We must think big... REALLY BIG

[LuckyTheDog]

The government needs to think big in the next four years. No... wait... scratch that ... we need to think on a massive scale. Rebuilding roads and bridges, while vital, will not cut it.

We need to do more than just restore the Eisenhower-era national high system. We need to add another leg to the transportation grid: high-speed rail. I suggest we do that, in part, by passing out no-bid contracts to GM, Ford and Chrysler to build the rolling stock here in the U.S.

The events of 9/11 showed that air travel is vulnerable. And, if we ever need to once again the nation's air fleet, we'll want to be able to move goods and people quickly and efficiently on the ground. Hence, a new, modern rail system could be (and should be) seen as a national security priority -- just as the interstate highway system was seen as a national security priority during the Cold War.

Another big project should be a big expansion of student loans and aid to colleges so that higher education and other kinds of post-secondary training is available to every American who can do the work.

Our urban agenda should be equally bold. We need to make sure cities have what they need to fight crime and investors have good incentives to invest in now-blighted areas to create jobs and decent housing.

We also need to change the way we defend ourselves. That means having our NATO allies take on a bigger role in the defense of Europe and asking Japan to step up its military spending so that we can stand down. We cannot police the world alone and should stop trying.

Those are just a few ideas. I am sure others will have more of them.

[FrenchieCat]

1. I just posted about that......

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7951167

[Odin2005]

2. I agree with you 100%

We also need to create a kind of anti-Global Warming "Manhattan Project/Apollo Program" to make us as carbon-neutral as possible.

[gogoplata]

3. No bid contracts to the Big 3?

[LuckyTheDog]

6. We're going to own them in part

We might as well leverage that investment. Plus, we know they have great engineers and know how to put 10,000 parts together and make them roll.

[silverojo]

4. And how, pray tell, are we to set up these rail lines?

With all the highways criss-crossing this country, high-speed rail would increase fatalities. Look how many people get killed in car-train crashes already. As it is, it takes a regular train going 60 mph TWO MILES to stop. Trains are NOT the answer; they're impractical for long-distance commuting, and they're dangerous, besides.

Why the hell can't people understand that the only solution is going to be to develop new cars to run on alternate fuels, AND retrofit our cars and trucks to be able to use these fuels, as well?

[No Elephants]

5. The number of people who die in train crashes has to be considerably lower than the number who die

because of cars.

[LuckyTheDog]

7. Overpasses and underpasses

We could build high-speed trains that never cross paths with cars. It's more expensive in the short run. But in the long run, we'd pay for it with higher efficiency of the rail network.