I know there's been a lot of discussion and debate lately about Amtrak, its annual subsidy and whether or not that subsidy and Amtrak should continue. I'm somewhat surprised at the number of railfans who are anti-Amtrak and want it done away with. As we've seen with the PIONEER, NATIONAL LTD, DESERT WIND and others, once they're gone, you can pretty much bank on them being gone FOREVER.

There's a "required reading" article about the whole concept of subsidization and how it so thoroughly permeates our lives in so many ways in the September 17 issue of TIME magazine. It's entitled "One Nation On Welfare. Living Your Life On The Dole", by Michael Grunwald. It might be available in its entirety in the Internet, but I'm not sure. After reading the article, you really have to wonder why Romney - Ryan, Inc. have Amtrak pretty much singled out and in the crosshairs of their telescopic sight. What did Amtrak do to deserve so much of their wrath, while so many other subsidized groups are pretty much left unscathed?

You think Amtrak is a bottomless money pit? Here's one of my favorite excerpts from the article, where the author is discussing the power and influence of subsidized farmers:

"The farm lobby is so omnipotent in Washington that when the World Trade Organization ruled that U.S. handouts give our cotton farmers an unfair advantage over Brazil, the U.S. cut a deal to shovel $147 million a year to Brazilian cotton farmers rather than kick our own farmers off the dole."

It's a real eye-opener of an article. Check it out if you get a chance.