"There are key places where we cannot afford to sacrifice as a nation -- one of which is infrastructure,"...There is a pressing need "to invest in a modern rail system that will help connect communities, reduce congestion and create quality, skilled manufacturing jobs that cannot be outsourced."I, for one, am skeptical, but not because I disagree with Biden on the possible positive impact of a high-speed rail system. In a time where we as a nation are experiencing such out-of-control unemployment, there is no doubt that any project that could create work for people across the country in both the major cities and everything in between would give us a boost. And anything that can cut down our dependence on cars and clear out the traffic would be a welcome change to our national infrastructure--especially here in LA. The idea of "connecting communities" is a bit trite, like some kind of Rockwell-esque, patriotic rhetoric that tries to make the US seem like nation of white-picket suburbs, but how cool would it be to have a high-speed ground transportation option linking up both coasts? It could be something like what they have in Europe or Japan, facilitating not only the work commute but also domestic travel.
My skepticism comes in on whether or not we would actually USE the high-speed rail system to its full potential. There is so much possibility in this transportation system, but I'm not confident that, outside of New York City, we will ever give up the car commute. For us, the car is not just a vehicle to get us to and from but a status symbol; having a nice set of wheels is a way of showing the world all that you've accomplished and just how awesome you are. I know that Biden took the train to and from Washington, D.C. during his tenure as a Delaware Senator, but I highly doubt that many of his colleagues would have given up their Mercedes or BMWs to hop on public transportation to the Capitol. The American mentality is materialistic; whether that's good or bad--does it drive us to succeed or just make us greedy?--is not part of my assessment, but it's unlikely to change in time for the $53 billion that would be poured into this project to be worthwhile.
And what about existing state plans for high-speed rails? California passed Proposition 1A in 2008 to put $9.95 billion into constructing a track between San Francisco and LA/Anaheim, plus local rails for all the stops in between; this was all done to fund on the state level, the California High Speed Rail Authority, so how will this interplay with the new federal plan? New York state also received federal funding to their state-level high-speed train system. If Obama's plan passes through Congress unscathed, it will be interesting to see how the Washington course of action will cross and integrate with pre-existing individual state projects.
It would be great if we could have a high-speed train system, or even a bullet train, linking the US for tourists and commuters, but I'm honestly not sure that it would work in the US. The benefits are clear, but with our materialism now combined with an anti-spending Republican Congress, it's unlikely that it would be properly used or even see the light of day. But, humming along to "Wouldn't It Be Nice," I still hope that one day I'll be blogging on the bullet train from Disneyland to San Fran.
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