Norfolk Southern

Summary

The website content discusses the impact of freight rail companies, particularly Norfolk Southern, on American communities, highlighting the dangers and environmental concerns through a writer-activism poem about the East Palestine train derailment.

Abstract

The provided web content presents a critical view of the freight rail industry's impact on American communities, with a focus on Norfolk Southern. It uses a combination of prose and poetry to address the consequences of corporate practices, including the frequent derailments and hazardous material releases. The article underscores the community's financial and infrastructural support for these industries, contrasting it with the companies' tax avoidance and environmental negligence. A specific example is given where CSX hinders the expansion of Highway 55 in Apex, North Carolina, due to a disused rail bridge. The poem included in the content vividly depicts the environmental devastation and public health risks associated with the pursuit of profit by these companies, as exemplified by the East Palestine train derailment and subsequent controlled release and burn of toxic chemicals.

Opinions

The author believes that freight rail companies, such as Norfolk Southern and CSX, have been detrimental to communities due to their disregard for safety and the environment.
There is a strong sentiment that these corporations are not paying their fair share of taxes, which is seen as unjust when compared to the community's investment in infrastructure that benefits these companies.
The author suggests that the support given to these industries by the public should be reconsidered and potentially challenged due to the companies' exploitative practices.
The poem conveys a sense of urgency and outrage over the environmental and human cost of the East Palestine train derailment, portraying it as a direct result of the rail industry's greed and prioritization of profit over public welfare.
The author implies that the government and communities need to take action to prevent further harm caused by the rail industry's negligence and to hold these companies accountable for their actions.

A writer-activism poem about the Palestine, Ohio, train derailment disaster

This poem is intended to spark a necessary conversation. We’ve let the railroads and corporate America run roughshod over us all for far too long — and on our dime too! Using their products, we pay for the infrastructure with our tax dollars and our cash input into these industries. We pay taxes while they find ever more tortuous ways to escape paying taxes… and pushing more tax burden upon us.

The freight rail companies have a chokehold on American communities. For instance, there’s a main artery, Highway 55, through Apex, North Carolina, which has been blocked by the freight rail company CSX from expanding and upgrading the highway because of one largely disused rail bridge over the highway. The state cannot widen that two lane road, so that highway artery is an imovable bottleneck to local travel and commerce. But, the bridge is not used for rail transport traffic. What is the all-important need for the rail company’s deathgrip on that particular bridge? They park trains there sometimes.

As for Norfolk Southern, according to PennCapital-Star.com: “According to a Federal Railroad Administration 10-year safety summary, Norfolk Southern saw 163.6 derailments and 2.9 hazardous material releases per year on average.”

These industries would not exist without our support. We’re supporting these industries with the infrastructure paid for by our tax dollars so these companies can continue to abuse and endanger our communities.

Maybe that support needs to be challenged.

WTAE in Pittsburgh captured an explosion, massive fireball and huge plume of black smoke coming from the East Palestine train derailment … from the controlled release & burn the toxic chemicals on the derailed cars.

Norfolk Southern

Floating death stench rises lands… rivers… befouled push freight train profit prizes Acrid air in a mushroom cloud howled

Hope slipping sideways pushed by greed-fueled grasping burning the world all their days disdaining children left gasping

Cold rain like heartache masking tears of sorrow for a world’s people at stake destroying all our tomorrows

Poetry, Activism

Norfolk Southern

A writer-activism poem about the Palestine, Ohio, train derailment disaster

Norfolk Southern

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