Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial: "U.S. Support of Amtrak"

Editorial in the Philadelphia Inquirer today about how the presidential election would effect Northeast Corridor commuters, from the editorial:

"Here's a question that Northeast Corridor commuters should ask themselves in the voting booth Tuesday: Which presidential candidate is more likely to improve the rails to make your train rides safer and smoother? Probably not Sen. John McCain, who has been an outspoken critic of Amtrak and a persistent obstacle to its being adequately funded."

"Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama voted with the majority for the legislation that - for the first time since 2002 - authorizes funding for Amtrak"

"The federal government finances highways to the tune of $40 billion annually without expecting the roads to produce a profit. But when the roads are well-maintained and take people and freight where they need to go, profits are made."

"Amtrak ridership for its Northeast regional service jumped 9.5
percent in the last year. The Keystone Service linking Harrisburg, Philadelphia and New York saw ridership increase 20 percent. Now is the time to invest in Amtrak for its continued growth. But with the wrong president, that's unlikely to happen."

I won't to tell you to vote for but I hope either candidate gives Amtrak the support it needs. The Fed will dump a couple trillion into Wall Street the coming years, is $1 or 2 billion over about 10 years unreasonable support for Amtrak? i really don't think so.