China's Trains Are Better Than America's, and That's a Good Thing

While America is slowly working to get its high-speed rail system under way, China is moving full-speed-ahead with its own: According to The New York Times, 42 high-speed lines either recently opened or are set to open in China within the next two years. As analysts draw comparisons between the two countries' rail efforts, the U.S. seems to be falling behind, with a program that is slower, more diffuse, and taking longer to develop. But these shortcomings may actually reflect America's most valuable resource: a political and economic system that is better developed and more responsive to the needs of its people.