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Posted by: miklkit 1 year, 3 months ago
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miklkit1 year, 3 months ago
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Mdiar1 year, 3 months ago
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Actually, on this there are valid reasons as to why its not possible. The population densities are quite different. Its not really that fair to force my closest city (which is an hour or so away and its not even a large one) to sustain a mass transit system for here. For the most part, in Europe, decently sized cities aren't that far apart. Here, I live in the biggest place within at least 50 miles and its a town with a grand population of 16,000.
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In the Bosnywash area, it makes alot of sense though. As well as in most major metro areas.-

mesodude1 year, 3 months ago
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Thanks, Mdiar. I was comparing apples to apples. There are lots of urban areas across the country where the transportation system is decent to great (like here in DC where I live) but overall, I think we're slackers by comparison (because we're so addicted to our cars). For instance, we have our metro here but it's not really a true subway system (like in NYC which I think has one of the best systems I've ever travelled on) and it doesn't. Where is our high speed cross country rail system comparable to those in other industrialized nations? Yes, European countries are way smaller than we are but there is no excuse for us to be lagging behind if we're supposed to be all that. I don't like that people can brag about our military but not our education or transportation infrastructure. ;-( America is great but we can do way better is all I'm saying.
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Mdiar1 year, 3 months ago
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I prefer to brag about the ethnic diversity, myself. Our education isn't as bad as some people make it out to be, in my experience, at least it isn't something the federal government can address that much. The only thing the federal level government can do is institute a health care program and paid vacation laws like those in Europe to make it easier to take part in a child's education. The first few years of my schooling (until 6th grade or so) my parents were still in college so I had quite a bit of interest in my schooling from my parents. On this issue, in alot of ways the Democratic mindset is a problem as much as the Republican one. I think the Democrats keep trying to address the symptoms and the Republicans, while they do try to address the source, can't (due to their own philosophy) address the real issue- people just can't afford to pay much attention to how there kid is being schooled unless you have the right job or are superhuman. I'd like to nationalize the school systems and grant community control over most aspects of it, though certain quality requirements would have to be in place.
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On the Europe part, you'd be very surprised the differences as well as the similarities, I think. America has alot of aspects I solidly prefer to Europe, even though I'm rather far left in my own ideology. I prefer to take the best of each and throw them together.
Americans are very lazy when it comes to mass transit, not because we love cars so much (we do, though, its part of the culture in a way that its not in Europe) but because our government is lazy. Americans are among the hardest working people in the world and I've always thought that was a good thing. Also, government is really afraid to build any kind of government run thing. Its part of the Calvinistic philosophy that a large part of the country was founded on, I suppose.-

hyperbola1 year, 3 months ago
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Actually America had lots of public transport systems prior to General Motors buying them up and closing them down in the 1930s.
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As for population differences, the density in Europe is on average not so different than the US. Where trains and metros don't make sense, there is usually a public bus system (sometimes run privately with public subsidy) that will take you to any tiny village.
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