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One can only imagine the cronyism that would take place to construct a rail system with politicians and their pals buying up parcels land in the proposed rights of way and then reselling them to taxpayers at criminally inflated prices.
Note that this was the driving force behind the construction of the Interstate Highway system after WWII. Western Europe and Japan built high-speed rail; we built highways. Our eggs are firmly in the highway basket, so to speak. Was it the right choice? That's a debate for another time. But to build a second network duplicating a) our existing rail freight system, and b) our existing highway infrastructure is going to be exorbitantly expensive. As one politician (from Ohio? I can't remember) wagged, it'll probably be cheaper to buy every potential passenger a new automobile of their own to use every time they want to travel.
Keep in mind that China lacks the environmental and NIMBY lobbies which can block new construction here, sometimes for decades.
If YOU want it, write a check to the fed to pay for it and get some more who think like you to do the same.
DON'T ask me for money.
Keep in mind PRIVATE money built our existing railroad system.
No reason why it cant be done today.
Is that right?
Without the assistance of the U.S. government, railroad construction between 1860 and 1900 would have been greatly curtailed. Building a railroad was an expensive venture. Private banks, fearing the railroad companies would need a long time to pay off their debts, were reluctant to loan money to the companies. To remedy the situation, Congress provided assistance to the railroad companies in the form of land grants. The land grant railroads, receiving millions of acres of public land, sold the land to make money, built their railroads, and contributed to a more rapid settlement of the West. In the end, four out of the five transcontinental railroads were built with help from the federal government.
Maybe we should stop all the waste fraud and abuse of the multitude of entitlement programs to pay for it.
Defense IS in the Constitution NOT entitlements.
We should address waste and fraud. I've argued that for years. Defense is in the Constitution. What we are doing is not defense and even at that, there is a ton of waste and fraud in the military.
we already have Amtrak.. why should Americans taxpayers subsidize a rail service that only somewhere around one or two percent of Americans actually use? and you wonder why we're 20 trillion in debt? lol ...
Exactly. Years ago, PSA was a "commuter airline" in California. It was far better than any high speed rail system.
There is no advantage to rail. You still have to get to the station, or from the station to your intended destination. And with rail, your still talking about short distances. I doubt there will ever be a need for high speed rail from San Diego to San Francisco, for example. Air travel is much faster.
Cars are heavily subsidized as are building practices sprawl that encourage them. Cars are not freedom if you are chained to car payment constant maintenance long commutes.
"Cars are not freedom if you are chained to car payment constant maintenance long commutes"
Bull crap!
No one FORCED you to buy a car with payments you can't handle.
No one FORCED you to buy a car with maintenance problems.
NO one FORCED you to move further away from your jib.
YOU made your choices. live with them and quit whining!
Ive got a 2009 and a 2015, the ONLY maintenance I have had is the regular oil change, etc and tires once on the 2009.
Maybe YOU buy junk.
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