A brief history of Amtrak -- The failure of Amtrak reform efforts -- Amtrak's present condition -- Myths about the value of Amtrak -- Fallacies about the cost of Amtrak -- Defending against terrorism : can Amtrak do the job? -- Escape from Amtrak : state and local governments -- Passenger...

Gabriel Kolko, a left-leaning historian, wrote his Ph.D. thesis to identify the forces that brought railroads under regulation at the end of the 19th century. It was the railroad barons themselves who eventually sought regulation (and thereby brought it about). Kolko recounts the customer...