Citiwire.net

Welcome to Citiwire.net! My first column defending Amtrak–and asserting the case for viable rail passenger service in America–was written 24 years ago. Back then the villains were David Stockman and Ronald Reagan, more recently it was George Bush–all out to gut Amtrak. The flag-waiving politicos let us fall behind Japan, Europe, even China. Not to mention successive Congresses keeping Amtrak on thin gruel while funding roads to the hilt. We lost a generation of potential progress. So how could I resist this week’s column, celebrating the $8 billion for high-speed rail inserted in the stimulus bill at President Obama’s personal urging? … Our Citiwire guest column for the week, by Citistates Group Associate Bill Dodge, updates Bill’s long-time support of effective regions, this time focused on growing urban-rural alliances.