Once in a while I get a crazy idea about how to fix the United States. I think I am going to start posting them here along with all the other stuff I post. Btw, sorry about lack of posting a lot has been happening around the house so blogging was put on the back burner for a bit. Anyways, here is my idea...
Let's introduce a nationwide passenger rail system. Start with all the interstates and lay the line right alongside of them. Not only will this get people back to work building the thing, it will also help with vehicle emissions as less people would be using vehicles. Make the train faster than the speed limit, so people save time by using the train. We could also reduce our dependence on foreign oil, by exploring alternative fuels (I believe Xcel already has a natural gas powered train?) found in the United States.
Some of those "small towns" of the 30's and 40s will may come back to life because of the depots that will be needed. Kind of how turnpike systems work? At each stop you know there will be some kind of fast food, convenience store, etc that would pop up. Allow the fare to be reasonable enough that a family could travel cheaper by train compared to cars/planes. Thus boosting tourism and spur of the moment shopping trips.
As it would progress, hubs could connect the national system to smaller "state" systems and then again to city subways, bus lines, etc. There would be a need for safety and regulations, construction and maintenance, drivers, janitors, etc. What does that mean? More jobs... more jobs... more jobs.
Wouldn't it be awesome to hop on a train, sit, relax, and visit with people instead of cramming into a car and dealing with road rage, idiot drivers and hazardous weather? Not having to wait in an airport for hours on end because there is a storm in Timbuktu? Maybe call it a modernized version of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) but at least it's a step. One of my crazy ideas on how to fix the government... I think I am going to start writing these down more often.... haha
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