Hilarious story. I've heard other similar ones.
But--the auto industry wouldn't be as large as it is today if those rutted and muddy roads hadn't been replaced. Or if in the 30s the RR sector had managed to out-bribe/out-talk the auto people and gotten the govt to finance building tracks in a big way instead of (or in addition to) roads. I am not passing judgment on that "decision" here, or the way it happened, I am just saying it was a crucial decision and it helped the sector grow enormously. Nor am I saying the govt is infallible, obviously it isn't. I am saying it is and always has been influential for better and for worse, and, really, nothing will change that. Even if someone comes into power swearing that he (she) will institute a minimalist govt, and gets a balanced budget amendment passed. When there are wildfires, Gov Perry calls on FEMA for help. He may want to do away with it in principle, he may want the states to take over its functions, but if he succeeded in doing that, the next time there were huge wildfires, people would be screaming, "Where is the govt?" Especially if the Texas govt had cut funds for fire fighting in an effort to balance their budget w/o raising taxes.
But I digress.... |
