Writing for Newsweek, George Will claims that the real reason that progressives are gung ho for high-speed rail is because it suppresses the individualism of Americans and makes them more subservient to government.
Will says that the list of reasons cited by progressives for their support of high-speed rail -- "to improve the climate, increase competitiveness, enhance national security, reduce congestion, and rationalize land use" -- are "flimsy":
"The real reason for progressives' passion for trains is their goal of diminishing Americans' individualism in order to make them more amenable to collectivism."
"To progressives, the best thing about railroads is that people riding them are not in automobiles, which are subversive of the deference on which progressivism depends ... the automobile encourages people in delusions of adequacy, which make them resistant to government by experts who know what choices people should make."
For the latest in high-speed rail news, visit The Railist, a Planetizen news and information site dedicated to covering the ups and downs of America's high-speed rail project as well as news from around the world.
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