Cast your ballot

	Tom Judge Editor

Very few entities are as tied to the political system as railroads. In huge chunks of the world, railroads are government agencies. In North America, they are private companies, but still heavily overseen in the political process. Not all that long ago, in fact, within the working careers of many, if not most, current railroad employees, railroads were regulated to the point of extinction. And there are many people out there today spending lots of time, energy and money to regulate the railroads all over again.

And it’s not just federal or state politicos who want to pass rules and regulations governing railroads. Local communities build roads over tracks that have been there for a century-and-a-half, then complain that trains run over those tracks and block the crossings. Roads get built on the edges of huge train yards, then local politicians complain that the trains operate too slowly.

Folks in Chicagoland are dealing with CN’s proposed takeover of most of the EJ&E. Politicians have been leaned on, and leaned on hard, to pressure the STB to overrule the merger unless CN installs grade separations at virtually every crossing. I see and hear lots of rants about monster trains and traffic gridlock should the dreaded merger come to pass.

Fortunately, there are some politicians in the area who are willing to listen to both sides and to make a judgement based on the overall good for their constituents and the area at large. A few have even come out into the open in their support of the CN/EJ&E deal, stating it will make the Chicago area much more viable as a rail center, which they know means lots of jobs both on the railroads and at companies that depend on railroads.

But what if there weren’t those politicians willing to listen? What if every one of them rolled over every time political pressure was applied? Where would that leave the railroad industry, including the suppliers who sell to railroads? When the fecal matter hits the rotary impeller, you’re in serious trouble if you don’t have some friends around.

And that’s where all of us come in. The first Tuesday in November is just around the corner. Virtually every one of us has a polling place a few minutes away from where we live where we can exercise our American right and duty to vote on that date and in every election.

Take time to find out where the candidates stand on issues that concern you. If you’re a railroader, there are many issues that will affect your job, your paycheck and your well-being. Then go to the polls and cast your vote.

I’ve paid in many ways for my right to vote, so I haven’t missed exercising that right in any election since I turned 21, which was a very, very long time ago. It’s amazing to me that a two-thirds turnout on election day seems good to some folks. Why isn’t it above 95 percent?

Show your patriotism, show your concern for your country and for your industry. Get out and vote.

Tom Judge, Editor