re: #260 Feline Fearless Leader

Doesn’t always work like that. Congress and the US government did a real job on the railroads in the early-to-mid 20th century. Subsidized the development of truck and automobile use as well as highways. Plus a structure in place to control what railroads could charge for freight rates.

ICC was the key control there. Put in place to help protect against abuse, but it also eventually started handcuffing the railroads for reacting to new competition.

From:
en.wikipedia.org

Oh I know it, and you are right. But here is a question for us all to ponder. Would America in today’s political environ be able to do a coast-to-coast rail and/or highway system? That was a part of my cynicism. I never intended to mean we can’t do it. But, will we? Different times.

And by all means I hope I am wrong. I’d love to see the US get back in the ‘let’s kick some major ass in infrastructure and technology” mode again. Our past says we can do it.