winning.
But then he carries that perception even when he is losing everywhere....hmmm.
3
The Nancy Pelosi Tunnel.
It will serve as a permanent reminder to Republicans that if you give a lifetime of service caring about the American people, you get your name put on somthing of great importance.
5
Name it after him, then rename it after he's gone from office.
3
TRUMP certainly will be remembered -- for all the garish, grotesque buildings carrying his disgraced name, where undocumented workers clean toilets and Trump Inc. scoops up money from Trump idolators (and importuned military) during his presidency. If his ridiculous "wall" ever is built, it ought to be named "Trump's Folly." There are architectural "Follies" all around the world, built to serve no purpose other than to aggrandize the builder.
3
For those not aware of it, “Bezonian,” used here as reference to Mr. Bezos, is an archaic word for rogue, or lowlife, or the like. It appears, famously, in Henry IV, Part II.
1
The country would benefit from Infrastructure, Trump benefits from the wall, and the opportunity for mendacious tweets wins - no surprise there.
1
Great idea! He'll love it. And once he's out of office and safely behind bars, we can change the name back to Gateway.
8
The only tunnel Trump's name should be on is one that goes no where fast and dissolves into absolute destruction and chaos at the end. That would certainly be much more accurate than an engineering feat of wonder.
4
Let the commuters of NY and NJ shoulder the majority of the cost. Seems to me Requirement of physical presence in Manhattan for conducting business peaked a couple decades ago.
This article was about bashing Trump...if the tunnel project is worthy why not report on and analyze it?
2
@JES
Because it involves Federal funding and he is currently the head of the Federal and therefore has tremendous influence on policy and funding. Since those in the Tri-State area pay substantial Federal taxes as part of being citizens they are entitled to an opinion as to the direction this money is spent.
If you are opposed to Federal funding of state entities we can close/relocate a number of Armed services bases and contractors which states outside of the NY metro area seem skillful in arranging.
Or we could all pretend we are part of the same country again.
17
Actually that rail connection effects the entire east coast. ...Boston, Washington, Baltimore, Atlanta, Carolinas, Florida ...they all benefit from that rail line.
8
This is a great editorial-even though probably meant tongue in cheek. This tunnel should be built asap before we have a major catastrophe on NJ Transit and/or in the existing tunnel. Who cares if Trump’s name is on it-it needs to be built.
2
The Editorial Board is on to something, but should think big, and bigger still. Why not rename all the infrastructures that need to be repaired, TRUMP Tunnel, Trump Turnpike,Trump Bridge, Trump Dock and Trump Whatever, but only after the repairs are completed?
5
Name it after him if it means getting it built, with the idea that the next Democratic president can change it.
However, I fear that when Democrats seize power in Washington, they will do what they always do: Play fair and nice and kind, because that's what Democrats do. And that will hand the power, and the tunnel, right back to those who know how to play hardball, the Republicans.
4
45 would only agree to his name being used if he got a share of the toll deposited directly to his banks.
11
I understand the impulse to flatter someone powerful in order to get something you need. But should that be what the United States, the land of the free, where all are (supposed to be) equal before the law, has come to?
3
I commute via this tunnel. But I would stop taking the train altogether rather than ride through something called the Donald J. Trump Tunnel on a daily basis. I'm not just saying that, and I'm not going to come to my senses if push comes to shove; I really mean it.
10
Let's wait until January 2021 to release federal funds committed by President Obama for the Gateway Project. Enhancing Trump's ego should not be a requirement to get critical infrastructure built. Two more years of delay will only make federal funding of Gateway more significant and necessary.
12
Trump is not preventing the tunnel being built to serve a small area of people in New York and New Jersey. Rather the states of New York and New Jersey are not willing to spend their own money on this project but instead want someone else to pay for it.
4
@Richard Wright That "small area" services more people in A DAY (and generates more tax revenue) than you have people in Wyoming.
14
Unfortunately every infrastructure project is built in one place and has more impact on the residents of that place. So I take it you are against any construction even if it has a major benefit to the national economy if it is built in a particular place. I guess no federal money goes to Wyoming.
15
There are more people living in Bergen County, NJ than all of Wyoming.
6
While Donald Trump is the current obstructor to the creation of a new, desperately needed Hudson River tunnel, the original bombastic barrier was none other than former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Whenever the story is told about why America has done nothing to prepare for the eventual collapse of train service between New Jersey and New York, great credit is due to Christie. He is the visionary who, as a “fiscal conservative,” stopped the already begun tunnel construction that then New Jersey commuters like myself advocated for through grassroots coalitions in the 1990s and 2000s, and President Barack Obama later funded with his initial stimulus act. Twice President Obama did right by the New York tristate area and the future. Twice, two separate but similarly self-absorbed, overrated GOP leaders put their own grievances and personal priorities over the needs of a nation.
27
If the Governors of NJ and NY offer to name a new tunnel after Trump if Trump will agree to provide sufficient funds to pay for half the cost, AG Barr should immediately charge them both with attempted bribery and Trump should tell the great people of NY and NJ they should pay for their own cost of getting to work.
Actually if the tunnel is vital to NY and NJ, they should be able to collect the cost of building it from the people that use it, the commuters going to work and anyone else that is passing through. I note that a $11 billion dollar price tag would result in an annual charge of maybe $700 million a year. If 800 thousand people would use it every day, that is 660 million every year. So an increase In the price of a train ticket by a buck or two would cover it. Surely not much for something that is vital.
4
@Bob Richards
By that logic Trump and his specific supporters should pay for a wall the majority have no wish to construct. Assuming it is a vital national asset.
4
If Mr Trump wants to be remembered, his wish has already come true in Canadian golfing circles. Whenever a player here wants to cheat by moving his/her golf ball; or omitting to count an air swing or a shot into a lake, they now say " I am doing a trump". Canadian dictionaries have a new word which will last longer than his hotels?
27
If GOP supports a wall along the US border (which will not do its purported job of preventing illegal immigration-- but WILL destroy wildlife habitat and human cultural, economic, and social economies)-- let Trump pay for it by rescinding the tax gift given to the top 2% and corporations in this country with the GOP tax bill of 2017.
9
I do not want to believe, and I hope the Editorial Board is not seriously suggesting or even intimating the Gatway Tunnel shoud be named after Trump. Trump is a third rate thief. An insult to Constitution. An existential threat to our democracy. The only thing that shoud be named after Trump is the prison cell he will hopefully soon be occupying at the USP Florence ADMAX in Colorado.
20
For naming, I was thinking a courthouse since he employees so many lawyers, or maybe a prison. Though a wind farm would be closest to what he has produced. Alternative candidate could be toxic waste sites Trump 1, Trump 2.
11
No need for a tunnel name for him. He’ll soon have his library complete with Sharpies, crayons, a few coloring books, and some Dr. Seuss.
This would be the proverbial rubbing salt in the wound to the US populace and especially to most New Yorkers who have good reasons to despise this man. Even if he wasn’t POTUS I suspect there would still be significant pushback.
9
Sure, why not? Once he's out of office, it can be renamed.
9
@Greg Shenaut
I think the vast majority has the same idea. So the tunnel thing's probably a nonstarter.
2
Donald Trump through his personal relationship with North Korean president can successfully denuclearize Korean peninsula without any bloodshed, we should give him four more years. Obama got his Nobel prize at the beginning of his term. 45 will get his at the end of his term. We never know, he might succeed, leading for him get Nobel peace prize and great achievement for US as a whole. History will remember him for years to come.
@Trevor Diaz
But North Korea is still at it. So far, Kim 1, Trump, 0.
Trump has no idea how to negotiate.
3
I would be apprehensive to ride any train into the “Trump Tunnel.” There is no telling where it would come out. Perhaps the netherworld......
13
Had George Washington named White Plains for himself he would be remembered today. As always, Trump manages to zero in on the heart of the problem. How lucky we are to have him running the Executive Branch.
A more fitting project for Trump’s name would be an industrial plant that takes clean water and turns it into rank sewage.
13
If it were called Trump Tunnel I'd do my best to find another route.
10
Most of us want to erase the name Trump ; the name Trump
only will remind us all of the worst President ever.
12
I wouldn't trust Donald Trump to build a Lego house, let alone a tunnel 800,000 people use each day for commuting. Why not let him build a prison, instead? He's going to need someplace to live when he leaves the White House. And he can even put his name on it.
7
Oh, he'll be remembered, don't you worry about that.
2
I would rather have the new border wall named after Trump.
It helps ALL Americans.
4
I'd rather walk from Manhattan to NJ than travel through a tunnel that is named after Trump.
6
And, the best part, if Trump goes for this brilliant idea no matter what the sign says over the entrance in people's hearts it will always be The Times Editorial Board Tunnel.
I’d rather swim.
5
Do a bond issue pay for the tunnel charge a surcharge to republicans to use it and name it “Donald Trump; traitor and looser and adulterer tunnel”
A very very beautiful tunnel people will love and not stop talking about
We don’t need his ‘help’
If his name is on that tunnel, I would never 'set car' into it. His narcissism is wrecking them county. Instead of a tunnel with his name on it, he can trade running for another term for a shiny new golf course with his name on.
If I never hear Trump's name again, it will be too soon.
6
Chris Christie was the last republican to obstruct the project. Trump is the latest republican to continue to show why we can't get anything done.
Name it after someone who deserves to be remembered.
437
@Zeke27
Of course you are right. But think of this: NY and NJ declaring their *delight* with the Trump-Christie Tunnel, and it gets funded and built, with gold lettering (somewhere in there...). And then after a few years, as others have suggested, we just rename it.
And when that day comes, how about leaving out politicians and going for a genuine title... like the Working Moms and Dads' Tunnel.
40
If that's all it takes then name everything after Trump. Just throw his name in somewhere. Take the The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. We'll call it the Donald Trump 'I want crystal clean water' for the Great Lakes Initiative. After that it'll be easy to get the necessary funding. Especially since responsable government spending is no longer a republican priority.
2
Ugh. Okay, name it for him, if you have to to get it built. But let the next administration strip his name off it faster than he reversed every Barack Obama initiative he could. I'm desperate for the cold disinfecting shower of his reign even before he's embarrassed at the polls.
309
I’d rather be stuck in gridlock for the next decade than occupy any space branded with Trump’s name.
8
A hole in the ground seems like a particularly suitable way to remember Donald Trump and his "stable genius."
2
Too many complaints about Trump and not enough information about how this ridiculously expensive project benefits anyone but commuters and real estate investors in New York and New Jersey. A wall at least benefits the entire US by controlling illegal immigrants who claim asylum but actually want better, self serving, economic opportunities.
3
@Richard Wright 1) 1.6 to 3 million people commute to NYC every single day, so the impact of the tunnel is significant for people in that region,
2) people seeking asylum are legal immigrants by definition, and
3) the majority of illegal immigrants come through airports and similar ports of entry not our southern border.
The wall is a distraction from the real issues of legal and illegal immigration. It is an expensive and ineffective boondoggle. It solves nothing, but gives people the illusion of having done something. The wall is a simplistic and visible symbol that appeals to people who have no patience or understanding for the nuances and challenges of our real problems.
So I get why, in Wyoming with a population less than 600K, the wall may may sound like a better idea to you than the tunnel.
5
Leaving , you are so right but you are preaching to the converted. I think nearly everyone has made up their minds about the wall and the victims or perpetrators if the SW situation. No amount of sane, frank explanation will change the minds if the aggrieved people who think a wall is the solution to their perceived problems.
