A Modest Proposal for a Modest Amount of Our Bailout Money

I haven't seen any suggestions about "shovel-ready" projects suitable for bailout money in Montana, so I thought I would suggest a few. Wouldn't it lovely to be able to get on a train here in Billings to visit my children and grandchildren in Seattle and in Albuquerque too for that matter. A decent medium to high speed rail line to from say Williston—which I think is on the Empire Builder line—down through Glendive and Miles City through Billings, Bozeman and on up to join the hi-line somewhere suitable, maybe just 3 days a week, would be a useful infrastructure kind of stimulus that would have some potential to be a useful addition to our transportation needs now and in the future. That is the train between Santa Fe and Albuquerque above or to the right.

Of course, both goods and people could be moved this way. If we are to believe our media it might do something to keep our planet from the extremes of climate change. It would take some of the pressure off the roads and the airports, cut down on the use of oil, and most important, give useful government jobs to those who absolutely must have them, as well as perhaps even satisfy, for awhile, the lust to spend money that our elected representatives cannot control in any other way. It doesn't seem likely to me that any other hinterland project will be even remotely as useful.

As we get closer to a Third World Economy I'd be willing to bet that soon there will be a great many people from China, India and maybe even Indonesia wanting to visit our fair country: another reason to pick up the pace a little on our transportation network.

While we are at it, how about another line from Billings south through Sheridan, Casper and on to Denver and heck, while they are at it, they could just as well go all the way through to Albuquerque. We could call it the National Defense Act For Highway Conservation.

Now that I think about it for awhile, why aren't our Senators and Representatives lobbying for us in this matter. What is the point of electing Max for all these years if he can't bring home the bacon a little more often than he has thus far. Shouldn't we get something useful out this gigantic boondoggle. One problem might be that the idea is so sensible other states with more population than we have might be able to heist more of the money: I mean, wouldn't it make sense for Seattle to Portland, and Los Angeles to San Francisco, and Chicago to Minneapolis, etc, etc, etc. To the left is a train that ran, at odd times and always between meals of course, on our kitchen table this past Christmas season. Always on time too.

By the way, if I haven't mentioned this before, for much of the civilized world's rail travel, and some not so civil regions, The Man in Seat 61 is a very useful source of information. Mark Smith is his name and he seems to know a great deal about rail travel in most of the world including even the USA. Check him out. His is not a government sponsored website, though he used to work for British Rail.