Editor:
Dave Uphoff
A few weeks ago Judy and I went to Chicago to spend the day visiting the city. Judy went shopping with a friend and I spent the day by myself browsing the city. My first stop was at the new Millenium Park which is immediately north of Grant Park over the old railroad grounds. The park is beautifully landscaped with thousands of flowers, trees, and shrubs along with many interesting sculptures. Along with the lakefront, museums, Buckingham Fountain, and Grant Park, the new park, in my opinion, makes downtown Chicago the most beautiful city in the country. To those who haven't been there in awhile I highly recommend a visit to downtown Chicago.I also visited the Art Institute and then watched the Cubs lose another game at Wrigley Field to cap a very enjoyable day. Unfortunately, the enjoyment of the day was buffered by horrendous traffic going into and leaving Chicago. Traffic has become so bad in the Chicago area that I really shudder at the thought of having to drive there again. The next time I go to Chicago I will take the train. Taking a train to Chicago is not only more relaxing than driving it is becoming more economical in light of the skyrocketing gas prices. Yet Congress is loathe to give more money to Amtrak to help it improve its service. People complain about the government giving aid to Amtrak yet overlook the fact that government money is used to build airports and roads for the other forms of transportation. In effect, we are subsidizing the trucking industries by using our tax money to build and maintain roads that are used and destroyed more and more by trucks. Why not give more subsidies to Amtrak to encourage not only more passenger travel but also to encourage more shipment of goods by rail rather than by truck?
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It is unfortunate that our government was too short sighted to see the need to support our railroads. While all American cities have lost their trolleys and interurban trains, Europe still depends on that mode of transportation to move people in and out of their cities. It also is unfortunate that many of our railroads have been torn up rather than maintained. Thirty years ago Minonk had 2 railroads, now they are plowed up and covered with corn fields. Some experts are suggesting that the government increase the gasoline tax even more. The rationale for this is that it will force people to economize by buying more efficient cars and driving less. In addition, higher gas prices will make other energy sources economically viable and thus encourage their development. Finally, the government can use the extra gas tax to subsidize the development of alternative energy sources. You can bet that there aren't many politicians who will bite off that one if they want to get re-elected, even though in the long run it probably makes sense. WIth the increase in gas prices and the ever increasing traffic, I plan on traveling more by air or train on longer distances. The government should realize this trend and increase its subsidy of Amtrak to enable Americans to adopt a more sane and affordable mode of travel.
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