[Daus]

For the equivalent of two cents on the motor fuel tax

I love this.... Can't fund the mode of transport you, individually, intellectually like? Fund it off the back of the mode of transport you deride.

These is a Amtrak route that runs (from and to city centers) between Milwaukee and Chicago. I-94 also runs directly in between those two cities. The train is probably somewhat faster, but it costs $50 roundtrip while my cost of gas is about $10. $50 + massive ferderal subsidy and Amtrak is still losing money each time I ride it. Every day thousands of people make the trip to Chicago on I94 while hundreds take the train.

[Publius]

This article is not about Amtrak. (They can abolish it for all I care.) This is about building infrastructure -- something that government has done since the Madison Administration -- that will aid commerce.

[T. P. Pole]

These is a Amtrak route that runs (from and to city centers) between Milwaukee and Chicago. I-94 also runs directly in between those two cities. The train is probably somewhat faster, but it costs $50 roundtrip while my cost of gas is about $10. $50 + massive ferderal subsidy and Amtrak is still losing money each time I ride it. Every day thousands of people make the trip to Chicago on I94 while hundreds take the train.

I've thought much about this. Almost everytime you fly from Milwaukee you fly to Chicago or Minneapolis or Detroit. How about setting up a system of short haul and long haul airports. Say, Chicago for long haul and Milwaukee for short routes. Set up a high speed train between the two. You could probably get the round trip to about 30-40 minutes. This could help with the problem of airport congestion as well.

Do it right, and many folks would book a "flight" on the train. You might even be able to set up the car-loading idea I posted above for these routes.

LAX long haul, Burbank and Long Beach short. San Fran long, San Jose short. This just might work...