Well, in my area, around 100 K people, first thing you need to do is draw out the track routes, then declare eminent domain and remove people from their housing. Then you lay the track, and don't forget that the rail line will resemble San Francisco in elevation change. So a good number of people are not going to be pleased, there will probably be lawsuits.

And for what? the urban center has Bus Transit, even out to my neighborhood. The biggest issue with light rail is that there are pretty fair distances between cities here. And the point is, a lot of the USA isn't flat. I would love for some of y'all to visit my area, then pass judgement. And I think many here think that the USA has no public transit at all - to gauge from the comments.

And here's what we do for the rural areas in the county. If you need to travel, you call up the transit authority with a time and where to. At the noted time, the short bus shows up at your door, and you embark. Then when you return, the reverse happens. If a senior citizen, the ride is free (I believe handicapped as well) Otherwise the cost is a regular ticket price. It loses money of course, but it isn't too bad a deal. My sis uses it to get back and forth to work every day. A little exciting in snowstorms in the winter, as the routes all tend to have to cross mountain peaks.

But this BS that is going on at the moment is world class bubble bullshit.

No, you definitely cannot. Can't do a lot about geology or population density either.

Smaller cities can't use light rail, Rural or distant areas are difficult to serve with what is thought of as proper Public Transit. Regular hourly service means a lot of almost empty buses that might have to travel an hour each way, and hours between the villages out in the countryside.

But you touch upon something important. Cities here were often not built with public Transit in mind, as well, I'll add that the US has wildly differing geography and populations.

There are a few other considerations as well that don't apply to everyone - but many. I have a bus stop right outside my house. I could ride it for free now that I'm age qualified. But I really do not have the time, nor a predictable schedule. So I drive my own vehicle.

Of course, the number one requirement for a public transit system that serves everyone is having everyone packed together.

And as absolutely as few people outside of that area as possible - ideally 0 people.

While perhaps not the utter perfection of the rest of the world, if I use my area as an example, Pennsylvania in the Ridge and Valley section, we have public transit via bus for the urbanized areas, and if you live in an area of the county that the bus doesn't get to, you call a number, give a pickup time, and a small bus pulls upright outside your place. If you are a senior, the ride is free. Don't even have to walk to a bus stop.

Of course, that means you have to make a phone call, but the ride can be quite tailored, and is exceptionally convenient for the mobility challenged demographic, being essentially door to door.

But in a country like the USA, it is not easy. But I am always willing to entertain solutions - I mean the people who complain how our PT is so horrible - how about posting the solution that will serve all Americans, and have it approach the perfection of the rest of the world.

Well, that was a shift!

You're not kidding! Is there something that is binds you to SoCo? I'd consider that as an area to get out of - not for the usual political reasons, but it is expensive.

Is there supposed to be something wrong with a hybrid that age? And nothing is better than a paid off vehicle - well, maybe a paid off mortgage.

A couple things - is that 100 million number, the people who would likely be purchasing a car? Whatever the number is, it is a demographic. And demographics are simply different groups with different needs and wants and use cases. Even in my family, I have a ruggedized Jeep because I often go off-road . My wife has a more luxurious ride.

And finally, that is why there are different vehicles. Circumstances make for what is the right car, as well as what you want to pay. And there is a market for EV's

Looking at my local situation, the EV's are well integrated, and there are a lot of Teslas. And that doesn't count the other manufacturers, because you have to be right up on them to see they are EV. Teslas are pretty easy to spot. OTOH, there are also a lot of Jeeps - with PA's wild weather swings, they are a good choice.

The proletariat should have been completely independent of government in the vaunted communist countries.

Technology replaces technology, and it is a non sequitur to claim independence based on technology is somehow communism.

Indeed, it is the polar opposite of one of the linchpins of communism, the command economy, where all decisions are out of the hands of the proletariat.

If you were ever beat by a tangerine, you'd think differently, you insensitive clod! ;^)

This! I used to watch the subtitles because they were hilarious. And once upon a time, you could turn on subs on non-English videos, which the guesses their sub software made were even funnier.

