[lngarner]

The government who built the roads without any means of non-car transportation makes you just as reliant on them -- AND the car companies. I'd rather be reliant on collective benefit rather than a corporation who doesn't care if my car is broken down or I'm old and can't drive or I'm physically incapable of driving. All they want is my money. With public/non-car transportation people have the actual freedom. Reliance on corporations is the opposite.

[josephcsible]

The government can just suddenly shut off public transportation at any time. They can't just suddenly destroy every road. Since plenty of used cars exist, you aren't reliant on the car companies to have a car. And isn't the only thing Amtrak wants your money?

[lngarner]

The government shuts down roads all the time. Amtrack is a federally-owned company. It belongs to you and me. Corporations don't -- and they only want your money. That's capitalism. I'd rather be using something I already pay for and belongs to me. In Europe, trains are affordable. And in many cases, the prices are offset by taxpayer (i.e. the collective/democracy)'s funding. So the trains belong to the people.

[josephcsible]

Doesn't everything you said about trains in the US apply equally to roads, though?