[extropy-chat] Psychology of investments in infrastructure

[spike]

> bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Samantha Atkins
...
> 
> If we had a decent mass transit system out here in the south bay I
> would use it more often.  Caltrain is better than nothing but by the
> time I have fought traffic to park at the nearest station I would be
> over halfway to work.    The buses are too few to take to the station
> for me...

Ja, we don't have the population densities required to make mass transit
viable here.  The only way we could really make it go is to eliminate
parking lots everywhere.  If we put our minds to it, we can force the people
to serve mass transit. 


> Well you did claim to be getting on with life yet you are advising
> not building various things because you fear terrorism.  Something
> seem a bit off. - samantha

Something is a bit on.  My life goes on.  In fact life for me is better now
than at any time in the past.

I am advocating not building subways because they are too likely to go bust,
both because of inconvenience and theoretical terrorism that has never
happened.  One could argue that this is an indirect fear of terrorism: it is
a fear of economic failure because of public fear of terrorism.  

Still, subways are a bad bet.  Even our local mass transit doesn't pay for
itself, after all we have invested.  Samantha, you and I have seen our very
expensive light rail go by, holding up blocks of car traffic, with two
people aboard, one of which is the guy operating the train.  If it were a
private business it would have folded a long time ago.  So why do we still
have it?  Why do we need it?  Are we still betting on them becoming viable
at some indefinite future time?

spike