So Many Subjects; So Little Writing

One scarcely knows where to begin:

• McCain vs Obama
• Economic changes
• Transportation challenges
• Education
• Health care
• Railroads

Railroads??

Yes, railroads. I have a friend named Bruce, whom I call James. It's a long story. But this gent told me railroads would be a good investment and would pay off handsomely in the future. He said that in the early 1990's.

I scoffed. I hooted. I couldn't imagine the dying railroad industry being resuscitated in the 21st century. And I told him so.

Yet the trend is beginning. With diesel fuel prices knocking on $5.00 per gallon, major trucking companies are loading cargo containers and long haul semi- trailers onto railroad flat cars for shipping of any distance. The trade-off for this cost saving innovation is somewhat delayed delivery of goods at the destination. As I drive to work along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks parallelling Highway 60 I watch car after car roll by with key names in the trucking industry: Schneider, J. B. Hunt, Swift, even UPS loaded up. My path takes me past a mechanical unit that loads and unloads the frieght containers. It is always busy.

I dream of boarding a commuter train that will trek me out to my job in Sun City on the same tracks, and trek me home in the evening. Local transportation mavens favor exactly this future to move people from the northwest valley to the southern and southeast valley. So far it is talk only, but James may be right about this soon.

Here's the kicker. We have carbon-spewing airplanes long-hauling people at ever increasing prices. Aviation fuel has risen proportionately with diesel and gasoline. Airlines are doing the best they can to hold airfares down by instituting poly-fees, fees for luggage, fees for food, fees for beverages, and on it goes. To survive, the airline industry needs to pare the number of flights down as much as possible and begin charging airfares sufficient to cover their expenses and make a decent profit.

So how fast can we build additonal tracks? How fast can we build passenger cars, dining cars, club cars and sleeper cars? How soon can we offer passengers lower cost long distance transportation with a trade-off of delayed arrival at the destination?

Let's talk just a minute about that delayed arrival. Many of us are too young to have passenger train travel experience in America. Let me tell you.... Room to stretch your legs. Comfortable enough to get up and walk up and down aisles or even into other cars. Pleasant dining cars with menus--yes, choices! Sleeper cars that rock one to sleep to the hypnotic clickety-clack, clickety clack. Big picture window to watch the world roll by. Upon arrival one is rested, relaxed and ready to be productive at the business meeting or attentive to the family or primed for vacation.

Yes. It will take longer. So you have time to finish your homework, prepare your Power Point presentation, read a book, meet new friends. Life is more enjoyable and restful at a slower pace.

Economic circumstances are likely to slow us down anyway. This is one idea--James' idea--whose time has come.