When pollsters ask people about government, politicians, and the direction of the country, a frequently expressed frustrations is that officials aren’t listening to their constituents. Signs asking “Are you listening now?” were prominent during the celebration of Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown’s victory in the recent special election for the Senate seat. President Obama’s insistence that Congress pass his health care reform despite the opposition of a strong majority of Americans illustrates the way Washington thumbs its nose at people beyond the Beltway. Another example is Obama’s announcement Thursday of more than $8 billion in economic stimulus grants for 13 high-speed rail transit projects.

The president says these projects should be built because they will put trains capable of traveling at 168 mph on routes between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Tampa and Orlando, Fla., and 11 other “transportation corridors.” But the people who will have to pay for these massive spending programs have been voting against heavy rail projects for decades. Automobiles account for 88 percent of all passenger travel in this country, and commercial airlines make up most of the rest. Commercial passenger rail lines — think Amtrak– have been money-losing propositions for so long that only continuous infusions of federal tax dollars have kept them operating.