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Amtrak:

This says it all, and comes directly from the United States Department of Transportation's web site:

• For 2008: "Amtrak forecasts it will finish FY 2008 with an operating loss of $456 million, $19 million less than budgeted."
• For 2007: "Amtrak's financial performance was stronger than expected. Amtrak's FY 2007 cash operating loss of $429 million was $56 million lower than its budgeted level of $485 million and lower than its $452 million cash operating loss in FY 2006".
• For 2006: "Amtrak’s planned operational reforms reflected in its Board-approved FY 2006 budget would result in a projected operating loss of $586 million".

There is something inherently wrong with a system that has to be subsidized in order to continue to exist.  Those of us who pay taxes, have kicked in over $40 billion to keep Amtrak alive over the last 30 years.  In 2007 our government approved a subsidy for Amtrak in the amount of $1.294 billion.  In 2008, Amtrak asked for a subsidy of $1.680 billion.  

 In 2007, Alex Kummant, Amtrak President and CEO was proud to announce that, "Ridership across the country reached 14.3 million during the first seven months of the fiscal year, an increase of 5 percent over last year".  

Here's the math that nobody seems to be able to do: In 2007, tax payers gave Amtrak $1,294,000,000 to keep it afloat.  That means, for each of the estimated 25 million passengers that took the train in 2007, taxpayers paid some $52 toward their ticket price.

Oklahoma is trying to snatch $2 billion of federal stimulus money to build a high-speed rail system between Oklahoma City and Tulsa.  This two billion would come out of some $8 billion your government has set aside for nationwide high-speed train travel.

Locally, each year, Oklahoma throws $2.3 million of taxpayer money at the Heartland Flyer, Oklahoma's current rail system between Oklahoma City and Dallas.  In addition to the $2.3 million Oklahoma subsidizes for the route, Texas adds another $2 million to make up for annual losses.  Despite this loosing streak,  there are serious discussions about adding to the taxpayers' burden the high-speed Oklahoma City to Tulsa system.

If Oklahoma's high-speed rail system is built with money funded by the government, it will still take some $22 million a year to operate it.  True to form, Oklahoma tax payers will have to subsidize any shortfalls.  David Streb, from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation said that operational costs would likely include a partnership involving the state, Tulsa and Oklahoma City.  In other words, taxpayer money.

Why do we allow a very small number of people and bureaucrats with special interests continue to spend our money.  When will we just learn to say "no"?