Grabbing another one from the nitpickers: the Cascades operation more or less proves that, despite everything, and interstate (and even, in part, international) corridor operation can be run efficiently and effectively. Of course, the states involved (OR and WA) have roughly similar (non-red-state, though there are plenty of fiscal conservatives in both places especially inland of the Cascade mountains) politics, and a traffic-challenged I-5, and have developed reasonable relationships with the freight railroads in the corridor. So despite all the theoretical (and actual) obstacles, it can work. The Cascades operation is probably a better example for Andrew & Richard to use for devolving Amtrak than California.