Democratic Convention - Day 1

Day 1 is the day of travel. Instead of composing this post on the bus headed to North Carolina, I am home on my couch. Hurricane Isaac's evacuees are pushing farther north into Mississippi. The bus was packed with no room and no second bus arriving. I should note I live in rural Mississippi. Getting to the bus station was not cheap. Returning home was not cheap either. Welcome to why we need high-speed rail. President Obama was not off-base by speaking of the need for high-speed rail in America. I have met Democrats who put down the idea. Everyone quotes it will not make money. The governmenet is not designed to make money; none profit. It helps to keep certain public services (water, prisons, etc) honest. Are we such a shallow nation that only money moves us? High-speed rail would allow those of us in rural areas to have better access to metropolitan areas. It would also ease the congestion in metropolitan areas. Finally it would do much to reduce our dependance on fossil fuel. Simple math. Where I live it is not uncommon for people to drive up to 80 miles one way to work. The people have been doing it for years. Some people maintain two households: one with the wife and the other they share with 5 guys. The idea of a taxi service is still somewhat novel. I have spent over $120 dollars just to get around town (70 miles) for the week. We need high-speed rail now. If China can cover its mass why are we dragging our feet? I am off to bed. I must rise early to hitch a ride to some palce where I can get to Charlotte.