@Richard Wright
The article says that the region is responsible for 10% of the national economy. If you knew anything about the tunnel that needs to be repaired, you would know that if it fails, the country is going into a recession. What really upsets me is that we living in New Jersey pay receive the least amount of our federal income taxes back from the federal government, while you folks in Wyoming receive way more from the federal government than you pay. I feel the red states are nothing more than the dog biting the hand that feeds it, and we the blue states can’t do anything about it.
As for the wall, I am sure we have way more illegal immigrants here in News Jersey than there would even be in Wyoming, and personally I find them to be hard working family people, so I have no idea how I would be served by a boarder wall.
I believe it better to spend the money making sure the economy that is producing continues to produce rather than and wall that has no economic benefit at all.
3
"The total price tag for the tunnel portion of the project runs more than $11 billion. That’s a necessary price to pay for a transit artery at the heart of a region that accounts for more than 10 percent of the national economy."
HOWEVER: A good deal of that "10 percent of the national economy" comprises things the country as a whole would be better off WITHOUT, like much of Wall Street's business. According to The Washington Post in 2016, e.g., (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/03/29/how-wall-street-became-a-big-chunk-of-the-u-s-economy-and-when-the-democrats-signed-on/),
“[T]he U.S. finance, insurance and real estate (FIRE) sector now accounts for 20 percent of GDP — compared with only 10 percent in 1947. But many observers believe that this expansion of the financial sector comes at a high cost. Scholars and politicians alike point to the “financialization” of the economy — and an increased reliance on the financial sector to create growth — as the root cause of many of our economic problems. The list includes income inequality, growing household debt, slow growth and the instability manifested in the 2008 global economic crisis.”
Note to ALL of America: Don't spend your money on projects that benefit only the 1%. "Trickle-down" is a lie -- remember that.
4
the rich don't need tax breaks and illegals shouldn't be in the country or getting free healthcare. What does need funding is the infrastructure of America. From bridges to water and waste systems to tunnels to parks to schools to storm damage and on and on. That's where our money needs to be going. I don't care who's names on it. This should be bipartisan.
2
If a new tunnel were to be dubbed the Trump Tunnel, I’m guessing that Mr. Trump would have construction starting tomorrow.
2
trump loves a pick public fights where he can use his position of authority to say, "too bad about the rules, I make all the decisions. I'm taking back the money until you vote for me."
Nothing like good old fashioned coercion by a publicly elected official to bring back the good old days.
3
How about the “Hamilton Tunnel” in honor of Alexander Hamilton? He was a New Yorker who emigrated from the Caribbean and rose to prominence in Dutch-dominated New York, in spite of humble origins.
Hamilton was a General in Washington’s army, designed our banking system and was our first Secretary of the Treasury. He might have become president, had he not lost his life in a duel in Weehawken, New Jersey.
For the memory of Alexander Hamilton both sides of the proposed and badly needed tunnel are significant. Donald Trump has not earned naming rights. Naming the tunnel after Trump would be as bad as calling it the “Christie Tunnel.”
4
Sure, name it for him and then call it something else. Nobody calls Avenue of the Americas by its proper name--it's still Sixth Avenue, 75 years later.
NYC has a 59th Street bridge. Let's build the 59th Street tunnel.
Great idea. And once it's built, or a few years later, change the name. We do it all the time--the 59th Street Bridge (aka Queensboro Bridge) is now the Edward Koch bridge. The Triboro Bridge is now the RFK Bridge. And Cape Canaveral is Cape Canaveral again, after years as the Kennedy Space Center.
2
I thought the whole point of government was to administer laws, monies and programs that were to the benefit of the greater good, not to fuel petty grievances. Silly me.......
2
This should have never happened and needs to be reversed.
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
7
Name the tunnel after Donald Trump to ensure funding. As soon as a Dem is in the White House or Trump is in prison (whichever comes first), rename it for Susan B. Anthony. Easy peas.
3
That’s fine. Just so long as there is a rule somewhere that the name of an indicted felon can be removed from any and all public spaces.
5
I thought we were already stuck in the Trump Tunnel.
8
If we had built bridges ,tunnels when we knew we needed them the price tag would not be so high. If the Governor Christie who is on all the talk shows giving us his opinions all the time had not stacked the Port Authority with his college and baseball friends we would not be sitting in traffic for twenty minutes to enter the tunnels.
We have waited years for enhancement of our transportation system, however we dont want to have Trump involved in anything that directly affects our lives. We have bore witness to watching children into cages, hospital immigrants being sent letters to force them to leave the country and die. We have seen a president want to meet with the Taliban during 9/11we seen mass serial racist murders. If Trump were to do anything, he would build the wall and never pay for anything because he is so special. The only special thing he could do for the world is resign, and since he wont do that just stay away from people in general. Trump and Miller just watch Fox News and dont get us into another war.
2
Personally I would gladly pay more taxes to get that needed tunnel built (no I am not wealthy). However the moment we dump Trump the name would disappear. I do nor want to be reminded of that criminal Monster nor his progeny.
5
Better idea. Tell him is going to be named after him. After is built, make it official and call it "The Obama Tunnel"
5
No, do not put this soulless, mentally challenged, low life’s name on anything. When we get a President of ALL the United States, and that person sees fit to support this project, put his or her name on it. A permanent reminder of what a real President does.
3
Are there any major sewage tunnels under construction?
5
Speaking as a Manhattan resident, I am steadfastly against any kind of street, tunnel or structure bearing the name of Donald J. Trump. No mater how badly it's needed.
Not only because of his history of being one of the most venal creatures on the planet who has no business being in the White House, but because he doesn't exactly show any kind of love for New York City.
And the feeling is mutual.
348
@N. Smith
Would you settle for his name on the tunnel to get him to go away, back to his tower and stay there? We could always change it in the future, no 99 year deals considered.
19
@N. Smith
I think you don't understand how easy it is to rename a tunnel. Its just a new plaque. The hard part is to get the financing and we should do whatever works.
19
Much is made of the growing economy during Trump's tenure so far. But infrastructure improvements are minimal. Lots of rich people getting richer but improvements that makes transportation easier are left abegging.
5
$11 billion? That's it?
We spend $45 billion in Afghanistan every year.
Scale down our Afghanistan spending by 1/2, spend $11 bn. on the tunnel in New York and $11 bn. on an extended border fence. Name the wall after Trump and name the tunnel after Schumer.
3
Multiply every billion that goes to a needless walls by 100, because that's what it will take to maintain those walls over the decades.
Meanwhile our country rots.
If Trump's name goes on anything, let it go on those border walls to remind us for all time of the colossal failure it represents for our nation, and who was oversaw that failure.
Trump.
5
I appreciate the need for these tunnels, but the rest of the country has transit needs as well. This administration has threatened public transit and Amtrak service to rural communities. I am all about funding this, but those of us in rural areas need to be assured that our Amtrak service will not be sacrificed for this.
2
How about a bill that NO president can name anything built with taxpayer money for themselves.
If trump wants his name on stuff, let him pay for it ! Infrastructure investment should not be tied to whether or not someone can put their name on it - That sets a bad president.
16
Only $11 billion for a tunnel that will serve so many people every day?
That's $11 billion worth of jobs for America, of materials produced by Americans, or time saved for folks who will use the tunnel.
Build the tunnel whatever you have to call it. We can always pass a law later, after Mr. Trump is finally or never brought to justice, that it was named under stress/blackmail/bullying/traitorship/whatever.
And make it nice.
9
Won't work. Trump would demand a percentage of the toll revenue for using his name. Then the contractors wouldn't be paid, the bonds would go into default, loans of dubious origin would be extended by Deutsche Bank and foreign lobbyists would have to show Trump toll receipts to win favor with Federal agencies.
Tunnel operators would later have to chisel the Trump name off and toss the letters in the brand landfill to join Jeffery Epstein, Weinstein, Sackler, Enron and other disgraced names.
Too bad no one remembers George Washington.
46
@Look Ahead
Too bad no one remembers the Emoluments Clause.
8
@Look Ahead
Perfection!!
2
@Look Ahead
George Washington is my favorite American president. He was confident and aware of leading by standing out, yet modest and hard working. He was eloquent yet almost self-taught. He was inherently democratic but delighted in grand clothing. He brought a beautiful white horse with him to ride triumphantly into town or over the battlefield, but rode his hardy brown work horses into battle. He was universally recognized as the best horseback rider in the colony.
Young Washington survived and won a battle in which his first two horses were killed under him, and mounted a third. Native Americans called him "he who cannot be killed."
He worked hard under terrible conditions and never asked his men to do anything he would not do. He bankrupted himself personally to provide hospitality to all the people who came to visit him before and after his presidency because pay in those days didn't cover expenses. He loved gold braid and blue satin and was a mastser at branding, yet just the opposite of our current president.
George Washington was our first master of branding, and left his name on our beautiful capital - locating itconveniently near to his home on the Potomac River.
George Washington freed all his slaves at his death, and realized that slavery was a terrible, self-defeating economic system.
When all the presidents' days in February were lumped together, primary students quit learning about George Washington. That was a mistake we need to correct.
11
Way too logical and not devious enough. Name it after Trump, secure the funds, build the tunnel, and change the name after it’s built. After all, that’s what he would have done if it was already built and named after Obama.
No doubt, he will sue. But who cares?
16
Surely you jest.
The Ed Koch name on the 59th Street Bridge was repellent to many, and an insult to others.
Even the Kennedy name tagged onto Cape Canaveral did not last long. And Ed Koch was no Jack Kennedy.
How about this, wait until trump is dead. Even then, the signage name must be very very small, much like the majority see him now.
10
I want to forget this man, and I'd like his name removed from my mind, "believe me."
19
Shucks! I thought this would be about building the grandest tunnel of them all beneath that insane wall. A 5-Star accommodation replete with a lavish smorgasbord, WiFi, and a free hair styling.
5
Finally.
Here comes the confession that the opposition by the liberals and the liberal media, against Trump's fight to make America great again, has been .. silly.
Too late. The people are resolute and their minds are made up. Trump will win reelection in a land slide. And he'll then start making our country great again, unfettered.
2
@Bhaskar--Why is he waiting until his second term to make our country great again? Didn't he promise to do that the first time? There will be no landslide. If he slips by with a win, it will be by the smallest of margins. What will stop his insanity will be the Democratic Senate that will be moving into the capital. No unfettered second term for him. Just lawsuits, investigations and finally that impeachment vote we've been waiting for.
18
@Bhaskar
This is the best satire I have read all day! Congratulations!
3
@Bhaskar
I don't know what "people" you are referring to since the majority of Americans didn't vote for Trump in the first place.
5
Let us all remember the promises Trump made during the 2016 campaign regarding infrastructure.
Lots of hot air, only one aborted proposal in now his 3rd year in office. He doesn't even talk about infrastructure (except maybe infrastructure damaged in Alabama by Hurricane Dorian).
New Yorkers and New Jersey residents have to asking themselves, "Will no one rid me of this turbulent Presidential poser?"
7
"He doesn't even talk about infrastructure"
But that's what those rolls of strong "paper towels"-brand paper towels were for!
(He inadvertently gave out the perfect tool to rebuild the infrastructure behind our paper-thin veneer of "wealthiest free country in the world", eh?)
1
Wouldn't it be hilarious if Bezos paid for the tunnel and called it the Amazon "Fake" Washington Post Tunnel? It would drive Trump crazy...I mean crazier. He would become catatonic.
Bezos can probably write the whole thing off, its the American Way.
14
Nothing is going to happen until after the election which is just 1 year away.
Democrats should put together a credible, affordable, useful and executable infrastructure plan that will improve our economics and mobility. No pork projects or pie in the sky stuff!
Pass that bill out of the House whole the Presidential nominee sells it on the campaign trail.
