"Generations hence, when the river of time has worn this presidency’s importance to a small, smooth pebble in the stream of history, people will still marvel that its defining trait was a mania for high-speed rail projects. This disorder illuminates the progressive mind.
Remarkably widespread derision has greeted the Obama administration’s damn-the-arithmetic-full-speed-ahead proposal to spend $53 billion more (after the $8 billion in stimulus money and $2.4 billion in enticements to 23 states) in the next six years pursuant to the president’s loopy goal of giving “80 percent of Americans access to high-speed rail.” “Access” and “high-speed” to be defined later.
To progressives, the best thing about railroads is that people riding them are not in automobiles, which are subversive of the deference on which progressivism depends. Automobiles go hither and yon, wherever and whenever the driver desires, without timetables. Automobiles encourage people to think they—unsupervised, untutored, and unscripted—are masters of their fates. The automobile encourages people in delusions of adequacy, which make them resistant to government by experts who know what choices people should make.
Time was, the progressive cry was “Workers of the world unite!” or “Power to the people!” Now it is less resonant: “All aboard!”
Note EU-Digest: What rubbish and paranoia about collectivism .If it takes to be a Liberal to enjoy the convenience of efficient Public Transportation like we have in Europe ( including trains) most of us will gladly vote liberal.. Its all a question of free choice. If you like to drive a SUV or use Public Transportation the choice should be up to the individual based on what he can afford. Government responsibility towards its citizens, which includes free choice, should not be eliminated because of political economic doctrine.
Unfortunately what conservatives in America and Europe have been trying to do, is to eliminate these free choices by transferring their social responsibility to maintain adequate public services to the private sector. Unfortunately as has been proven many times, the private sector will always argue that these services are not cost effective. They say this because when they take over any former public service they consider it a profit center and can scrap it if it provides too low a return on their investment.
Note EU-Digest: What rubbish and paranoia about collectivism .If it takes to be a Liberal to enjoy the convenience of efficient Public Transportation like we have in Europe ( including trains) most of us will gladly vote liberal.. Its all a question of free choice. If you like to drive a SUV or use Public Transportation the choice should be up to the individual based on what he can afford. Government responsibility towards its citizens, which includes free choice, should not be eliminated because of political economic doctrine.
Unfortunately what conservatives in America and Europe have been trying to do, is to eliminate these free choices by transferring their social responsibility to maintain adequate public services to the private sector. Unfortunately as has been proven many times, the private sector will always argue that these services are not cost effective. They say this because when they take over any former public service they consider it a profit center and can scrap it if it provides too low a return on their investment.
Consequently, as a result of these policies, the US has a crumbling infrastructure, inefficient public transportation system, outmoded educational system, dysfunctional public health services, and a financial system which has run amok.... but mind you, the US does have the best military in the world, and surprise, surprise, higher ( not lower) corporate taxes than Europe.....
For some reason it seems both the Democrats and Republicans have a problem in figuring out how to come to grips with this, or what their priorities should be to cut that bigger than life 14 trillion (and rising) public debt. They, including George F.Will, can't keep blaming Europe for all these woes....
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