TPO 56

Both the article and the lecture talk about the Amtrak train service in the United States. The passage proposes several problems with the ownership of this service by the United States government and states that the government should sell it to private companies. On the other hand, the professor categorically denies whatever mentioned in the reading through citing three reasons.

First, the passage claims that there are many underused routes, which will make the government lose money. If the government sells the Amtrak to a private company, they can close those routes and prevent wasting money. Nevertheless, the professor opposes this idea and illustrates that the primary purpose of this service is to serve all the citizens of the United States. She explains that those who live in remote places have the same right to government service as people who live in cities, and the government should not close those routes.

Second, the reading states that it is not fair for private transportation companies, such as airlines. The government prices are low, and private companies cannot compete with it. The government should provide more financial supports for these companies. Nonetheless, the lecturer rejects this view and indicates that the government already supports airlines in many ways, such as building air traffic control towers, training air traffic control officers, and so on. She claims that private airlines cannot exist without government support.

Finally, the author suggests that the government should invest in national transportations since less than one percent of people in the United States use railroads to travel intercities. However, the speaker refutes it, saying that the reason people hardly use trains is that the routs are out of date. She mentions that if the government provides affordable and fast trains, people will use them, like people in Europe and Japan. As a result, the government should spend more money on improving railroad services.