“President” Trump and his collaborators are incompetent and have a warped sense of time and place. Nothing will be accomplished with them except gamesmanship and nonsense.
Democrats need to get their act together in a meaningful way.
9
I know this was meant in jest, but seriously, I think I'd rather stay in New Jersey forever than have to pass through a tunnel named for Donald Trump.
15
@Jeff Burger I was going through customs, traveling back from Ireland last year, when I saw his awful orange mug alongside the awful Kirstjen Nielsen. My heart sank with that reminder and I wished I could stay with my Irish family until this nightmare is over. Do not name it after him no matter what. People don't need to see that every day.
1
There's only one problem here: New York hates Trump.
So no, that won't happen.
And one of the reasons NY hates Trump is precisely the fact that in order to impose a southern border wall on the constituents of southern border states who do NOT such a wall AT ALL ... Trump tries to hurt infrastructure project in NY, hoping that in that way, the Senators representing NY will feel "forced" to vote for a wall project that the citizens of NY strongly reject too ... .
Obviously, by using corrupt mafia techniques in what is still a constitutional democracy,Trump will en up with NO infrastructure project AT ALL, let alone one that bears his name ...
8
@Ana Luisa
You didn't mention the most significant reason why Trump "hates" New York -- we didn't vote for him.
5
New Yorkers who know this gaudy, vulgar family would swim to Manhattan rather than travel through a structure cursed with the fake name of our fake president with his fake morality.
When you read the three generations of grifters and cheats that make up the Drumpf family (four if you include Sweatshop Barbie and her stolen fashion ideas) naming the structure would raise the specter of whether it was a flimsy construction of a transit with inspectors bribed to look the other way.
16
Who would want to see his name on anything, it's sickening. Seeing that name would just be a reminder of all the disasters he has inflicted upon our country. As soon as he's gone he'll just be a bad memory as we move forward to repair all his damage.
10
I have no idea if the tunnel is needed or the cost justified. But the NY Times Editorial Board told us everything we need to know about Donald Trump, President of the United States, and none of it complementary.
1
Twitler Tunnel? No thanks. The dustbin of history cannot come fast enough for DJT.
9
This is a really, really take on the state of the Trumpish disunion. How about Albany taking action to name a prison wing after a president?
5
“If he was smart, he would’ve put his name on it,” Mr. Trump said, according to news reports. “You’ve got to put your name on stuff or no one remembers you.”
Exactly. Because who remembers George Washington?
9
Why at all should we honor one of the most ignominious presidents in our history?
3
Give me a break. I still refuse to call National Airport "Reagan".
9
I would sooner swim across the Hudson than ride a train through the Trump Tunnel.
What we should actually do is rename Columbus Circle "Clinton Circle" (Bill or Hillary, take your pick) and Fifth Avenue "Obama Boulevard. Let's see how quickly Trump changes the letterhead of his hotel and his apartment building to reflect the new address.
7
The sarcasm is lost on Mr. Trump. He'll have people on it tomorrow.
8
And then we could change the name afterward....
1
Actually, you missed the point. NY and NJ should put his name on it now, and let if flood. So that all of America can see what Trump's pettiness has caused.
2
So Trump petulantly holds a vital infrastructure project hostage and the compromise is to stroke his insatiable ego by putting his name on it? No thanks. The only place I want to see his name is on an orange prison jumpsuit.
2
As long as we can change the name to something else as soon as Trump leaves office or reports to prison, whichever comes first.
2
That's how to win over trump, play to his huge ego and try to keep his craziness away.
This is a fine idea that'll get Trump's attention especially since he thinks HIS tunnel will go all the way to China!
1
Hilarious! I do love a good fantasy.
Well written, penetrating satire. And the adjectives! How can you improve on "Bezonian" and "Muskian"? Simply lovely. Thank you.
5
Build a tunnel that BIKERs and pedestrians can use too!!! It would be a nice walk to work.
2
The end does not justify the means.
Brilliant! A Trump Tunnel from New Jersey to Manhattan, the present day Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Only thorn in the rose is that President Obama (Trump's Nemesis) promised to fund half of the project with New York and New Jersey picking up the tab. We know how Donald Trump is trying to erase our 44th President's legacy. Wouldn't a tunnel be far more worthy of the Trump infrastructure brag than his failed wall on our southern border?
1
Great idea. We could even line the walls of the tunnel with all of the old gold plated Trump signs which are in storage from all of his bankrupt properties. This would be the least we could do for “The Chosen One”. Flattery will get you everywhere with President Trump.
2
If Trump wants his name on things it should be a prison. Otherwise there are plenty of powerful people in NYC who voted for Trump, let them pay for it or figure out how to soothe bum.
1
@duncan: I doubt there are plenty of powerful people in NYC who voted for Trump. What is your evidence?
Does the Editorial Board honestly believe that Trump is interested in infrastructure improvement? Or doing anything that improves the lives of Americans? Seriously? Three years on, in this train wreck of an administration?
And does this Editorial Board actually believe that Trump voters want any infrastructure improvement, or anything else that helps strengthen the middle class? Seriously? After they've been in lockstep these past three years with a "president" who is a mentally unstable demagogue?
Let me make this simple. These kinds of editorials do nothing but enable Trump. Enable his "administration". Enable his rabid base. Because it assumes, in good faith, that Trump and his base care about any of the issues raised in this column.
News flash: They don't. The only things motivating Trump are: his racism, his insane hatred for his predecessor, and his desperation to stay out of prison.
So for these past three years, he has done exactly what he's needed to do to keep his base. Keep feeding them his bigoted racist screeds. Keep telling them that all their problems are caused by "those brown people".
And because Trump is merely a reflection of his voters, they love his disgusting tirades. And for this, they'll give up rebuilding infrastructure, affordable health care, and a future for their own children - as long as he continues to tell them that as whites, they are the "real" Americans.
So enough with the columns that pretend that we have a sane, decent president.
4
@Donegal. This editorial is pure satire. Take a deep breath and relax.
I would have the same gag reflex uttering "Trump Tunnel" as I do saying "Reagan National Airport"...
4
“Trump Tunnel” is too high a price tag. Wait two years and the Democrats will be in charge. Then call the tunnel anything you want. Never name anything after Donal Trump.
If putting his name on it is the way to get this thing done, then let's give the baby his bottle and move on with it. It is really embarrassing that our country has gotten to this point.
He has very little interest in supporting projects in the NY area. He and his fellow Republicans hate us. The only reason he would support it is that it might have some positive influence on his businesses located in NY.
Every day I feel like we are moving closer and closer to two separate countries. People in red states hate us and have no desire to do anything for us. So why do we want to be in the same country as them. Let's just secede and move on. Then they will quickly find out how much we prop them up.
3
Put his name on it, build the tunnel and on opening day rip his name off the tunnel.
1
It doesn't matter how many buildings, tunnels or bridges bear the name trump. He will be remembered as the most incompetent, greedy and corrupt pseudo-president in the history of the United States. No amount of gold will disguise his true legacy.
8
This is one more step closer to the corrupted democracies in the east like in India where all the tax payer funded projects are named after the dear leaders in power.
Sorry NO to this idea.
2
If Trump figures out a way to fund the tunnel it should be named after him.
You’re not suggesting naming it after him, right? But, to your point, is there anyway to show how the tunnel get will get people to his golf course faster, perhaps?
The Warren Tunnel is the most likely possibility.
No way! What a disgrace to Lincoln and Holland that would be. Never.
3
Barbaric, historical names can be changed and removed.
I have a better idea. Let’s vote Trump and his regime out of office next year.
5
Let's just wait 18 months and name it whatever we want. Anything named after Trump will collapse.
2
I will not enter a long dark hole with Mr. Trump's name on it. Ever.
3
Deeply cynical of you! But sure, the Trump Tunnel or even the Trump Riverditch would be a fine name.
2
As noted, trump says you should have as many things named after yourself as you can so nobody forgets you. Which is precisely the reason why NOT to name the tunnels after him. Who wants to be reminded of this guy for eternity let alone in 2021.
Or, he could just take a sharpie and color in an entrance. It works in the road runner cartoons. Name it Acme. Beep. Beep.
8
I used to live in a city with a well-known traffic tunnel that had an almost completely unknown official name.
Everyone called it THE RATHOLE.
You can name the tunnel under the Hudson after Trump if you want, but I can guess what it will be known as.
1
Great. Name it after hime to get it funded and approved, and then the second he's indicted, change the name.
At this point, it’s worth a try.
This is a not a silly fight. Trump's reasons for a wall are misguided and inaccurate. The statistics bear out that walls don't keep people from entering the US, and that the death rates of migrants are much higher at these locations. It is also a waste of taxpayer dollars, one of which this taxpayers highly objects to on multiple grounds.
Since tunnels and bridges are infrastructure existing to mostly move workers, consumers and goods to and from their homes to places of business, why not make the businesses that benefit pay for it. They can then build the cost of all of that into the price of their goods and services and distribute it to everyone who uses their goods and services. Instead of saddling workers and consumers with the costs through tolls, it's time for business to pay for these projects, who knows, maybe they'll come up with something better.
Ah, apparently Trump isn't aware Washington did put his name on something. It ends with "DC".
Oh, and there's this huge obelisk close to the western end of the mall, complete with reflecting pool. You can see it from the White House, if you bother to look out the southern windows.
And, it's on his stationery, underneath the words "White House."
It's even...ahhhh, never mind.
5
No. I don't want to see the Trump name on anything. In fact, I want it removed from his skyscraper here in Chicago as a case of view pollution. The sooner we get rid of this guy and forget him, the better. How many things are named after Warren Harding or Andrew Johnson? Wait until after the inauguration of a Democratic president in 2121 and name the tunnel after Barack Obama.
301
The Editorial Board has outdone itself this morning, in teeing up comments which are loaded with loathing, snacking on snark, and positively clamoring with cleverness. I had to have a third cup of coffee just to...dig through! Many thanks!
8
I try to “tell it like it is” - so here is my 2 cents:
As a longtime New Jersey to Manhattan commuter via NJ Transit Train, I go through this tunnel twice everyday. As a country, we need to improve our infrastructure ASAP because everything is way too old and not waste taxpayers’ money by building that stupid wall to satisfy Trump’s ego.
However, if I had my druthers, I would rather commute through this old tunnel everyday as opposed to travel through a new tunnel named after that GONIF Trump because that would be the ultimate Oy Vey !!!
10
@Raj Sinha
Don't worry, they're even taking his name down from his own hotels because there's just so much disgust for him.
Why does a 2 mile tunnel cost $11 billion? How did the privately held Pennsylvania Railroad afford to build a tunnel in 1910?
1
May i suggest a different tribute.
The US House should pass a bill to rename all Federal Prisons Trump 1,Trump 2, ET AL.
7
Oh, no, you're not fooling The Donald.
Like Gen. Custer in "Little Big Man", you want him to think you don't want the new tunnel, so you're saying name the tunnel after him, so that he will want to fund the new tunnel, but not make it look like he wants the new tunnel, and instead have Congress bury it in the defense budget bill he'll have to sign.
But you really do want the new tunnel, even though you're saying you really do want the new tunnel.
2
Great idea. As you would pass through the tunnel there would be signs aligned so that every few seconds you'd read TRUMP, TRUMP, TRUMP, TRUMP in lights in the tunnel. The signs would be aligned so they create a motion picture effect, merging into one long TRUUUUUUUP. Maybe that would be enough for the Donald to exit stage right? Give him something, almost anything that helps him decide to leave the nation and the world alone for more than five minutes. I keep thinking if only he had run for governor of New York, which he would not have won, we wouldn't have to be going through Trumpism now. If only....
