If I were president and had absolute power...ok so I guess I wouldn't be president, of course Bush has set this standard so I don't see this as a problem...I would create a bold undertaking. I would have the government pay to build an nationwide rail system like the one in Europe, you might have heard of it The Eurail, and it is brilliant.
The plan would work like this, the government would hire anyone willing to work on the project, much like back in the early 1900's with the Hoover Dam or in building our current rail system (over a 100 years ago). Obviously engineers would be employed to design where the rail lines should go and others would be employed to design new, faster, trains like the bullet train in Europe. Obviously our current rail lines would still be used, but my plan would be to link every city in America.
Every city would have a stop (some more than others). We wouldn't need cars or buses (or at least not as many). The smaller cities in America would then be more easily linked to with larger cities making it easier and faster to get there and people could find better, higher paying job and not deal with grid lock. Plus, the building of these rail lines and new trains would bring many job to our citizens and then they would be working for a paycheck and not just mooching off society. It would instill pride and a work ethic. It would also be hard labor which would keep people in shape. There could be training for those who worked in office settings and never did hard labor in their life but need job. It would instill a sense of pride in America again. The common man could say "hey look what I helped do." It would be hard, but rewarding work. It would be like what FDR did during the Great Depression by hire people to build cabins in national parks and build our countries infrastructure. My great-grand father worked 3 states away from my Great- grand mother and his kids to help build bridges. He would then send money back to his family. It s called sacrifice and Americans need to practice some of that. The plan would also bring Americans down a peg or two. We think we are too good for hard labor. I would take away unemployment benefits and pay these workers that money instead, if the unemployed need money they can work for it. If Americas don't want to do the job offered by the government because it is "too hard" then I would hire immigrants to do it and pay them the same amount.
I know what you are thinking, trains, that is so 1890's, no one would give up their cars to ride a train. I beg to differ. For example, many people on the east cost, or Chicago, or LA, or Portland use subways and trains to commute to work. People just don't think it would work because they are thinking in terms of our current rail system which is frighteningly outdated and woefully inefficient. But it works in Europe where they have combined old rail lines and trains with new ones and have connected an entire continent, surely we could too.
Though I love my car, I hate driving, it makes me angry, hundreds die from road rage. Cars and buses pollute, gas is expensive and oil a tool or terrorists. Air travel is a nightmarish hassle. Plus it bring communities together. By linking cities, large and small, people would have easier access to travel. People could see the world. There would be food cars, sleeper cars, commuter trains, subways, and bullet trains. It would also take a tremendous burden off our roads and bridges that are old and unable to stand all then road traffic currently using them.
And how would I pay for this drastic undertaking, why pulling out of Iraq and Afghanistan and most other countries we don't need to be in, saving our country 7 billion dollars day. That would easily help pay for this much more important plan of action.
