I tend to disagree that an improved national transportation system is only a "want". If it wasn't important to broad economic development, how come China is about three years into the construction of 23,000 miles of high speed rail systems thruout the country at a cost of about $300 billion? China has made a new high speed rail system a national priority, as President Eisenhower did in constructing the interstate highway system. We all know the out come of Eisenhower's mid-1950's decision to make that a priority, don't we?

Our problem is that we don't have political leaders who are capable of setting any national priorities and following thru to get them done. Their only priority is to get re-elected, keeping themselves on the gravy train run by the special interest lobbyists.

I'm not saying that high-speed rail should be at the top of our list of national priorities. But we certainly can afford it if we choose to spend on that kind of project instead of the billions and billions of dollars we spend on wasteful, duplicated, inefficient and unnecessary projects and programs demanded by either special interests or members of Congress seeking the votes of constituents with narrow special interests themselves.