Regardless, all that would require the help of TxDot which has been corrupted by Rick Perry and his Nafta Superhighway scheme. They are now so absorbed by creating a highway that no one in Texas wants they are not going to be distracted by something that makes as much sense as creating a functioning Amtrak and improving the frieght lines, which would make the Nafta Superhighway aka Trans Texas Corridor even more unnecessary and irrelevant as it already is, and provide a million Texans with cheap easy access to our metropolitian centers as well as rural communities with increased tourism.

What I don’t understand is Amtrak currently costs Americans about $4 per year, so why do politician make a grandstanding issue about opposing Amtrak, while they freely give $10s of billions in subsidies to airlines? Certainly our railways are at least as important as our highways and airlines. It seems to me, that given the size of the United States and the decayed state of our rail network, that we should be investing twice as much in our rails as the Europeans are in thiers, after all their rails are about 50 years ahead of ours.

Bush talks big about ending our addiction to foriegn oil, while trying to kill Amtrak! Now I’m a libertarian leaning Republican myself and a global warming denier, but neglecting the only infrastructure that has a serious hope of drastically reducing our oil consumption is simply beyond stupid. Oil policy is about national security and leaving the mobility of our goods and people at the mercy of the lunatic nations that control the world’s oil supply is just freaking insane. Just like building a mile wide highway while we are nearing peak oil is insane.

I’m saying that we need European style rails here in America now, but in the mean time our government must forget this notion about a self sufficent Amtrak and focus on serving every American city with a population of 100,000 or more, with regular service to near by cities while modernizing our rail network. This will take trucks and drivers off the road reducing the need for massive highway spending and cutting our current account deficeit by reducing our oil imports.

It seems so obvious and simple, if I have one hope for the coming Democrat lead government its a massive increase in investment on our rail networks. Perhaps this hope is a pipedream but who knows?

Short-changing Amtrak will discourage rail travel in a time when conserving fossil fuel and curbing carbon emissions are vital. Congress should do everything it can to develop an economical mode of transportation for people cannot afford air travel or drive long distances. It would relieve pressure on our overextend air travel system and would decrease dangerous congestion on our highways.

Trains are much more comfortable and civilized than airplanes. I have used Amtrak extensively. I recommend it to anyone who has a little extra time. It is not just a way to get to a destination. It is a mini vacation and a way to meet new people and to learn about our beautiful country.