The article notes near the end:
In Europe and Southeast Asia, governments are investing tens of billions of dollars in high-speed rail projects that include systems designed for the rapid transport of merchandise. Proponents of a new approach to transportation in the U.S. are pushing for the stimulus package to fund similar projects.
Rail and mass-transit advocates propose to "direct funds to metropolitan planning authorities and to create a national oversight group to help coordinate the spending." They want long range planning for national infrastructure. Maybe the Obama administration will get on board. However, if the U.S. continues to ignore rail, then I think it will become a very backwards nation. How much longer can America try to keep the 20th century going?
Further, many states reproduce that same problem within their borders - the state government is largely controlled by rural interests, and thus urban areas are routinely shafted. This is especially true in places like Michigan and Missouri, where you have a big urban area with a high percentage of African Americans, and the rest of the state being generally white.