6
Trump wants to build the tunnel because he thinks if it's deep enough it'll go all the way to China.
Does anyone seriously believe that Trump would follow through? I guess I should admire the Editorial Board's optimism, but their attitude just seems gullible to me.
With trump's name on it it will be a target for bad guys. Best leave it generic. People have enough problems.
1
The difference between Trump's name on things and George Washington's name on things (like the nickel, dollar bill or the monument) is that other people put Washington's name on things. Because he had accomplished things other than make himself rich and famous.
5
To ask hundreds of thousands of commuters to hold their noses twice a day is a price far too high. It is difficult enough to say the name with 'president' attached to it.
I think a far better name would be the Christie Tunnel. That way we can forever thumb our collective nose to the one man who kept this tunnel from existing today.
4
I would need a constant supply of Tums in the cup holder to battle the nausea.
3
Sure, the wall being constructed adds 175 miles to the existing 600 or so already in place...
Leaving 1000 miles of open border remaining. So a “trump” tunnel would end somwhere underwater. Which would create a fitting example of what trump is doing to this nation - drowning democracy.
2
Perfect for Trump. He gets his name on it without actually spending any of his own money. The art of philanthropic mooching, which he has perfected.
Do what he would do - tell him you’ll put his name on it to get it built - then when it’s completed years hence and he’s no longer president, renege.
2
Who will fund the dislocation of the middle class in northern New Jersey when our property values soar? My town is already an expensive place to live. No thank you
10 percent of the economy? The federal government should pay 10 percent of the cost. It's not our fault Chris Christie sunk the ARC tunnel. I'd rather die in an old tunnel out of spite than have something useful named after Trump.
While appealing to Trump's ego and vanity is a smart strategy, there is a problem. After January 2021 the country will start its rehabilitation and recovery from the Trump Train Wreck. Naming a major infrastructure project after him would seem to be saying "This was a great president."
Even before the next president takes over, how the heck do you impeach someone you just named an $11 billion tunnel for?
Just had a funny thought. The Trump presidential library ... memorializing a president who doesn't read anything but a teleprompter.
1
It may work. Cherry on top for Him, Trump would probably not see windmills from the tunnel (“probably”, you never know with Him) therefore he would be protected from their nefarious carcinogenic effect after He will go in hiding.
1
Make an offer: “Donald, take 2% of ticket sales for 5 years.”
In that case he’d make an executive order to fund the project.
2
Trump, a person of significance? Hardly! I'd rather forget about him and see his name on stuff.
Not going to work. A "bridge and tunnel" person would not want to be regularly reminded of having been raised in Queens.
2
The only infrastructure we should name after politicians are landfills and sewage treatment plants.
2
Name it after Trump, for now. The end justifies the means. And when Trump is defeated and indicted and convicted in 2020, change the name to the Robert Mueller Tunnel.
1
His name will soon appear on a recession and a one term presidency.
3
I'd rather swim across than go in a Trump Tunnel.
At this stage, just wait a year and see if sanity returns to the White house in the form a different occupant.
4
And why should Democrats vote for any deal, and let the Reptilians tell their base about their (Democratic) reckless spending habits? And let Trump tweet about his "Victory"?
And ONLY if a repeal for the tax cuts the wealthy have received for the past generation. It's a Revenue Recovery Act, not a tax increase!
Turf every Republican out of State and Federal office in November 2018; Then maybe we can get a rational infrastructure policy. And be sure there is a poison pill in the bill doubling the required state contribution for any state with a Republican Governor or Legislature.
1
Trump definitely wants to build a tunnel. He thinks if it's deep enough it'll reach all the way to China.
Wall or tunnel, that is the question.
Trump is an exaggerated version of what so many successful Americans are all about. They place all of their value in what they have acquired and what they “get”.... The people who are truly remembered in this world are remembered for what they have given to us .
1
Why wait for a new tunnel to be constructed to herald a new era for PATH, proclaiming our exalted leader? Shouldn’t we name the existing one “The Trump”. It’s deteriorating bumpy and rough ride emulate the disaster of its namesake. Perhaps it may inspire some Presidential action to quickly address the issue to turn his reputation into a more respected one.
1
I have a suggestion that has a greater probability of securing the necessary funding: “The Donald J. Trump and Vladimir V. Putin Tunnel”. They would think of it as their own tunnel of love.
8
This sounds like a NY issue.
Tax cigarettes 5 dollars more.
Tax bullets 1000%.
Tax beer a few bucks (be nice).
Tax Doritos 2 dollars more.
Tax lattes 4 dollars more.
Why is NY asking the rest of us for help?
The price of a tunnel named for Trump is too high. This man's name needs to be forever withheld from public projects.
1
I am okay with naming the tunnel Trump Tunnel, so long as it is written in chalk.
3
Pretty sure we're all already living in the Trump Tunnel, unfortunately.
3
Great idea! And then, as only Trump the charlatan could appreciate, change the name to something palatable and relevant after it is completed.
2
The Donald J Trump tunnel would go over very well in NY and NJ. It would do wonders for business at the George Washington Bridge. A lot of people would rather swim across the Hudson than go through any tunnel named after Trump.
2
As a counterpoint to the current administration we might call it “The Tunnel of Love.”
1
So Trump thought no one would remember President George Washington?
Remember the Trump name? I'm trying to forget it.
Egomaniac Number One won't fall for the ploy.
His name on the tunnel won't gain him any votes.
Yes, it's clearly a shame that nobody remembers George Washington. He should have been smart, like putting his name on a city or a state.
3
Thanks. I'll swim.
2
The picture you show in the article shows a tunnel in Switzerland. We would never name our tunnels after politicians.
BTW: Switzerland built the new St. Gotthard railway tunnel at a total cost of 12.2 Billion USD. Length = 36 miles.
2
And in the Trump tradition of stiffing his contractors and reneging on contracts, after DJT is deceased, the tunnel could be renamed to something less odious.
1
Until it is clear that Trump is NOT a crook, I find it appalling that you would bend the knee so easily. Perhaps this is the beginning of the end of any pretense of democracy in this country when an editorial board seems to want to kiss the ring.
2
Good idea. Then once he's gone, we can change the name.
It is foolish to think that some sort of compromises are possible in the current political environment. None are. Trump and the GOP leaders do not even want to compromises with liberals and the incessant trolling from the WH proves this point. Much of it is calculated to get a rise out of liberals.
The day will come when conservatives and liberals sit together to make deals on infrastructure. Today is not that day. The precondition to anything like that is that Trump is no longer in office. He was elected as a troll and for that reason, there are now more serious issues than infrastructure to deal with.
2
And we can take the funds from the military budget!! They won’t mind as long as trump’s name is on it.
While we shouldn't Howard Roarke all the buildings with Trump's name on them, let us hope that every single one of them is ripped to its foundations in an orderly fashion, every sickening gold letter of his name smashed to bits after all the proper papers are filed.
Nothing, absolutely nothing of any worth should be adorned with Trump's name. Anyone who believes otherwise should be ashamed.
2
Maybe president Warren or Biden can declare it a national emergency and take money from the military to pay for it. I’m sure there are some projects in Kentucky and several other red states that won’t mind
1
I was laughing crazily as I read this! What a great idea, play to Donnie's grandiosity. Now you just have to convince Hannity and the rest of the Fox crew to parrot it tomorrow!
Yes indeed name it after him. It’ll be shiny, poorly built, small(Like his hands), and we can stiff the engineers, architects and use cheap undocumented workers who are criminals. I’m sure it’ll make yuge amounts of money.
1
Long-term, it's probably his only option to be remembered. Realistically, this presidency is a fad, just a collection of political skirmishes forgotten soon enough.
95
So Donald Trump is giving George Washington advice about naming and branding. Has he noticed that, once you get the capital of the country and one of the states named after you, all sorts of other branding opportunities follow naturally, like universities, sports teams, sports teams of universities. It's huge.
7
I worked in the GM building during the time Trump bought in, then subsequently lost it, due to one of his famed bankruptcies. Believe me, those huge gold letters come off. Let him build the tunnel, pay the workers, rename it.
5
We are only 16 months until Trump likely will be gone. No deals to help Trump, we can delay this project that long and then get the job done.
9
No. If New York City wants federal funds, let the federal government take over its administration. If it doesn’t want that? Maybe NYC should cede its governance to something else, like the private sector. Considering it privatizes profits, a long-standing tradition, maybe it should consider putting a stop to socializing its losses for a change.
2
@Daniel Kauffman
In that case, why would anyone pay federal income taxes, once you reject the idea that they're used for infrastructure projects in one specific state ... ?
3
I laughed when I read this editorial. Its funny. But a small concession to the President's ego is but a small price to pay to get the essential tunnel built. One more thing. The cost of construction of infrastruction in NYC is beyond obscene. The second avenue subway is just the latest example of how construction of public infrastructure in NY is cost prohibitive mostly because of duplicative wasteful union rules and regulations. If the tunnel is going to be built, as it needs to be, then cut the cost in half and get it done in have the projected time. Make us all believe that NYC can relive the golden construction years of the 1930's when the Empire State Building was built in less than 2 years.
4
I suppose we could say that for now. After all, renaming NAFTA seems to have worked. I have no clue why none of my Reps took me seriously back in February of 2017 when I wrote them and told them to just make a change or two to ACA and call it Trumpcare. I guess they thought he could be a rational adult at the time.
If the thing is every completed he'll be long gone and the name already despised by a vast majority of NYC dwellers won't ever actually adorn it.
3
This is a spectacular good idea.
Also, among the comments was a suggestion that coal miners in Kentucky and West Virginia be given priority in hiring. Another great idea.
Build that Trump Tunnel.
10
Great idea. Also, is there a way construction can be taken out of the hands of any NY or NJ state agency, and that we can use out-of-state contractors? Given the corruption and mediocre workmanship in the region, the tunnel will take 30-40 years to complete, cost twice as much as advertised, and construction will be so shoddy the tunnel will be leaking within weeks of opening.
8
No Federal money for this project. Make New York’s hedge fund multi-billionaire owners pay.
12
@Mark
Agree. Other options: (1) transaction tax on stock trades (this will hopefully hit algos the most), and/or (2) funds diverted from our unnecessary and colossal almost trillion dollar military budget.
7
@Mark No federal money? Whose state taxes do you think supports the tax short falls in red states. New York & CA. So sit down.
4
@Mark and make the hedge fund multi-billionaires from Dallas pay for all of your needs.
2
Let us say that the tunnel is built and it is named after Trump. Then New York City, New York State and New Jersey should all pass legislation that would scrub Trump's (and any person's) name off public funded projects if he is found guilty of a crime.
25
@DA Mann--Why not scrub the name even if he's not found guilty? After all, Trump's name has been removed from multiple buildings already. The Trump name is associated more with corruption these days than anything to honor.
2
Back in 2010, then governor of New Jersey Chris Christie effectively killed the Gateway Tunnel project, after over half a billion dollars had been spent on land acquisition, construction, and engineering studies claiming that unnamed "cost overruns" would put his state on the hook for a larger portion of the costs.
At the time the project was targeted as costing $8.7 billion, with funding from the Federal government, New York and New Jersey.
When Christie announced the withdrawal from the project he proclaimed, ""The only prudent move is to end this project."
Here we are, a decade later, and the need for the tunnel is even more critical to the region and its economy. And the cost has naturally increased.
26
The entire eastern seaboard really needs the tunnel. It's unfortunate that Chris Christie blew up the project so he could show the GOP that he was a tough guy governor.
