House Democrats this week are considering a new transportation bill that they say “Fits the economy of the future.” Unfortunately, their vision of the future dates roughly to the Nixon administration. Among the usual splurges on roads and bridges, the bill contains a $ 95 billion bounty for old-fashioned railroads, including some $ 32 billion for Amtrak – the plodding government-funded behemoth that has been losing money since 1971.
No doubt, America’s trains should run on time. But as lawmakers plot out years of new spending, they should spare some thought for emerging – and …