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Vast cultural differences between the EU countries and the US? That´s what I´d call a killer phrase - no offense meant, though. World-wide communication has nearly annihilated any difference which may have been there in the past, when people could not travel to the extent they do now. The only key difference I see between Germany and the US, just as an example, is the language, but with the rate English or pseudo-English words enter the German language, that difference will be gone in a couple of generation´s time. Germans just love their cars and they spend by far more on them than on child care. They love to take a ride on the Autobahn, where, in theory, no speed limit hinders you on your path forward. The reality is different. Our highways are so congested, that the average travel time by car is nearly double that of trains. Still the majority travels by car, but ridership figures are constantly growing, as railroads invest into speed and comfort. Short term profit orientation (which is per se not a bad thing) stopped US railroads in maintaining and developing their passenger network in the 1960´s, as Mr. Ike and his successors decided  to re-directed government money into building a highway network similar to what Eisenhower had seen in occupied Germany. Amtrak took over the shabby remains of what once was the best system in the world and has not been able to catch up on developments due to bad funding. Traveling by train in the US is, as the "network" stands now, no alternative to taking the car or the plane. No wonder people prefer those modes of transportation, when there is no option available. Unlike in China, politicians in our western democracies have to justify their decisions on spendings before the people - latest, when the people are called to the ballots again. Many a vote, however, is a pocket book decision, not a decision based on necessity or vision. In the US the car lobby proved to be strong enough to prevent long overdue investments into trains - a situation that will still prevail in some years time, or at least as long as gas is as cheap as it is now - when compared to Europe, where we are paying up to $ 9 a gallon right now. But what will happen, when we run out of fossil fuels to be consumed in private transport? That day may come earlier than we expect it, as China is devouring more and more of the world´s energy reserves. Will US railroads and bus companies be ready to jump in? But what do I know, with my degree in economics, a major in transportation science and having lived nearly a third of my life of 56 years outside of Germany and Europe.
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