The fail proof way to get the funding for the tunnel in the Donald Trump era isn't to name the tunnel after him. It's to let him buy the land at the mouth of the tunnel on the New Jersey side before the Port Authority has to buy it back from him at a tremendous profit. What a deal That's the way things work these days.
19
@Bill I agree. At last! Someone who has the president figured out.
Say its twice as long as it really is, cut corners so it leaks after a few years, paint it gold, and stiff the workers who build it.
Then it will truly warrant the designation 'Trump Tunnel'!
102
@Will. Not unless it came to a dead end.
6
In nearly every traffic report in the New York City area, there are ample references to the Lincoln Tunnel, the Holland Tunnel, the George Washington Bridge, and other area river crossings. But in daily life, there is seldom a need to reference a railroad tunnel. So name the tunnel after Trump; it'll be relatively harmless and far from being "in your face" every day.
In fact, the only time the name of the tunnel would likely come up would be on the relatively rare occasions where these is some kind of problem (e.g., "train commuters coming in from New Jersey this morning, beware . . .big problem in the Trump tunnel; a train broke down in it . . . no trains currently getting through").
10
@Andrew Kennelly: Without the tunnel, there are "problems" for commuters on a regular basis!
$11 billion for critically infrastructure, lot of money. But still, about $3 billion cheaper than an aircraft carrier. We need a couple of carriers, I guess, to protect all that Middle East oil. Oh wait a second, an impoverished rebel group can launch a salvo of cheap drones and knock out Saudi Arabia’s largest oil facilities?
How about 2% of GDP for clean energy?
24
Pre Trump I would have appreciated this satire but I have lost my sense of humor when it comes to him, or politics in general. As is now commonly said, he has “gotten into our heads”. He is taking way too much space up there. I’m angry about that and hope to be able to recover when he leaves office.
50
You don't need to be a civil engineer to understand how essential those new tunnel tunnel bores are and the fragile state of the current ones, never mind the dependence of the national and regional economy on them - even on Trump's oh-so-cherished properties. So go ahead, name it after him; just don't expect most people to call it that - and do expect that the name will come off it quickly after he leaves office. (Kinda like the folks in the Trump-branded apartments did on the west side....)
13
We know the our president, who is easily slighted and lashes out,punching hard, at all who do not kowtow to his wishes, is enraged by the liberal, blue states such as New York , which don't feed him any electoral votes. He gets back at his enemies just as all authoritarian figures (i.e., all who would like to be absolute dictators) do.
But dictatorial types retain a soft spot for recognition of their absolute greatness and genius. So your suggestion to name the tunnel which would benefit his enemies (hence the enemies of all true Americans) "Trump Tunnel" is brilliant.
But simply calling it "Trump Tunnel" would be inadequate. More would be needed---especially if it also helped feeding him more money --so I would add the following to your suggestion:
Large signs in big letters prominently displayed , at entrance to tunnel and on the roads leading to it: "DONALD. J. TRUMP TUNNEL---OUR GREATEST PRESIDENT EVER---TO NEW YORK WHERE TRUMP TOWER , THE BEST HOTEL EVER, IS LOCATED (on one side and on the other side) TO TRUMP GOLF COURSE, ONE OF THE GREATEST GOLF COURSES EVER."
28
@shimr--Never. "That's okay, I'll just sit here in the dark." (Get the joke?)
1
"They called it Gateway. But this is proving not to be a lyrical era ..."
Thank you NYT for this delicious editorial about a very sad time.
18
I've read where Charles Koch does not believe in government funded infrastructure projects, so I don't think your plan is going to work.
21
Unfortunately there is no evidence that Trump or supporters have any plan or ability to generate productive projects or infrastructure. (Exhibit A being an unnecessary and unbuilt wall supposedly paid for by another country).
Would not be surprised if the GOP decided to fund/support a modern Versailles for their monarch
32
Of course that would work to get the Great Narcissist on board. And it may even replace the only monument he thought he was ever going to get: The Trump Wall. But as with every other thing Trump, I would never use it.
We should be willing to wait until Trump is out of office. We don't name our national projects after felons; indicted or not.
30
Well, if Trump had been a working stiff, one who commuted daily by train, he may understand the need of a tunnel.
But, given the silver spoon and tunnel vision of the grifter, and his need for vengeance, that tunnel will need to wait for a more learned president that works for the country rather than his vanity, personal prosperity and his need to have his name and likeness bathed in bright lights.
38
As I live and work in the NYC area I hope to never see Trump's name on anything. It's bad enough his name will forever be associated with this dark part of our country's history.
98
@John Lusk
We could try for the Roman "Damnatio Mempriae" for everyone associated with Trumpian misrule.
3
Call it Trump tunnel if that gets it done. We can change it to AOC tunnel later.
77
This is a great idea--name something after Trump and he will immediately be all for it and completely fund and support it. Start with the Gateway tunnel. Put his name in huge gold letters.
Then begin naming Planned Parenthood female reproductive health clinics after him. Same thing--his name in huge, gold letters. Then move on to immigrant processing centers. Then public schools, especially in low income neighborhoods. (Throw Betsy DeVos's name on a couple, too--same idea.) Finally, rename Medicare "Trumpcare" and Social Security "Trumpension".
If all of this truly works, then rename Greenpeace and the ACLU after him, too.
42
@Jack
Great idea! But let’s not stop there! The Everglades is in need of serious rehab money. See where I’m going with this?
8
@Jack Sonville
We need a tunnel in Boston too. It’s currently known as the north-south link. But couldn’t we just tell him that we’re going to name it after him? A Trump tunnel in Boston is a bridge too far.
1
@Jack Sonville:
NO and NO to the last sentence, emphatically.
1
We can't seem to get the L train tunnel to Brooklyn repaired, why don't we try naming it the Cuomo Tunnel to see if that gets the job done before the un-built Hudson River begins?
1
@Other, I share your frustration, but there are alternatives to the L. There are no other rails across the Hudson (except the overburdened PATH) south of Albany.
1
@CP I totally agree with you. Living in NYC is a challenge because politics rule our roost and the barrier to getting anything done. We need the tunnel, but we could re-dredge harbors in Brooklyn to accommodation barges carrying tractor trailers from Port Amboy while waiting for the tunnel to be built. It's not the best solution but a start. That too will be opposed by other interests but something needs to get done.
1
That's very interesting that Trump cares to be remembered - there were just a couple of conservatives quoted that they don't care about their reputation after death.
So it is just due to pure ignorance and a warped perspective that Trump will be remembered as grifter, doofus, showman, narcissist and probably most importantly as active enabler of climate change.
My guess is that he was too confident in his instincts to privately ask a few historians in late 2016 how he could be remembered positively. He had a unique chance to turn some major things around and keep his election promises: healthcare (introduce a solid public option as improved federal medicare) and build infrastructure. At the start, he probably had enough political capital with his unprincipled caucus to push this through with an unusual bipartisan coalition.
4
Tempting but bad idea. Any infrastructure baring the name of 45, also referred to as 'the orange one', would caution me not to go there, not to use it. There was already a 'trump'-steak, a 'trump'-water, a 'trump'-airline and let's not forget a 'trump'-university. And many more 'trump'-things.
7
Well, we also need a MASSIVE new southern immigration processing center, a kind of Ellis Island South, only state of the art, fabulous architectural,campus, welcoming to refugees, immigrants, asylum seekers, headquarters for immigration hearings, etc,, etc.
Why not build it and call it the Trump International Welcome Center?
22
ONLY if there is a side agreement to rename it within 10 seconds after the Bloviator leaves office.
12
Great idea!
Here's another; agree to name the thing after him, them flip after the money comes in.
17
I'm all for naming it after him. Put it in giant gold letters. Names can easily be changed.
6
"It would make much more sense to name the tunnel after a builder, someone with deep roots in the region, someone who knows what it’s like to pass through a dark and seemingly endless tunnel to abruptly emerge into the glittering dream world of Manhattan. If only someone could think of a person of significance, like a president of the United States, who would fit the bill." had you all just finished a six-Martini lunch when this got regurgitated?
2
why not use money from New York commuter tax to pay for it is so vital.
1
@plainleaf
NY and NJ would pay for part of the cost so citizens of these states will indeed pay. The fed contribution is significant but not unwarranted. NY and NJ are both net contributors to the fed govt, i.e. they both pay significantly more in federal taxes than they receive from federal spending. It is not unreasonable to expect the fed to contribute to a critical infrastructure project that will ensure the region continues to support the fed tax base.
https://www.osc.state.ny.us/reports/budget/2018/federal-budget-fiscal-year-2017.pdf
1
$11 billion! That's a lot of money- until you realize this country has wasted $7 trillion on the endless wars in the Middle East. That vital tunnel that should have been built 20 years ago would cost us .15% of the money we wasted for nothing. Nothing but lost American lives and treasure. Bring our troops home and start investing in the USA.
26
I would pull a classic Trump double cross. This thing is going to take years to build. Tell him it will be called the Trump Tunnel in his honor. After its done, call it whatever the local people want to call it. Hang a tiny sign, I mean really tiny sign, at each end with his name on it. Then hang huge signs all over the place with its real name. Kind of like him stiffing his contractors and suppliers. Or like him using other people's money, stuffing his pockets with it and then filing for bankruptcy. Fitting yes?
29
Everything that Trump's stenciled his name on has failed spectacularly. The last thing I would want would be to travel underneath a river through something sporting his name. Might as well name it the "Titanic Tunnel" or the "Hindenburg Tunnel", since that disaster did occur in NJ..
17
Punching truck-sized holes every few miles through trump's Mexican wall would be for me a budget priority. I am disgusted that democrats haven't continued their efforts to brand the wall and trump as sewer-dwelling infrastructure. For instance, we used to have some governor named Cuomo. We used to have a lot of democrats elected to every level of government. All have shrunk to shattering irrelevance on this and every other issue.
2
As a former New Yorker, yes, obviously the tunnel is badly needed and NY/NJ should hold their nose and compromise if necessary to secure federal funds so it can go forward. And the best way to get Trump to do anything is gratuitous flattery, so fair.
But - after he leaves office (let us all pray it is in 2020) - the name 'Trump' should become a badge of shame for all time. Future historians will revile everything about this administration. They will marvel at the petty grifting done by an American president in plain view without substantive public outcry - yes, everyone with a brain is shocked and offended, but we're not doing anything about it. They will point to the moments when the pillars of our democracy fractured. They will pore over the mind boggling avalanche of records of corruption in every federal agency and flooding the West Wing - I have no doubt that what we know about now is only the tip of the iceberg. See the whistleblower the acting DNI is trying so desperately to hide from Congress. Trump will go down as an appalling episode in American history, the worst president out of all 45 men to have held the office so far, by a lot, and a low point in our democracy. The name Trump should be associated with nothing but shame, criminality, and corruption. It should not be attached to anything (even temporarily) that serves a useful public good. Like a much needed tunnel.
9
"let us all pray it is in 2020"
What's the matter with 2019?
1
If this desperately needed tunnel finally finally finally gets built, even I would be okay with having Donald Trump's name on it.
2
The new rail tunnel is desperately needed, but God No!, better to fund it locally without federal help than to name it after Trump. Leave us a shred of dignity.
5
But “Warren” just doesn’t have the pizazz for a tunnel name.
Maybe then Washington’s “missed opportunity” at Mount Vernon can be remedied, so we have just an itsy bitsy chance of remembering him.
I digress. But if our hotelier in chief can, so can I.
4
Just do an end round on Trump and McConnell, promise to only hire Kentucky and West Virginia coal miners to work on the tunnel at union wages. They may be inspired to vote those two clowns out and then get to work.
