[Vautrin]

And what is a trillion dollar anyway? The current budget deficit is much larger than that, and still the US comes up with ways to decrease revenue and increase spending. And I am quite certain that with some private sector funding, the State does not even have to pay it all themselves. And part of the ticket revenue (depending on what the agreement would be; think of concessions) could be funnelled back in the treasury, thus helping to pay for the system.

Because of the inherited lack of investment in public transportation systems in these cities, the costs rise exponentially (just imagine what 1 mile of subway station would cost in NYC, and compare that to middle of nowhere in Oklahoma state, or even Oklahoma City). Go take a look in the cities of the far East such as Seoul and others with public transport infrastructure.

The system might be expensive, but as noted before, a lot of the current costs associated with cars remain hidden. Such as the employer having to hire extra staff, because the staff can't avoid traffic jams. Car related costs (increased insurance premiums, damages, maintenance & replacement), which all put pressure on wages, which adversely affects the US economy, because of international competition. Housing costs, and costs associated with that, but for private people as for corporates. If people need a car to get to their work, do expect to see that reflected in their wage demands.

Unlike Europe social benefits in the US are not of too much concern to US employers; unemployment benefits don't last a life-time, so there is even more of a motivation for US employers to get rid of unneeded staff (because they don't have to pay via backdoors and general taxes for a permanent increase in unemployment benefits; any increase with the current legislation is temporary).