This article was scraped from Rochester Subway. This is a blog about Rochester history and urbanism has not been published since 2017. The current owners are now publishing link spam which made me want to preserve this history.. The original article was published November 10, 2010 and can be found here.
Hardball talkshow host Chris Matthews had posed a very blunt question for President Obama, Democrats & Republicans, and America at large...
"Why can't we build railroads -- rapid railroads to unite this country instead of making the vast continent between New York and LA "fly-over country" for the bi-coastal elite to look down on? Why don't we build "anything" anymore? Would we build the subway systems of our country today? Would we build the Empire State building or the Golden Gate Bridge? Would be build this beautiful capital of Washington today? You know the answer. We don't build because we have neither the money nor the courage to do it."
Obviously Matthews is sensationalizing a bit in order to make a point. After all, the infamous 2nd Ave subway is being dug as we speak. But if we're taking the pulse of the nation--after the 2010 midterm elections--his point is right on. If a national high speed rail network is to become a reality, Obama may have to re-evaluate his strategy. New York is ready to build
. Start with us.
