Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
[quote user="henry6"] But all transportation is somehow government supported.  Name one mode of transportation that does not rely somehow or another on the government.  Even walking often depends of municipal streets and sidewalks and roadway!  [/quote] True!  Every mode of transport in the United States has received some form of public support.  It usually has been an up front investment.  And the users have paid for the public investment, usually in the form of ticket prices and user fees, although the payback is not always apparent.  Most people who walk on sidewalks pay property taxes, which pay for the implementation and maintenance of the sidewalks. The 64 dollar question regarding passenger trains is whether the users will or can pay for them.  This is the real issue regarding HSR.  Will the users pay the government (taxpayers) back if it invests in HSR.  The record is not promising.   Whatever the government(s) has done or not done with respect to common transport systems is irrelevant to the question of what it should do now.  What is the optimum solution to the mobility problem is the key question.  Is it passenter rail?  Is it rapid bus technology?  Or is it expanded highways and airways?   By the same token, whatever other countries have done or not done regarding passenger rail, including HSR, is irrelevant to what the U.S. should do.  Again, the key question is whether passenger rail, including HSR, the optimum solution for the U.S.  It may be the best solution for France, Japan, China, etc.  That does not make it the optimum solution for the U.S., which is a different country with a different culture.
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