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On car lots across the land, gas-guzzling SUVs sit unsold. Sales of all sizes of cars are down because automakers haven't made enough compacts to meet demand.
No wonder Amtrak is setting ridership records, with long-distance trains sold out in some parts of the country. But the intercity rail service can't respond adequately to the demand: It doesn't have enough rail cars and, over the years, the manufacturers of new ones have reduced their capacity.
Meanwhile, scientists say that, for the first time in recorded history, all the ice at the North Pole may melt this summer, a symptom of speeding climate change.
So now we scramble to react to situations for which we could have planned rationally, and the very leaders who ignored the warnings that things like this might happen are today expressing shock and outrage that they have.
Our short-sightedness has left us flat-footed. But maybe we can still hear the call to action.
During this presidential campaign, this page will explore the elements of a forward-looking metropolitan strategy that would harness the strengths of our cities to meet the challenges we face. Among the most obvious: public transportation.
Of that, Amtrak is only a small part. Yet past attempts to starve Amtrak to death illustrate the myopic policy that lies at the root of the current crisis.
Given the national-security implications of oil dependence, as well as the threat to the planet from greenhouse gases, we all have a stake in promoting rail travel, no matter where we live. Commuters between cities should never have to calculate whether it's cheaper to drive or take public transportation. It should always be cheaper to take the train.
Yet until a few years ago, the federal government expected Amtrak to pay for itself or even make a profit, while denying it equal subsidies to those provided for highway improvement.
(Permit us city slickers an obvious cheap shot: The bloated $302 billion "farm bill" recently passed by Congress contained at least $5 billion in thoroughly unnecessary crop subsidies that have the extra disadvantage of discouraging wise crop rotation and distorting land prices. This when affordable intercity public transportation, with proven results, has to go hat-in-hand to congressional leaders.)
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a $15 billion appropriation for the rail system by a veto-proof margin. The bill is being reconciled with a similar Senate bill that also passed overwhelmingly. It's better than nothing, but compared with the high-speed rail that connects the metropolitan regions of our global competitors in Europe and Asia, it's downright pathetic.
As if there weren't enough clear choices in this presidential campaign - on Iraq, the Supreme Court, tax cuts and health care - so is intercity rail. Barack Obama co-sponsored the recent Amtrak funding bill, but the system's chief nemesis over the past decade has been none other than that old maverick John McCain - you know, the senator who so courageously challenged his party to do something significant to address global warming. Not. As chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, McCain has attempted to block several efforts to better fund Amtrak.
So as we scramble to make up for lost time in conserving energy, it's past time to heed the current warning signs - as well as the warming signs - right in front of us. If we are going to catch the train to the future, Amtrak needs to be more of a bargain than it is now. *
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