Sadly, Facts Don't Matter to Republicans
The sad truth about rail travel is it was undermined by car, oil, and tire manufactures who wanted to sell cars/buses/trucks; not cost effectiveness or efficiency. (Well documented, not conspiracy) We put all our resources in highways and neglected our rail infrastructure. Now that we are under energy pressures people move back to trains, but republicans have a jihad against railroads.
Rail roads are the most energy efficient way to move people!!! There is no mode of transportation in America or the world that isn't subsidized; road construction and maintenance or air traffic controllers and runway construction and maintenance. Railroads don't get their fair shake because there is not large internal industry to drive advocacy, unlike roads and air travel.
The reason railroads can't meet their potential is they don't receive the proper priority and funding. Sure, there are efficiency issues, but nothing that can't be resolved with the proper political will.
Wake up America and tell your representative that rail is needed and necessary for the growth of our Economy. Unless you would rather sit in traffic an hour or two a day.
In 1949, Firestone Tire, Standard oil of California, Phillips Petroleum, GM and Mack Trucks were convicted of conspiring to monopolize the sale of buses and related products to local transit companies controlled by NCL and other companies; they were acquitted of conspiring to monopolize the ownership of these companies. The verdicts were upheld on appeal in 1951.[n 9] Bradford Snell summed up the controversial verdict, as the punishment so poorly matched the crime:
"The court imposed a sanction of $5,000 on GM. In addition, the jury convicted H.C. Grossman, who was then treasurer of GM. Grossman had played a key role in the motorization campaigns and had served as a director of Pacific City Lines when that company undertook the dismantlement of the $100 million Pacific Electric system. The court fined Grossman the magnanimous sum of $1."[n 10]
