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Never Ending Highway & Air Subsidies

Never ending highway and air subsidies....


To listen to some reports, you'd think Amtrak is the only mode of transportation that has received federal subsidies. If truth be told, the commercial airline industry in one year along, 2001, received more federal hand-outs than Amtrak has received in its entire 30-year history!!!

Political windbags such as Sen. John McCain can grumble all they want about Amtrak's subsidization, yet in the same breath they advocate the federal government building the city of Chicago a third airport!

The following articles will show even the casual reader that passenger rail has been unfairly singled-out as being required to be profitable, while competing travel modes receive generous government hand-outs.

The point isn't to cut air and highway subsidization, but to provide passenger (and freight) rail a level playing field.

More articles will be added in the future. Should you have articles or points to contribute, please send them to the Webmaster, listed in the About MOKSRail section.


America's long history of funding transportation Information and tables on how many billions and trillions of dollars the federal government has invested in air, highway and water transportation. Also shows how so-called user fees do not come close to covering roadway and airport costs. Good facts to counter anti-Amtrak subsidization arguments.

Congress: Look to California. The writer argues that politicians often look the other way regarding Amtrak after decades of massive public subsidies to the nation's highway, aviation and waterway systems. These funds have been provided for "the public good." The writer recommends Congress look at how the nation's most populous state has invested in passenger rail transportation.

The True Costs of Driving The writer exposes all the hidden costs that help subsidize automobile transportation.

 

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