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[quote user="daveklepper"]I already replied to Paul's criticism of long distance service and particularly first class long distance service on earlier threads.   But he may not have read what I wrote.1.  All discussion on this thread so far neglects the cost of LAND USE.   Land taken for additional highway lanes, new highways, and airports may charge user fees and get tax money for upkeep, but this does not replace the real estate taxes paid by other uses of the land nor the taxes from income that other uses of the land provides.   This element of land use costs has been totally neglected in transportation planning for about the last eighty years.   The classic textblooks (one coauthored by an ex-classmate of mine and with the observation "Investment in public transportation does not make economic sense because it is not self-supporting from the fairbox.") don't even mention this loss to the economy.   Improvement of long distance passenger rail in general does not take land.2.  Long distance trains service with firstclass service is part of a civilized society in America.   Just like your theatre has handicapped access and a hearing-impaired listener sound system, often requring a paid operator's presense.  Without such service, access to the continental USA by a large number of handicapped and elderly is denied them.3.  It should be of a quality (and in certain cases even now it is of that quality) to promote foreign tourism in the USA and appreciation of the beauties of the country.[/quote] 1. Airlines do not pay income tax in the states where flights originate? 2.So is healthcare,  but that doesn't mean it is the taxpayer's job to pay for the affluent to get poked, prodded, and probed 4 times per year 3. Ahhh, so in order to lure the tourist's into this country, so Mel's diner can make a cool $8 on a $30 meal, it's the taxpayers responsibility to lose $135 on the train trip to get them there? What about all the restaurants located away from rail destinations? does the taxpayer owe a subsidy to Greyhound, or  is that a job for (subsidized) light rail?
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