These comments, below, by William Astore are being re-printed here not because they aren't about high-speed rail, but because -- indirectly -- they are. He identifies a theme that has been addressed in this blog repeatedly; that is, our competition obsession.
It's what's driving the high-speed rail vision. We need it to be Number One in the world. If anybody, anywhere has a technology we don't have, we are, by definition, behind. Not even with, you understand, but behind. And, what do you do if you are behind? Get ahead. Get out in front.
As Obama said last night, it's our 'Sputnik' moment. The Soviets started the space race, but, we won it. We got to the moon first. We won the World Series, the Super Bowl. That's who we are. Please note that once we planted the US flag on the moon, we quickly lost interest, since that race was now won.
Perhaps our space race will start up again when the Chinese put a settlement on the moon, or beyond.
Yes, gentle readers, it's a dog-eat-dog, cave canem, world out there. It's nationalistic nature red of tooth and claw. Devour or be devoured.
California has to have not only high-speed rail, but has to have it first among the states; we are ahead. And it has to be faster than anyone else's. Not only that, but it's going to be our panacea that will solve not a few, but all of our problems; employment, economy, environment, energy. That's why it's better than flying or driving. It's better because we are better. High-speed rail is the best.
Watch out, the Chinese are eating our lunch. They are going to have 18,000 miles of high-speed rail and we don't have any. What are we going to do about that? Build high-speed rail, of course, even if it means that it's the Chinese who will actually do the building. Even if it means we don't actually need it and can't actually afford it. We'll borrow more billions to build it if we have to, including from China.
Our economy is recovering. The stock market has never been higher. Profits have never been better. Worker productivity, even with far fewer workers, has never been better. Rich guys get hottie 'trophy' wives, and the US is entitled to hottie 'trophy' trains.
High-speed rail meets Thorstein Veblen's criteria for "Conspicuous Consumption." Which nation is the greatest consumer nation? We are.
What is the meaning of life? Life is a race, and we're ahead. And he who has the most high-speed trains when he dies, wins.
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William Astore
Writer, Professor, Retired Lt. Colonel, Air Force
Posted: January 26, 2011 10:57 AM
Obama: It's a Darwinian World, So Work Harder!
Last night's State of the Union address boils down to one point: In a cutthroat world, America has lost its edge. We're dull, and the Chinese are sharp. They have faster computers and high-speed rail. Their students work harder and score higher on math and science tests. It's Sputnik all over again. The only way to defeat them is to out-compete them.
It seems President Obama concluded that we as Americans can only understand the rhetoric of competition (and the related rhetoric of consumption). Look closely at his speech, and you'll see no mention of conservation (whether of energy or any other natural resource). You'll see precious few references to cooperation. Instead, it's all about restoring America's greatness while at the same time keeping America safe from terrorists.
We can't solve future problems with the government of the past, Obama said. But I would argue that we can't meet future challenges with the rhetoric of the past. For Obama, America is still the exceptional country, the light on the hill, though we may shine less brilliantly today. His solution is not to rethink our belief in our greatness, but to rekindle our competitive fire: to rededicate ourselves to being Number One, irrespective of the cost to others.
In an era of globalization and of shrinking natural resources, Obama continues to think in terms of nations in relentless competition. And to compete successfully, we must struggle, produce, innovate, all in the name of greater economic power and military prowess.
We must, Obama exclaims, remain exceptional: Exceptional, that is, in our profligate consumption of the world's resources and our prodigious expenditures on weaponry.
And with a State of the Union like that, who needs a Republican rejoinder?
Professor Astore writes regularly for TomDispatch.com and can be reached at wjastore@gmail.com.
