I've been watching the news, and reading the news, and oil seems to dominate all the headlines. What gas costs, what the price of gas is doing to the price o everything else. What it costs to get to the grocery store, the drug store, any store. What things cost, period.

One of the stories I read this morning was about how public transportation is suffering .  Not enough vehicles for the masses of people now depending on them. Not enough routes.

Another story was, as usual, about big oil, and the Republicans fighting a Dem based measure to fine big oil for making so much money. I'm a Democrat, and personally, I think the Republicans are right...punishing big oil is not going to benefit the average guy one little bit, it's only going to benefit big government.

It got me to thinking, and made me wonder why no one else has thought of it, yet. Might be a good idea, might not, buuuttttt......! Here goes.

Now, I know it might not work in a lot of towns, but here in southwest Pennsylvania, we have tons of small town, and each one used to have a train station. Most of those stations are gone.
 
And, most of these small towns have what used to be Main Streets. Those thoroughfares where one could purchase pretty much everything one needed. Shoes, clothes, dry goods. Food. Fresh, canned, frozen. Ice cream parlors and soda shops. Carpets, furniture, appliances large and small. Plants and flowers. Dishes, pots, pans.  You name it, there was a place to buy it in small town America. Now, we have to drive 5, 10, sometimes 50 miles to find a place to shop. I know, the advent of the internet has made shopping from home as easy as clicking a button and punching in some numbers. And that's great, for big ticket or hard to find items. But for everyday items, that we need to run our homes and businesses, it was nice to know that it was  there, on Main Street, within walking distance of home. Of course, walking distance could be anywhere from 5 minutes to 30, but, we want to get healthier, so, no big deal on that point, right? And, sometimes, it's nice just to get out of the house and actually look at things you might want to buy, y'know??

Pittsburgh used to be a place where twice a week, all the stores were open late, for those coming in from the suburbs and the rural areas to shop. That ended in the 80's, with the malls being built everywhere. Now, there isn't really any reason to go there. I used to be able to go down the street and shop for clothes, shoes, household goods, or just to get lunch.  That also ended in the 80's, and now I have to drive 10 minutes to get to the grocery store, 15 to get to the local strip mall, or, if I want better quality goods than Walmart offers, 30 minutes to get to the new development in Washington. And restaurants that aren't part of a chain  or fast food are pretty much extinct outside of the Pittsburgh area. We have a few, but they are pretty far to travel for a meal.

I wouldn't mind if there was a train that stopped here in town several times a day and went to  a Pittsburgh that was more like it used to be, as far as shopping, culture, and dining was concerned. Or Washington, Greensburg, or even Erie or Harrisburg.  A day trip once every few weeks via train  to Philly or Washington would be a welcome break, so, why not start a nation-wide movement to bring back those main street shops  and train stations, and give people a way to get from one to another that was convenient, comfortable, and easy to access in any town, village, and hamlet? It makes sense, in these times, to go back to a form of travel and shopping that worked in years gone by. I think a lot of us would see more of this country if trains were more readily available to us as travelers. Let someone else do the driving, sit back enjoy the ride in compartments rather than sitting in row upon annoying row of seats. If I want to do that, I'll ride a bus...oh, wait, not enough going to enough places. Dining cars, sleeping berths, private rooms...sounds kinda nice, and probably half the price of  airfare.
My brother in law lives in Cleveland, about a 3 hour drive. I'm betting a train would take less time, be cheaper, and much more comfortable, not to mention, more fun.

 Maybe it's time, for big retailers to downsize, and accomodate the people they need, and who need them. I mean, let's face it, shopping is something few people are going to give up. Why not revitalize the small towns by putting in smaller stores, catalog outlets, services, and dining, in the areas where lots of people live, and giving them the transportation to get there? Thant means more jobs, more taxes paid to small towns, more money all the way around in the long run. Maybe more new customers who will become long term customers.

 Seems to me the two go hand in hand, shopping, and travel, and will do  more so as gas prices keep rising, cause, let's face it, they aren't going to go down, ever, and they aren't going to stop rising any time soon. And if what I read is true, that governors in some states have RAISED the taxes on gas by as much as 40 cents, then, hell, I want a train. I want to see the miles of tracks we have used for more than hauling coal and toxic chemicals.

And just maybe, by re-animating small towns, and re-creating a public transit system that at one time connected every town on this continent,
we might see a population that will start maturing, rather than running around helter-skelter and whining about every little thing. Maybe we will see a more stable economy, with more stores providing more jobs in more localized areas , rather than mass retailers cutting back on employees to save costs. I honestly think there are a lot of people in this country who would prefer being  able to walk to do their shopping and socializing nearby as opposed to having to drive 15 or more minutes to a crowded , impersonal mall, having to fight traffic all the way.

What I'm saying, is 1) bring back Main Street shopping, only maybe this time, we need to base it on more European models of villages and towns.2)  It's time for the big-box retailers to break themselves down, and start fitting into the mold of small town America.
Then 3) reform transportation, start using trains again. This country has thousands of small towns, and hundreds of miles of railroad tracks  connecting them. Use them, again. Refer, again, to Europe and Japan.

Let's start being the creative, problem solving country we used to be, rather than a bunch of whiny gimmes who cater to big business adn . It's time, again, for big business to cater to us. Lets learn from older and newer countries, instead of insisting that we got it right, because, you know what, we didn't. We, as consumers, screwed up long ago, by rejecting the old for the new, and where did it get us? Heading back to where our parents and grandparents lived, to that time when we were less wasteful consumers, and more doers, that time when things were more personal, closer to a home filled with jobs, and families, and lives we could be proud of.
 I know it's not a perfect solution, none exists. But, it might be one that would help recreate our country. And, it is a way to revitalize small towns.
 Suburban developments? Maybe it's time for jokes of neighborhoods  to also change, and become more like towns and hamlets....small shops, post offices, gas stations, small businesses that would cater to the people living in those lifeless horrors. And ways to get to them, other than personal vehicles.

And maybe, just maybe, it might be a way to rebuild ourselves, and our pride, our children, our nation.