> Yes American has crime but not near this level.

I agree, the point was missed, but ---

Try railroading in the core of Chicago, or in the skirts of New Orleans, where theft from even moving trains is rampant. Just have a dynamiter (defective brake valve) stall your train in one of those "neighborhoods". Step on the ground to go fix it, and your very life is in real danger! Not to mention, the high death rate of railroad cops in those areas.

Or what about Sacramento California, where the youth gangs recently forced Amtrak trains to stop. And then beat the train crew senseless when they finally resisted, defending their passengers from robbery and assault.

Yup! You got it! There's trouble right here in River City.

But then, you did correctly mention the root of Mexico's problem being the massive corruption in it's government. But then again, aren't Illinois and Louisiana state governments well known (wink wink of course) for exceptional corruption as well. Perhaps the Capitol of California should be viewed in the same light. You know, that same State where the governor raids funds collected by local municipalities for local use, as though it were tribute to Rome. Corruption is everywhere!

When our leaders advocate it, or actually do it by way of government power, we just wink at it. But when a common thief does it, we are totally appalled, even though the common thief is just following that same leader's example.

The root of the crime problem here is exactly the same as it is in Mexico. We "gringos" often think that our own government is generally not as corrupt as Mexico's. But I wonder --- especially lately?

So why shouldn't a railroad invest in Mexico, if it's going to also invest in these areas, which are also corrupt? And indeed may be just as corrupt as Mexico!

OPB