I like Savage's content as well. His workshop vids are like siding down with an old friend, and I find most of them relaxing.

Youtube has a lot of good material. Perhaps your interests are appallingly bad? I use Youtube to watch woodworking videos, to watch repair videos - like if I'm trying to figure out a problem on my son's car. Radio technology videos - computer teardown videos. I replaced a battery and hard drive on a laptop recently, so I previewed what it was going to be like before I tore into it. Even some programming videos. I recently became interested in Node-Red, so looked up some of the basic operations to get started.

Then there are some videos that are even much better than the dreck you get on television if you just want to be entertained - https://www.youtube.com/watch?... Fall of Civilizations.

My better half has markedly different YT tastes. She watches body cam vids of police dealing with drunk women, live concerts, old movies, and recently, videos from a rather tiny woman who takes on food challenges, like finish this huge tray of food. I think her fascination with this is that since the wife isn't a big eater, and is tall, how the little lady in the vids can eat that much. Dunno, but that's the stuff she watches.

I've also noted that the experience is much better if subscribed. It isn't that expensive, and ad free is great. I spent too much time trying to escape ads, and every workaround needed a new one in a few weeks as they adapted, so I subbed. Is there crap on YT? Hell yes, just like everywhere else. but that doesn't invalidate the whole of it.

Well put. It is just a different approach. One that uses consistent topping off rather than drive until it's at the equivalent of when the petrofueled car gas light turning on, then looking for a station. Maybe you charge at night, maybe in the parking lot at work, occasionally at a convenience store.

What I have found hilarious is the people who try to argue their edge cases as a reason that EV's shouldn't exist. It isn't like there are no other solutions. Hybrid, gasoline, that yummy 6 plus dollars a gallon Trumpfuel - whatever they want.

Yup - It is just standard anti-US screed on Slashdot. Taking the people here who don't like EV's and trying to make that the entire population. It's a form of insecurity on their part.

For all the USA as a third world country concept championed by a lot of loudmouths in here, if you look in my area in PA - supposedly part of the impoverished Appalachians, you can see many wind turbines along the Allegheny escarpment, happily providing electricity. We have large solar arrays providing end of line substation extension. We have a huge number of charging stations, including ones in some pretty remote State Parks.

The last one is amusing, since the question begs asked. If you are 30 miles away from a gas station, running on fumes, or driving an EV in a state park with a low charge, but a charging station - which one would we prefer to be in?

Exactly that's my point, - and if that long candle wobbles and falls, what then, Saint Peter? What degree of slope can Starship land on and remain vertical. The Starship needs a flat and raised surface to launch from when taking off again. The poor launch platform they used at first did damage to the engines. A whole lot of flame impingement throwing debris all over. And with no launch tower, and taking off from an indeterminate surface, damaged engines could be a life ending disaster.

True Dat. I wonder how he is planning on doing it. If you aer going to land and takeoff from the moon, you have to have both impressive engines to land safely with enough fuel that will allow you to escape from the moon's gravity well, make it back to earth, survive reentry than enough leftover fuel to land.

That is going to play hell with the max payload, and little room for error.

There is a reason that Apollo and now Artemis are using the concept of throwing away the parts that are no longer used. I fear many people think that taking the whole rocket to and from is smart. It is a waste of payload resources.

If. you are trying to contradict me, as if we need to reduce the fertility rate in teh USA - You chart shows something different entirely, that the countries that are to be helped have the highest fertility rates.

Simply reducing Child mortality as a mono variant intervention, in countries that have the highest birth rates does not stop people lowering that fertility rate to US levels. My point is, and I take it I have offended you with my bluntness - is that if you are going to allow more people to grow to adulthood, and actively intervene in their gestalt, you damn well bette have a way that you continue to support them their entire lives. Otherwise you just end up delaying their death, or other's deaths a generation or two removed.

Or aer you one of the Infinite earth carrying capacity people? They exist.