A new book asks whether capitalism is compatible with public health. (The answer is no)

When you blame local public officials for public transportation failures let's remember that automotive amd oil companies shut down all efforts for public rail systems. Why did they do that? Well they were capitalists that wanted more money. Now we have freeways everywhere and very little train infrastructure.

“automotive amd oil companies shut down all efforts for public rail systems” is simply not a true statement. It never has been and never will be. Public transit wasn’t killed by some shadowy cabal of evil rubber barons. In fact a considerable amount of America’s pre-war public transit infrastructure was either meant to make money or as a way to ferry between between jobs and private developments. America’s largest passenger electric rail network, the Pacific Electric, lived as an accessory to private developments in Los Angeles, declined when the government was funneling money into freeway construction, and died under public ownership. This is also ignoring the actual problems that street running railways face, namely cost of operation and traffic, but also service patterns and accessibility.

The decline and death of public transit in the US is so much more complicated than just “capitalism bad;” it isn’t just wrong it actively obscures the truth and makes real change harder.

/r/TrueReddit Thread Parent Link - salon.com