Lind likes to portray himself as a bit of a crank and anachronism. That would be don’t use computers, bring back street cars, and even joking about being a monarchist who doesn’t care much about democracy. In reality, he has a clear vision of how to get us off oil dependence and onto workable public transit.
He is co-author with the late Paul Weyrich of a book detailing all this, Moving Minds: Conservatives and Public Transportation. I own it and heartily recommend it. The why-and-how-to book would be particularly useful for anyone in Washington who wants to implement sensible rail systems.
He told us why maglev and other high-end systems are not for us. As important, he describes what does work and is obtainable. The man makes sense, as I found out when I trepidly went into his session at the Rail-Volultion conference, which was in Boston last year. I went in not sure I wanted to hear what a famous conservative had to say and came out nodding, grunting and with a sheaf of notes.
Lind and his compatriot Glen Bottoms have just started the American Conservative Center for Public Transportation, outside of D.C. Its website is almost ready and will shortly be a link off The American Conservative. They have, if you and they pardon the expression, some very progressive aims.
