Yes I know China is also technically capitalist but you understand the idea
Really, your example for the "free market" transportation in the US is Amtrack? ... in a car community?
This is just a tanky shitpost.
this post was submitted on 02 Jun 2025
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In an anti car community. Considering the US proudly proclaims itself the champion of the free market, yeah, it's only fitting to use Amtrak as the example.
yeah, it’s only fitting to use Amtrak as the example.
Or you know ... a car? Because then it would at least be relevant to this community.
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For some reason, people still act like capitalism and socialism (or communism) are mutually exclusive, that an economy must be one or the other. But if you look at essentially every national economy on the planet today, they are all some mix of the socialist mode of production (when the means of production are owned by the government, or a group of workers, or a community) and the capitalist mode of production (when the means of production are owned by a private individual or group of investors, operating for a profit). Almost no economy is exclusively one or the other.
It is true that in most countries with robust high speed rail, there is significant government involvement, like planning and building infrastructure, subsidies, or just providing rail travel as a public service. I definitely think that for a national rail service network to work, you need to do some planning. Here in the US, government and planning are bad words, but clearly they needn't be.
Social programs are not Socialism. The government doing stuff is not Socialism. You cannot take aspects of a society out of their context and analyze them discretely. The United States does not have a "Socialist" millitary. Socialism is a mode of production determined by public ownership being the principle aspect of the economy, ie large firms and key industries being firmly public, as opposed to Capitalism where private ownership is the principle aspect.
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Socialism and communism are not when the state does stuff.
Socialism/communism is workers owning the means of production. This is exceedingly rare and constantly attacked whenever it exists. Almost every state is overwhelmingly capitalist. That's a primary purpose of the state.
Spain is better at building high speed rail infrastructure than China is. The problem is not the economic system, it's what lobby groups are in charge.
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We haVe $100k+ SuVs!
I guess the rest of Asia and Europe don't count?
Now do Vietnam vs Japan or Switzerland
And all the libertarians cry about is how it's not real free markets and that's why we don't have nice trains and public education etc. not understanding that it's government funding and regulations that's just barely keeping everything (pun intended) on the rails in the first place.
I've never heard any libertarian say the free market would provide trains. Maybe an ancap would go so far...
Ancaps say so pretty often
When someone's ideology is an imaginary oxymoron, they can say whatever they want.
Libertarians are like house cats. Completely dependent on a system they neither understand nor appreciate and fiercely confident of their own independence.
fiercely confident of their own independence
In fairness, if you let the average cat out into nature it would be fine. Dump the average libertarian into nature and they wont last the night.
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As much as I love Amtrak, I have to agree.
I always find it strange when I find someone in the wild who likes Amtrak. I have only heard and experienced horror stories.
I've had great rides... But the problems are more like underfunding, overpricing, underavailability, etc.
They've been solid for me. I used to take the Acela between NYC and Baltimore all the time. It was faster than flying when comparing door-to-door times, cheaper, no fucking TSA, and it had a bar car. Also took one from Portland to BC recently which was legit.
I've ridden on Amtrak's business class on the NEC or sleepers outside thbide corridor since I was a child. So, I have a bit of a bias.
I took the Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago, and then I forget which through W Va up to Philly. It was a great few days watching the countryside roll by.
right right... which part of China is communist again? is it the permanent oligarchy? the reeducation camps? the low-paying factory jobs that make the owner class rich?
I was reading the post as a reply to republicans who are saying china is bad because of communism.
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China's nationwide passenger rail network doesn't really care if you have a valid point or not.
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Well we've got all that in the US already, so can we just do the version where we get trains in addition to the other stuff, instead of just the other stuff?
Ha ha, no. Petroleum lobby needs a new pair of shoes.
China is about a fascist as they come. One virtue doesn't eliminate 100 vices.
Say what you want about the PRC, they make the trains run on time.
(the secret ingredient is slave labor!)
(the secret ingredient is slave labor!)
Same as any colonizer.
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I’d trade all parking spots for more trains in my city.