8
Name it after Mr. Trump's pal Frederick Douglass, who he said "is doing great work, that people [i.e., Mr. Trump] aren't aware of".
The historical Douglass certainly deserves the honor and had a lot of ties to NY state. Plus, the name wouldn't need to be changed when the Trump state and federal tax bills finally get figured.
Just picture Mr. Trump at the dedication improvising when Frederick Douglass fails to appear, and riffing about how "Fred--that was my father's name, too--hates, just hates traffic tie-ups."
2
It would be very appropriate to name the tunnel after Trump. A tunnel is a black hole that scares you as you enter and as you travel through it. But when you emerge on the other side, everything seems right again. Its a allegory for the Trump term in office. Hopefully, the Trump Tunnel will end next year with a Democrat as President.
13
It's far from certain that Mr. Trump wants to benefit anybody anywhere other than himself.
3
Sounds OK if there is fine print in the contract that Trump
misses assuring the name will be changed to "NOT The Donald J. Trump Tunnel",
when he is outsted by not even getting the
Republican nomination, let alone torturing the world for another four years.
Didn't Robert Moses hate tunnels? The reason being is that no one saw them.
2
@Bill. actually, Robert Moses initially wanted a double-long GWB-like suspension bridge which was eventually built as the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. (There are fascinating artists' renderings of it online.)
2
I don't know how he is doing there, but they couldn't pry the letters off fast enough on the bankrupt Trump Tower in Toronto. I think the one in Panama is in the same shape.
Putting his name on is like hospitality cancer.
9
Maybe not such a bright idea when the Trump properties are not as profitable as they once were and Trump's name has been taken down from a number of buildings. Even Ivanka no longer has a clothing line. I see them at Tump's Rallies...but I have very rarely seen anyone wearing a MAGA Hat. It could be the Stigma is just too much to bear. Who wants to be associated with a name denoting....Dysfunction,Chaos,Confusion and Divisiveness ?? Well on second thought...if it were a Tunnel To Nowhere....then..it might be appropriately named...but who's going to want to go...Nowhere??
2
As long as we're honoring Trump, we could have Bruce Springsteen release a sequel to Tunnel of Love: "Tunnel of Hate."
4
What great way to get trump to approve the project. I mean, let's face it, he could never say no to such a vain idea. As soon as the money in the pipeline, simply rename the tunnel after Mr. Obama. That would be a twofer in my book
5
This isn't going to happen.
Trump prides himself of building things up, up, up, preferably taller than the twin towers of the World Trade Center. At least in his mind. He wants that golden Trump name to shine in the rising sun. No matter how complex and challenging the engineering and construction may be, he won't put his name on anything that goes down. Or support it.
I sort of hope the more devious of our neighbors to the south name every future tunnel under the border after Donald Trump, and emblazon his name inside. When they're discovered the world will see the news and laugh at him, and we can watch his namesakes get filled with cement.
3
““If he was smart, he would’ve put his name on it,” Mr. Trump said, according to news reports. “You’ve got to put your name on stuff or no one remembers you.””
Only those who are supremely narcissistic or those with poor self-esteem feel this way.
The greatest person who lived on earth wrote everything in the sand, expressly so that no written record should ever exist.
There are no schools, expressways, or monuments dedicated to this individual yet their name is instantly recognizable and revered amongst the more enlightened.
My Master.
3
@PC. Is that the same master that lets children die of hunger in underdeveloped nations and innocents get mowed down by human assault rifles in an otherwise "peaceful" democracy?
Why should it be necessary to stroke Trump's already inflated ego by naming this vital tunnel after him? It may be crazy, but will anyone trust such a project with his name attached to it?
I can think of many possibilities that might fit more accurately something to be named after him, like the super dump on Staten Island.
3
The 10% of the nation's economy that the region accounts for has little or nothing to do with what is transported by rail or truck. It is money churned by the greed machine called Wall Street which can transfer billions anywhere in the world at the push of a high-tech button. So why should Trump agree to spend 11 billion dollars of US taxpayer money to feed the maw of a hateful New York that opposes spending less than half that to stanch the massive flood of illegals into the United States where their mere presence will cost the taxpayer untold billions more? Using misleading and utterly irrelevant statistics to to make the Time's argument for the tunnel is frankly offensive Offensive, but hardly surprising.
Sorry, this isn't funny. Even the very thought is WAYYYYY too scary.
5
Absolutely brilliant satire in best Mark Twain tradition - but it may actually work for a simple mind and its obsequious cabinet and WH staff.
Though of course I could think of more appropriate things to name after him - a sewage pipeline, a toxic landfill, an oil spill, a swamp, maybe?
5
How about the Chesley Burnett Sullenberger III tunnel: the man who partnered with the Hudson to save 155 souls?
9
Absolutely, name it after him if it gets the job done. In a few years we will re-name it after a war hero or perhaps someone even more deserving, like a popular baseball player. Or re-name the Obama tunnel, just because we can.
2
And how do you think the good citizens of New York and New Jersey will react to a "Trump Tunnel"?
There are signs on the West Side Highway of Manhattan, "Henry Hudson Highway Beautification sponsored by ......". The one at the 79th St Boat Basin exit says "Donald J. Trump." It is vandalized on a regular basis. My favorite version of all the spray-paint editing was the one that read "...by Donald J. Swamp". The imagination stirs with all the adjectives that can be applied to a large hole named after Trump.
I'd rather a tunnel be constructed and named the old fashioned way, without the bribery.
4
With tens of millions of illegal immigrants, the USA cannot afford the project.
The USA would have been smart building Wall Marts and Kindergartens-Universities in Third Worlds.
@a. Actually we can't afford NOT to do it. Infrastructure is what got us where we are today. Ask yourself where we would be without railroads followed by our great system of highways that connect big cities from East to West and North to South.
4
Considering the name, what if they built it and nobody came?
Vote.
3
NY and NJ should simply build this on their own. And no, don't name it the Cuomo Tunnel.
2
This is one topic that I am passionate about. I have a hobbyist interest in these sort of topics. Public transportation, tunnels, etc
But even so, the editorial goes too far. Maybe two and half years ago, maybe then it would have been a bad idea.
Now, with only another 18 months to go, it is a really lousy idea.
If George Washington had been smart , he'd be remembered as the Father of our Country.
5
Yes, I agree with the President that George Washington was forgotten completely because he didn't name everything after himself. What a dummy for allowing his legacy to carry his name forward.
5
Leave us remember that people in NYC are actively taking Trump's name OFF of buildings. Trump's vanity turns stomachs. Entertain him and you've made millions of people physically ill (which he's already done but that's another thread).
2
Naming a railroad after him would be more appropriate.
1
I've got it! A Twitter tax! A penny a character. That should get things rolling nicely...
7
It would be more appropriate to put his name on a landfill.
7
Perhaps it's fake news that "the father of our country," without bothering to put a 50-foot tall "George Washington" golden nameplate at the entrance to the Mount Vernon driveway, is still remembered by about 99.9 percent of present day Americans.
As for Trump, he has already secured a prominent, everlasting place in American history books although not for the reasons he would like. So go ahead and name the tunnel "Trump" but make it out of pyrite--fools gold that stinks to the high heavens.
2
I would prefer to forget him, thank you very much!
1
Put his name on it, just to get it done. It can always be changed later. Or 20 years from now, people could be driving their kids through the tunnel & they might ask: Who's Trump? Answer:
Some old guy, who's dead. Why?
2
Sure, why not? Hoover Dam is named for a president who was and still is ill regarded for his performance in office. If pandering to the current president’s vanity is all that’s needed to secure federal funds for a critical infrastructure project then by all means pander away. Or, better yet, divert some of the military budget for nuclear weapons development to build the tunnel.
235
@Paco varela
Hoover was a far more competent and caring president than Trump. Hoover's great misfortune (which is also Trump's good fortune) is that he could not escape the Business Cycle, the powerful laws of economics, which sooner or later will have their way: the "bust" will always follow the "boom". Until now these laws , that "up" periods last for a while at least , are helping our president. If the"down" starts soon enough, economic laws might still upset the apple-cart for our current leader . For the present, the "good economy" allows him to do the most damnable things and still retain support. But he's no Hoover.
33
@shimr
True, the times are important on how history judges leaders. Hoover was head and shoulders better that the dunce currently occupying the White House. He was far more intelligent and hard working than 45 and did good work in humanitarian and reconstruction relief for Europe after WW1. On the other hand, Hoover did send the army, led by Douglas McArthur, into the “Hooverville” in DC to forcefully remove WW1 veterans after two were killed in a skirmish with DC police. Hoover’s ineffectual policies after the ‘29 Crash and reluctance to get the fed directly involved in a domestic economic recovery are, I believe, the reason he is not considered a “good” president.
34
@Paco varela
It was FDR who did not permit the name of Hoover Dam.
8
Any new rail tunnel should have four tracks. Additional capacity is needed and reliance on the century old ones is imprudent. Apparently these were built in the river silt, not bedrock, and rise and fall about two feet with the tides. Obviously, such movement is not a good thing.
Let us not forget it would have been built already but for Chris Christie.
The problem is not just Trump and Trumpsim - it is the current Republican Party. Until it gets fixed or goes away, we will be in a wash, rinse, repeat cycle.
24
@David Gregory
Indeed, if from day it had been named the "Chris Christie Tunnel," then it would have been built years ago. Chris Christie may now be remembered for the GW Bridge infamy, but his real sin was killing the ARC tunnel now so many years ago. There is really no adequate penalty for the destruction that these politicians do.
6
@David Gregory, Christie killed a bad tunnel which would have ended in a separate and inadequately small terminal two blocks from Penn Station with no eastern rail access. He killed it for the wrong reasons, but it was the right thing to do anyway. The current and correct proposal expands access to Penn Station and allows for through trains, a responsible and far more versatile plan.
1
Indeed, Trump's name needs to be remembered by future generations, but not for the reasons that he supposes. And, just as Washington doesn't need his name splattered across the front of Mount Vernon in order to be remembered, our progeny will still remember Trump without his towers and walls.
5
donnie trump believes his name is "valuable". Each president loses their right to have exclusive copyright on their name. The federal government can use any president's name without compensation. So if the fed can use his name at will....
Give trump a deal he can't refuse... either he funds the tunnel or the federal government names Sewage treatment plants with his name.
18
Obviously, there’d be no light at the end of a Trump Tunnel.
(Apologies if someone else thought of that first.)
29
A Trump tunnel would be the biggest in the world (not really), and the Deutschland Bank financing would end up in bankruptcy. There would be mob involvement- Russian mob.
While we're at it, a modest proposal: Why don't the governments of Iran, Venezuela, North Korea, Cuba, Yemen, etc., play to Trump's greed/ego and offer to build Trump hotels in their largest cities? Those are the kinds of diplomatic offers that Trump understands--the kind that put money in his pocket. I do believe peace would break out all over the place!
4
There are a lot of highway and bridge projects already built in the south. Inland waterway projects alone have resulted in hundreds of billions of dollars worth of federally financed infrastructure projects in the southern U.S. The US Senate with its two senators from every state have caused a disproportionate number of such projects down south. The senate does not approve many such projects up north. The electoral college also creates disproportionate representation in the south. We just all believe thats how its supposed to be. Presently there are a disproportionate number of statues honoring confederate generals on horseback down south. They were responsible for many thousands of deaths of Americans. Aint sumbuddy gonna do sumpin? It's time we have a rewrite of history regarding slavery, the civil war, reconstruction and segregation.
4
@mikeyh The northeastern US has the wealthiest states with the highest taxes, but still they can't seem to afford to build their needed infrastructure. That's a strong reason why projects have gone to poorer states that are not so profligate with their resources.
