Afraid to fly? Nah.

I don't enjoy riding on the airlines, though--didn't before, and won't now. I much prefer Flying is only really pleasurable for me if I'm in the cockpit, driving.

I do think the recent tragedy highlighted the folly of relying primarily on one form of long-distance transportation. With the airlines shut down, the Postal Service was in a frenzy, trying to figure out how to move the mail. Business travellers were stranded. Even baby chicks (usually shipped, one day old, via air to the growers) died by the thousands, stranded in airport warehouses.

We need a viable rail system in this country. Not as a replacement for the airlines (though I'd sure love to travel by train), but as a companion to them. Putting all your transportation eggs in one basket is no recipe for success.

JtT