Rail is an investment in the futures of our children and grandchildren that will pay for itself in the long run. But we should also invest in kids in poverty who never receive adequate early education. They do very poorly in school and in life if they miss the important developmental tasks in their early years. For them it's a basic need. And for us it's an investment in their futures that they cannot afford. Studies show that even at ages 27 and 40 they lose out and are on the bottom of the heap.

"...significantly higher earnings, rates of home ownership, and levels of schooling, as well as significantly fewer arrests and social service interventions, than a control group of non-preschool participants. Cost-benefit analysis revealed that, over the lifetimes of the participants, the preschool program returned to the public an estimated $7.16 for every dollar spent."