Hindsight though it is, I still find it astonishing nearly 40 years later that a socialistic superfluous money-losing government agency was even created in the first place. Amtrak is truly one of a kind, and I don't mean that in a good way.

Amtrak is an embarassment to everything that is American transportation. There is simply no logical justification for government run passenger trains in a free market society. There is no AmBus, no AmAir, no AmCruise line. Our government might provide aid to those private transport functions, but the key is they don't run them.

(BTW - Deregulation would do far more for the private sector than any taxpayer subsidies, but I degress...)

And before someone chimes in and proclaims Amtrak as a growing success due to the temporary increase in ridership, let me remind you that Amtrak loses big bucks per passenger. More passengers only means greater losses. There is no break even point to look forward to. Amtrak could carry billions of passengers per year and would only lose billions more of taxpayer subsidies. We'd all be better off as taxpayers if Amtrak ridership decreases along with falling gas prices.

I'll reiterate for those unfamiliar with my studies. The best thing the federal government could do to promote viable intercity passenger rail services while saving the taxpayers millions is to return said trains to the Class I railroads along with the proper incentives, e.g. a per passenger mile tax credit based on presumed savings in highway maintenace, an exemption from property taxes for ROW's that support passenger trains, and require the States to supply adaquate passenger station facilities just like they do airports. The railroads can supplement passenger revenues by running passenger trains as a mixed with their priority freight trains.

In other words, if it's done right then passenger trains do not necessarily have to lose money.

Of course, given the current political nightmare trend toward Marxism and the ineptude of the average American voter, such a scenario won't happen anytime soon. The likelyhood is that Amtrak subsidies will increase in this "bailout" orgy, and the level of service will continue to suffer (remember, there is zero market-based incentive for government agencies to improve their.......ummm...."services"), and per passenger losses will continue to mount.