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<p>[quote user="schlimm"]</p> <p> <blockquote> <div><img src="/TRCCS/Themes/trc/images/icon-quote.gif" /> <strong>Sam1:</strong></div> <div></div> <p> </p> <p>At the end of the day, the competitive, smartly <b>regulated markets</b> [emphasis added] are a better way to allocate limited economic resources.   </p> <div style="clear:both;"></div> <p> </p> </blockquote> </p> <p>I think I may go into anaphylactic shock!! [/quote]</p> <p>I have never, to the best of my memory, supported unfettered capitalism.  I don't know anyone who has.  </p> <p>I support properly regulated, robust, competitive markets.  The role for the government, in a nutshell, is to ensure a level playing field, promote competition, and call balls and strikes.  It should not pick winners and losers.  And it should not be in the business of running an intercity passenger railroad that will not be paid for by the users.</p> <p>Several years ago I did an analysis of where Amtrak, competing as a private entity, could be successful.  That is to say cover all of its costs but not turn a profit for its owners.  In other words, break even.  I concluded that it could compete in the New York to Washington market, as well as LA to San Diego, by raising its fares an average of 15 per cent whilst reducing its labor costs by 30 to 40 per cent.  Both would be doable, especially if motorists were made aware of the true cost of driving at the pump.  </p> <p>Don't worry.  The politicians will never let it happen.  That is to say, they won't privatize Amtrak, and they won't stop subsidizing or hiding the true cost of alternative modes of transportation.</p> <p>On another note, my company (Fortune 250) outsourced as much as 80 per cent of our construction and maintenance work.  The key to successful outsourcing is effective contractor management.  In many of the instances where outsourcing has not worked well, it is because the entity doing the outsourcing did not have an effective contractor management team in place to keep tabs on the contractor.  This is one of the reasons the Austin red line got into so much trouble.      </p>
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