1
@Dr B,
No infrastructure projects have gone anywhere in this country since Trump took office. So much for the “master builder” !
If NY and NJ pick up half the cost that leaves the need for $5.5B of funding. If 75% of the 800K passengers/day go through the tunnel and each pays $1.25 that raises $22.8M revenue/month. Selling bonds for $5.5B at 5% interest on a 60-year term the monthly payment is $22.1M/month. Voila - tunnel - and with a name that won't leave people repulsed for the ages. In the opening ceremony, NY and NJ can proudly proclaim how it was built despite Trump.
14
Everybody knows that a good part of whatever funding is approved will be stolen. The fee on the Verrazano Bridge is now $19, yet the Port Authority can’t finance a new tunnel. Where do all the exorbitant bridge and tunnel fees go? New York and New Jersey are both witnessing a large exodus of tax paying citizens so it will only get worse here.
8
I am 100% for appealing to Trump's sense of vanity in order to get things done.
I still think we should appeal to his "businessman" self-identity in order to get him to champion money reform. That is to say, to champion getting rid of pennies and nickels, primarily. It's such low-hanging fruit.
4
The tunnel is needed, but at the expense of putting the Donald's name on it? others here have suggested ideas for funding it rather than grovelling to a man who has no interest in developing the New York New Jersey region.
8
@just Robert. I opposed putting Reagan's name on National Airport in DC. Still do. The time always comes when people just argue over whether to remove a name or not - look at all the Civil War stuff we're still arguing about. Besides, Trump will move on to wanting his face on Mt. Rushmore.
15
It is time for the Federal government to get out of the building business. Let state or regional governments fund these projects. If NYC and NJ have enough money to fund health care for illegal immigrants and universal day care and free college for everyone and unlimited other programs, we can afford to build this tunnel if we want it. The federal deficit is too large, they should cut spending across the United States. Lets start in NYC.
5
It is needed, but it will not cost 11 billion. It will take three times as long as expected, and cost 50 billion until it is all said and done.
Just ask Boston.
10
Transportation infrastructure costs will always be higher in blue states because that where more people live, of course. The idea that a congressmen and/or Senators from states that produce corn, cows and soy - which is highly subsidized by blue states - have such a large say over funding for the airports, tunnels and roads in metropolitan areas is outrageous. Why would they care to fund a tunnel? This country is too big and diverse to be governed by a single federal government.
21
@Dan: What do you propose? (I'm seriously curious.) More state power? A breakup of the union?
I know this is meant to be partly in jest; but, let's take the issue a bit more seriously.
The Republicans will never build the tunnel, the problem is larger than just Trump, and even if we feel Trump will likely lose in 2020 the undemocratic structure of the Senate means a likely Republican roadblock there indefinitely.
Why doesn't the Port Authority just build a midtown rail bridge connecting Secaucus to Penn Station or to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, or to a new Station closer to the River? Then, don't let Amtrak use it unless they pay high fees to the PA; let the Feds keep the old tunnel, let's be practical and move on.
9
@PNBlanco Bridges are pretty darn expensive too
1
@PNBlanco No! Long before Trump Republicans starved Amtrak.Not everyone crossing the Hudson from NY stops in NJ
2
NY and NJ would have plenty of money to fix the existing tunnel and build TWO more if they didn’t have to send a huge portion of their tax dollars to red states to prop up their failing economies.
533
Exactly! This needs to change and now that trump has set the precedent of politicizing red and blue states Warren/Booker should double down.
20
After Trump is defeated in 2020, I don’t want to hear or see his name ever again. No to his name on this vital tunnel. President Warren will build it.
519
@Mary Beth Concur - but I would still delight in seeing his name on an indictment or two.
23
If you named it after Trump, only 38 percent would trust its safety.
What was missed in this article is that it was Chris Christie who put the brakes on this project, while he was busy lining Port Authority pockets for his other pet projects.
291
This tunnel is an absolute necessity. That the government is required to build it is obvious. The cost is modest compared to the obvious public benefit. I have no problem with Trump naming it after himself as long as this obvious nod to his vanity gets the job done - we can always just rename it later.
54
@David G. I agree about naming it, as tRump does: we can just change our minds,.
6
@David G.
When was the last time Trump got a job done, more precisely ... ?
6
Of course, it would NEVER occur to Trimp that some community-minded individuals might NOT want their family name associated with public works, for precisely the reasons a person like Trimp embodies. They seek to express an abhorrence for gratuitous self-aggrandizement. There was once an attitude that it was in bad taste to demand naming rights in exchange for funds. Public works are best left to the public.
25
Doesn't Trump get money from all those places that has his name attached to them?
Would the state of NY/NJ have to pay money to Trump if the named a tunnel after him or would he just be pleased enough with the honor to forego financial gain?
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The annual cost of the protection needed to guard a tunnel named after Donald J Trump will make the project untenable to Republicans.
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"Mr. Christie took the estimated $3 billion in fees collected to finance the project and diverted them into the state highway trust fund -- a bit of budgetary sleight-of-hand that helped him avoid raising New Jersey's gasoline tax before his 2013 re-election bid."
The Observer
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Since when would Trump agree to have his name displayed on a structure and not get paid mightily?
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The Trump administration may be doing the right thing.
As a long suffering taxpayer in NYC/NYS, the current budget to build what is basically a few miles of tunnel is absolutely absurd: $11+ billion simply to dig 3 miles of tunnel and rehab another one, with no new stations. In the words of another New Yorker, "You cannot be serious."
The amazing level of incompetence of the wonder-combo of NY/NJ may be unique among countries that attempt large infrastructure projects. China built an entire new subway system and elevated roadway in about 20 years. London has built a massive new crosslink rail system. Spain has created a high speed rail network. Every major country has modern airports.
Us? We have the white elephants knowns as East Side Access and the 2nd Ave subway. If we had normal project management, both projects would have been completed years ago, on time, and within the original budget.
My concern is that $11 billion will be $15 billion and then $20 billion. And who will pay for these inevitable cost overruns? Me, my kids, or my grandkids?
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@BrooklynBond
Being from Brooklyn it is likely that you do not know the nightmare of New Jerseyans who commute to Manhattan via train. New Jerseyans who have to pay taxes to New York because of their residency. Many train lines don't directly route into Penn Station and riders have to change trains several times. During the week our highways are packed with residents of Pennsylvania and New York who commute across New Jersey to work in Manhattan. Truck traffic from all over the country uses the Turnpike, Route 78 and Route 80 to deliver goods to Manhattan. New Jerseyans pay dearly in money and time for being in proximity to Manhattan. The existing tunnels and bridges are decrepit, crumbling and there are constant delays. Radial militants had plans to bomb the tunnels. A new train tunnel to Manhattan is not just a matter of saving time and money, it is a matter of national security.
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Those other countries spent the money, is what happened. And the longer you wait, the more you pay.
Because stuff costs money.
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@BrooklynBond London's Crossrail (not "crosslink") also has its cost and time overruns. It was originally expected to open in late 2018... now it's forecast to open late 2020 or early 2021. Its cost estimate has increased by 2bb GBP as well. It's not just the U.S. that encounters major construction project overruns.
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I think it's a fabulous idea. And I think that an offshoot of the project should include a new branch of the line that runs right under Trump Tower on 5th Ave, requiring an eminent domain claim that gives Trump a taste of what he is asking private landowners along the southern border to do: give up their property for a political vanity project. Then we can rename the whole thing after Barack Obama and be sure to include his middle name.
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No, thank you. He has his name on enough things already, even if it is temporary, I loathe any thought of a public project bearing his name.
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'How about the proposed rail tunnel under the Hudson River, one of the most important and urgently needed transportation infrastructure projects in the country?'. Please let us not tarry, and Trump's name on it, will be a source of wonder for tourism.
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Naming the new NY-NJ tunnel after the stable genius, Donald J. Trump, actually is not without precedence. The Holland Tunnel, originally called the Hudson River Vehicular Tunnel, was in fact re-named after Clifford Milburn Holland, the chief engineer, following his sudden death before the tunnel opened. I knew his granddaughter, whose middle name was Holland, but everyone called her "Holly."
That being said, calling it Trump Tunnel works for me as long as it's lined in gold and Mexico pays for it.
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Considering his business history, any project that requires large amounts of money dumped into a hole in the ground would certainly qualify for Trump branding...
For all we know, the Trump Tunnel could repel hurricanes as well !
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@BA_Blue Only if the tunnel doesn't extend to Alabama.
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@Lou
If the tunnel thing doesn't work out, might I suggest " The Chico Marx Viaduct " as an alternative ?
The profoundly aged among us will appreciate the reference. ;-]
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Well, if it turns out to be a tunnel to nowhere, naming it Trump would be appropriate.
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A responsible country gets this accomplished.
It's like a a month of spending on the Middle East wars.
Instead, pollution in the area unecessarily worsens, people commutes become harder, and the economic benefits of a densely populated region of diverse strengths (economically and socially) get less realized.
Curious what 45 would do if Sandy were to hit now!
How can he ever come back to NYC and be respected again?
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@Cooldude Your post incorrectly implies he was once respected in NYC.
But yes, I totally agree with you: a responsible country would work out the remaining obstacles and get this done. But politicians seem to be out of the business of working through hard problems with compromise and pragmatism.
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@Cooldude
I would have to severely modify my understanding of the word "respect" to believe that he ever was.
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@Cooldude
"...respected again?"
Again? When did New York respect him before?
Whether you search the NYT or skim many of the issues of the late, great Spy magazine, now on Google Books, he does not seem to have received much reverence in his home town.
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I don't have a problem naming any piece of infrastructure for Trump if it gets something built, you can always change the name to something he would despise after he leaves office in 2020. In any case, in NYC they have often named ferry boats and buildings for local political hacks while they are still alive, instead of the usual convention of waiting a decade or two to find out how crooked they were. In NYC routinely the living are honored, and I suspect most residents could also be all in for the Bill de Blasio High School for Imagined Accomplishments (with teacher parking and a high rise condo above it provided by acquiring the adjacent stables via eminent domain). Name any piece of infrastructure needed for anyone who can get the money for it, further examples could be the Chuck Schumer train roundabout. Taking it forward, I doubt anyone would complain about CUNY's new Jared Kushner Center at 666 5th Avenue or naming improvements to a lower level of the Mario Cuomo Bridge, the Andrew Cuomo bypass. Who cares what it is named, just build it before what it is replacing collapses.
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@Kevin It took a very big ego for Fiorello La Guardia to name the first airport in New York City after himself; he had it built after landing in (horrors of horrors) New Jersey's Newark Airport. Now, as it is under construction and making travel out there just miserable, I'm certain La Guardia is looking down from heaven and having the last laugh.
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Maybe we could rename every crumbling piece of infrastructure in honor of Trump -- if only he would convince congressional Republicans to appropriate money to do so.
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It's hard to believe that there was once a time when we were able to find the money to pay for infrastructure projects, and then named them after people worthy of honor.
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@David Koppelman
The Eisenhower Interstate Highway System? That was indeed a while ago.
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@David Koppelman Airports: O'Hare (after aviator Butch O'Hare); Mitchell Field (after General Billy Mitchell); Dulles Airport (John Foster Dulles); Lindbergh Field in San Diego(you know that one); etc., etc., etc.
People worthy of honor.
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@David Koppelman Unfortunately, it seems that there are no longer any honorable people any more. Any one that could be worthy is off chasing corruption and greed.
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Build the tunnel on tolls. Let NY and NJ get private investors and get loans to build it or upgrade it. I am sure if NY was friendly to Amazon they would have easily contributed 11 billion dollars. If the federal government has 11 billion dollars spare change they should prioritize the building of homeless shelters.
