Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
[quote user="V.Payne"] I would say either definition/test series for cross-subsidy fits. The data is in the draft report I wrote, linked near the beginning of the post. It is an analysis of FHWA historical reports for government infrastructure and accident costs. I am certainly not advocating forcing anyone into anything, but rather expanding choice at equal levels of financial cross-subsidy. [/quote] Lets suppose that your argument is valid. If I understand it correctly, you believe the government (we the people) should increase the subsidy for intercity passenger rail to place it on a par with your perception (analysis) of roadway subsidies. Where will the money come from?  The answer should be set in a realistic context, i.e. politically feasible. Government debt (federal, state, and local) in the United States stands at $19.7 trillion. This works out to approximately $50,000 per person or more realistically $205,000 per taxpayer with a federal income tax liability. Taxpayers have to service the debt; two years olds are not likely to be able to do so. If these numbers don't get people's attention, one can throw in the unfunded liabilities, which stand at an estimated $46.9 trillion.  Governments must make the interest and principal payments on the debt or default. In the case of the unfunded liabilities, the government can get out from under them by reducing the benefits, or it can eliminate them.   If passenger rail were a viable commercial proposition, i.e. it covered its costs and provided a return to its investors, the proponents could borrow the money in the capital markets as long as they had a viable business plan to pay it back. They don't. Passenger rail is a ward of the state; no one in the capital markets is likely to fund it. It is dependent on the government for funds. And the government simply does not have a lot of cash lying around.  Irrespective of the definition of subsidies, it appears that all modes of transport in the United States receive some subsidy, i.e. the users get back directly or indirectly more than they pay at the pricing points. Ultimately we the people have paid for or are paying for transportation in the United States. The exception would be the funds provided by overseas investors and shippers, which I suspect has been minimal, especially in the modern era.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag