Awesome letter, Dana!
It's true, we had a better, safer, more energy-efficient transportation
system in 1920 than we do today. The early 20th century system, as you note, was
based on rail, not automobiles.
The absurdity of our highway-based transport is obvious during a snow or
ice storm which would not affect railroad operations, but which sends cars
and trucks off the road or into multi-vehicle pileups.
All progress is change, but not all change is progress.
Tom Mathews
In a message dated 2/16/2009 7:02:51 P.M. Central Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
What do we need for
transportation?
Deborah Fink, Ames Feb. 12, 2009
Regarding David Swenson's Feb. 5 Iowa View: He's is absolutely right in
his criteria for ranking stimulus projects. Infrastructure and schools are
urgent and practical targets.
What I missed was any movement beyond the
status quo. We need a certain infrastructure of roads and bridges because we
drive cars almost everywhere we go. Should we maintain this infrastructure?
Dana
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