As the era of cheap gasoline ends, Americans have begun searching for a different way to travel. But years of concentrating federal subsidies on automobile and air travel at the expense of more efficient bus and rail travel have left people with few options. The assult on mass transit has come from the same free-market devotees who have been recklessly taking apart our social system since Nixon was elected. And the whole time, John McCain has been supporting every move.
McCain's history on Amtrak is a great example on how wrong he has been on important issues. We are far, far behind our "peer nations" in providing comfortable, fast, and efficient mass transit. This isn't something that can be pinned solely on Republicans; plenty of Democrats have been compliant. But McCain has made killing Amtrak one of the centerpieces of his political career. The Boston Globe recently published this editorial examining McCain's history with passenger trains:
McCain said, "Amtrak needs to make more progress before any further funding schemes are enacted," while at the same time calling any money for progress a "multibillion-dollar blank check." In 2002, McCain declared that "Amtrak should be restructured to eliminate its reliance on the American taxpayers and to allow for its privatization."
By calling for greater efficiency while refusing the funding needed to create that efficency, McCain fulfilled his own prophecy. Like a typical neo-con, he called for privitization, and like a typical politician he set Amtrak up for failure. Passenger rail service has been starved in this country, and McCain was one of the prime movers:
In 2001, then-Amtrak president George Warrington said the funding of rail in America was so bad, it was comparable to similar funding in Estonia and Tunisia.
More on the third word later.
Everyday more and more headlines decry the lack of attention our transportation infrastructure has recieved. The Washington Post wrote in an editorial:
Last year, the 10.3 billion trips taken on U.S. public transportation -- trains, subways, buses -- were the most in 50 years
A USA Today article states:
A report set for release today by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) shows trips on public transit January-March rose 3% over the same period last year to 2.6 billion rides. Light rails saw the biggest jump: 10% to 110 million trips.
And yet, McCain is still far behind. Wingnut Paul Weyrich has stated that, on trains,: (warning, links to wingnut site)
[McCain] would be [even] worse than the present [Bush] administration
By claiming to be fighting government waste, McCain deliberately blurs the issue. As a former chair of the transportation committee, he must know that a massive amount of money is moved from the general fund to the highway trust fund each year in order to subsidize highway transportation. On top of that, airlines also get a huge federal subsidy, plus all of their security paid for out of the general fund. So it is apparent that McCain has gone after Amtrak as a political tool. And he says he's the guy who won't just tell us "what we want to hear".
Ignoring mass transit has been a huge mistake. Just take a look at Chicago (Chicago Trib)
the Chicago Transit Authority plans to remove all the seats on some cars of rush-hour trains to jam in more riders who otherwise would be left behind on crowded rail platforms.
snip
Huberman assured CTA riders that he is not looking to Asia or the Third World for ideas. He said CTA customers won't be asked to ride on the roofs of trains, as riders frequently do in India.
For any of you disappointed that you won't get to experience third world transportation in your own town, don't worry. Just Vote McCain.