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For shame, this is a vital project which needs federal funding. This area of the country sends much more money to the Federal government than it gets back, unlike the fine citizens of Kentucky.
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@DJM from NJ If it is so vital a project why not get it built? Across the Ohio river separating Kentucky and Indiana there were 2 vitally needed bridges so that the North South traffic could flow in both directions. The city of Louisville and the states of Indiana and Kentucky got 2 toll bridges built and they are functioning fine. I have no idea how much federal funds were received but it did not seem to stall progress. Looks like even Obama did not agree to paying all the monies. It seems it is all politics. Where there is a will there is a way. Why depend on Trump when Trump could not depend on the senators from NY for resolving the crisis on the Southern border and securing the Southern border he got no help but scorn.
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@DJM Yes, but should the debt-ridden federal 'gubmit' pony up 100% of an obviously overpriced (and nearly certainly grossly mismanaged if past is prologue) project?
Ironic isn't it... that the 'world's financial center' can't seem to find a way to finance its critical infrastructure.
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Let the Swiss build it and it will be on time and on budget for a quarter of the current estimate!
The city wouldn't even need to ask for federal donations.
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@Beyond Repair
Let the Chinese build it and it will go even faster than the Swiss.
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A modern day Modest Proposal. Bravo!
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Never happen unless he can make money off of it somehow.
Install slot machines, maybe he'd go for it.
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@Joe G. We know how good he is with slot machines...two bankrupt casinos in Atlantic City.
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Since the truth has never mattered to him or his adoring fans, why doesn't Donald Trump just tell his supporters that the wall is already finished? He could also say the tunnel project was actually his idea all along. And that the economy is just fine. And that North Korea has stopped their nuclear weapons program. And the we now own the country of Iran. And that his footprints created the Great Lakes, etc, etc, etc.
I seriously can't remember that last time I heard him or anyone in the GOP tell the unvarnished truth about anything. I really can't. When all you and your political compatriots do is lie, constantly, and your base eats it up, then why all this concern about what is actually happening?
If Trump told his supporters that would personally give each of them a $100,000 dollars if they vote for him, how many of them would believe it? I mean, these people will believe anything. ANYTHING. So, who cares what reality is anyway? Certainly, Trump and the modern GOP don't.
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Though an additional $70B to the Pentagon, that they did not want, with nary a discussion publicly or in the media.
And Mr. Bezos could fund many urgent infrastructure projects coast to coast and still live quite the good life.
(Individuals should not be responsible for such sums.)
22
An $11 billion (without overruns) tunnel between two states that voted for his opponent and will almost certainly vote for whomever the Democrats choose to oppose Trump. Wouldn’t it make more sense to build giant infrastructure projects in Wisconsin, Michigan, Florida and Pennsylvania? The press on both ends of the Hudson has been nothing but nasty to Trump and his family so I doubt he’s feeling the love. If he were to build a Trump tunnel, perhaps somewhere in flyover country.
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@Rick,
As a former New Yorker, I can safely assure you that Trump had bad press (albeit, localized) for decades.
Franny, if he doesn't want the tunnel project named after him, I'd suggest a wind farm in Texas or Iowa - that type of project fits his personalty better.
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@Rick
The Gateway project is something the predates the Trump administration. It was a project that had already begun during the Obama administration.
Then governor Chris Christie, in an act of "fiscal responsibility" and tax reduction, discontinued the project.
I remember very well because this occurred shortly before Thanksgiving, sending many workers home jobless for the holidays.
There was a court battle to have the unused portion of the funds returned to the federal government, which Christie resisted. Using state funds he legally fought this action to some sort of compromise. During this process the interest kept on the compounding.
The project would have completed had Christie not pulled the plug on the New Jersey side of it. Gov. Cuomo was perfectly willing to go forward.
If it had not been for Christie, we would not even be talking about this.
Your reasoning for using it elsewhere, is quite frankly kind of questionable. This tunnel is much needed here, which why it was proposed in the first place.
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@cl
Rick meant Trump should build a tunnel under Lake Michigan, for a preliminary cost estimate of $111 billion and completion date of 2035, the cost tripled by then. Using our tax dollars that he hasn't spent on billionaires and generals.
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Name it after PINO and make sure there’s plenty of food for birds nearby.
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If Donald Trump were a REAL businessman, he would want a new transit tunnel. After all, he needs workers. Workers can't afford to live in Manhattan anymore, so where will they live? New Jersey is one option.
But train service from New Jersey runs at 110% of capacity during rush hour - and rush hour gets longer every year. Right now, it begins about 7 am and lasts until 10:30 am. At 2 pm, it starts again - in both directions.
Bus service also runs at capacity plus.
I live in an NJ suburb, 20 miles from Manhattan. There is no passenger train to New York, and in the surrounding towns, you need a residence permit to park. The closest NJ Transit bus is five miles away, with no place to park or even lock a bike at the bus stop.
There is a Leisure Line bus closer, which I rode for ten years. Numerous times, the drivers got lost. Numerous times, the drivers drove past people frantically waving them down. The service did not run late enough to meet my work schedule or allow for a night at the theatre. I sat through FIVE accidents.
Periodically, there is talk about conveting the freight line in our town to passenger service (it was discontinured in the 1970s). The last time it was proposed, service from my town to midtown would involve three changes of train, about one every 20 minutes. That was an improvement over an earlier proposal.
We can't make the car tunnels bigger. We need to have alternatives that work.
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@D F
How can something run at 110% of capacity? It may run in excess of what it was optimally designed to handle, but the term "capacity" gets used incorrectly , just like saying I support someone 110% doesn't really mean anything.
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@EdNY: I am guessing the 110% means people are standing in the aisles and vestibules. There is a set number of seats on a train.
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If that tunnel collapses before it's rebuilt and thousands--tens or scores, take your pick--hundreds?--are crushed to death, do you think that Donald Trump will care? If that happens, then it will become the Donald J. Trump Tunnel.
President Obama wanted to take on infrastructure but the Republican Congress balked. Their official excuse was that it would be too costly. The unofficial excuse is that the project, over time, would be cost-effective and give the black president a victory now and forever more.
So Donald Trump's talk about an infrastructure project is just that. The $1.5-trillion tax he doled out to his income bracket would have marked a positive beginning. It would have jump-started an economy and put to work untold thousands of people in various trades in well-paying jobs. But it was just all talk, as we all know about this president.
When that tunnel collapses, as it inevitably will, people are going to want answers. They'd better start asking the questions now.
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@Red Sox, ‘04, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18
Our government gave the corporations a tax cut that did not jump start the economy.
We have had 40 years of failed trickle down voodoo economics and we still drink the kool aid. Where are the job creators. They are in the Cayman Islands.
Consider what a trillion dollar infrastructure bill would have accomplished. Jobs, jobs, jobs. Oh yeah and maybe a public water supply free of lead and roads free of potholes that would swallow your car.
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@Red Sox, ‘04, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18 Yep. We've already had an Interstate Highway bridge collapse into the river with loss of life. We are living off our inheritance and contributing precious little to the future.
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I'll bet Trump would love the idea of a tunnel named after him, but he'd probably want an ironclad guarantee that the name would never be changed in the future; a small price to pay for a sorely needed piece of infrastructure.
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@Joanne S: No problem; with sufficiently shoddy workmanship, the letter 'T' can be arranged to fall off within months of the name being put up! The remaining letters would be a truly fitting dedication to the REAL Donald Trump.
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@Joanne S so name a tunnel after him and get him and his family as well as all the Republican Congress that support him to walk inside after it’s done and then collapse it. Major problem solved
Chris Christie could have had a lasting legacy had he not been infected by Republican "unless it benefits ONLY (and I stress only) rich people" ideology, and the ARC tunnel would have been built or close to being finished by now.
The whole fight over "costs" is ridiculous because the cost is zero. That's right - zero.
Presuming that the workers and contractors are all American, the taxpayer money becomes their income, which will be spent in the U.S. So far as the U.S. economy is concerned, the (+) income = (-) taxpayer expenditure, therefore the "cost" - however that is looked at - is zero.
In the meantime we the general public get this fantastic value-added to our infrastructure. The only thing we have to get a handle on is the payments to contractors. We should not have graft or wasteful spending.
The NYT did a piece on the cost of building the Paris subways vs. NY's 2nd Ave. line. Paris is much cheaper, yet their labor costs are similar to NY. We have to change that and bring our expenditure per mile down to the French levels.
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@Sirlar
I am certainly no fan of Chris Christie, but he may have done a favor for the region by cancelling the ARC tunnel. It would have been restricted to NJ Transit trains terminating at a new station underneath Macy's. The Gateway project is much more forward-thinking in that it allows expansion of both regional and commuter service into an expanded Pennsylvania Station and the new tunnels will be redundant (at current service levels) to the old ones, allowing for a complete shutdown of the old ones without reducing current service levels. Of course, they have to be built.
9
There you have an atheist's view of the creator as voiced by his/her flock: veneration by virtue of personal gain.
Conventional wisdom would have it that an all knowing entity would see through the ruse. But we are talking about DJ Trump here: let the games begin!
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If I recall correctly Trump made all kinds of promises to address and fund infrastructure programs and this project would be a boon to those untold numbers of commuters who trek back and forth between NYC and NJ. Will it happen? Not likely as Trump is not particularly keen on following through with anything other than his funding wall and stuffing the Supreme Court with his jaded appointees. To name anything after him other than a landfill somewhere would be an insult to the citizens of this land. No thank you to this thoughtful but insulting proposal.
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A good leader would push for infrastructure improvement because it was the right thing for a nation, and would understand that the best way to be remembered was for building a solid legacy.
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@NM
Obama wanted to do that. I remember well he made it part of his first campaign, which is why it seem strange to hear Trump making the same pitch when he ran, knowing how much he despised Obama.
Then, of course, Obama got obstructed by the Republicans.
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@NM
Yes, that is what a good leader would do.
I wonder how long it will be before we have some good leaders again.
First, the thing that we need to do is get rid of Moscow Mitch and Dim Donald.
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Mr. Carbone! It's a win/win! The vanity tunnel gets built, Trumps name goes on it....and as you say, after a time, the perfidious name is eventually taken down. Overall benefits would be worth the wait.
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@Neil Slater I agree name the tunnel after trump and then a couple of years after it's finished rename it after Obama.
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@Neil Slater It's astonishing that these are the kinds of considerations we need to make to get a tunnel built.
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It would make a great deal of sense to name the tunnel after Trump to help the project move forward. However I could not abide it. Having his name uttered thousands of times a day while people were referring to the tunnel would be anathema to me and I think many others. Trump will be kicked to the dustbin of history after he leaves office. I believe his name will be taken off of many things in the future. As a former New Yorker I would not want his name so permanently attached to the area.
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@Mark Carbone
And what's wrong with Neil Slater's comment:
"Mr. Carbone! It's a win/win! The vanity tunnel gets built, Trumps name goes on it....and as you say, after a time, the perfidious name is eventually taken down. Overall benefits would be worth the wait."
Don't we beg for compromise in those who represent us in Congress? Entertain compromise now, build the tunnel, and get to the renaming later.
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The joke would be on him. In all my years of commuting, I never heard a rail tunnel called by name. Their is no signage, no announcement. The train just quietly passes into the darkness under the river.
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@Mark Carbone No problem, have the next occupant of the Oval Office change the name to, anything other than the current occupant’s name. After all, the current resident has been doing his best (worst?) to erase the name of Obama from everything, hey, turnaround is fair play is it not?
38