Re: K9 wisdom

Dear Rod,
What's that "master" stuff to which you referred? But, dropping that for the moment— appropriate to a problem in the Southwest, you offer sage advice.
I think we both agree that the C&TS ship has not only been adrift longer than I've lived but seems to ignore true leadership when it sniffs any and runs off to dig up a new, un-seasoned bone. It doesn't know bacon from Beggin Strips
I am under no impression that I could run this marvelous Road. I love it but my specialty is getting attention, not management. Barking rarely works. We've all been doing that. Whizzing on the right ankles is probably the more effective approach. We've all been doing that, too, but maybe not on the right ankles.
I and many others have ideas that vary between stupid and astute. The real problem is getting anyone to listen who has the authority to act. No one has knocked on my kennel to seek advice for at least 5 years. The only one who ever did was George Bartholomew and look at the kicks and stones he got for building ridership. He knew how to run a circus and, believe me, the C&TS is a 3 Ring Circus— make that 8 Rings (Commission, Operator, RGRPC, Friends, Chama, Antonito, and 2 National Forests).
There are a variety of solutions. I won't whine about how many, nor will I try to name them at the moment. The real problem is that the C&TS is not just a rudderless ship but a flotilla. It needs a Rear Admiral. He or she must have political clout, leadership ability, and the persona to take control in the face of all the disparate factions— a little like Yugoslavia, that broke back into pieces and civil war after Marshall Tito died (a Dalmatian friend told me about it).
So where do we get a P.T. Bartholomew to run this 8 Ring Circus? Will he or she rise up and take over? That's the way it usually happens. The alternative is chaos and decline. We are watching it happen.
I'll throw out one possible solution (I can see people bending over to pick up stones). Since the Road is owned by two states and goes through two national forests, how about Federalizing it? I would suggest donating it to the Smithsonian Institution with a federally appointed Curator. Something like that worked in Canada (Skagway, or something) didn't it?
Put down the stones. It was only a suggestion— probably not the best one. What do we poodles know about railroads, government and people? We rarely see beyond their shins. So, let's do what we can to get attention (like marketing) and forgive the deaf, would-be leaders for their shins and try to move on.
How about everyone throwing some names at us to nominate an Alpha Person, Rear Admiral, or what have you. If we, the unheard, make a selection, could we then set up a list for signatures (lots of them) with a statement of the problem and a strawman "business plan," and drop one copy on the desk of each State Govedrnor? (Ouch! Here come the stones again).
Gotta go. My "master" (arrrrgh) thinks I need a walk just because HE has poor bladder control.
Love and licks,
Gnuf-Gnuf
P.S. Last time, I mentioned Rey Medina as a possible choice for Ombudsman. Let me throw out another name— former Governor of New Mexico, David F. Cargo . He loves the Road and was instrumental in saving it before. One state's governor is Republican, the other Democrat. I'm Poodle and don't care. Do you?