471. Mayor Pete and Elaine Chao Hit the Road

Freakonomics Radio

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Documentary, Society & Culture

4.6 • 32K Ratings

🗓️ 5 August 2021

⏱️ 49 minutes

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Summary

While other countries seem to build spectacular bridges, dams, and even entire cities with ease, the U.S. is stuck in pothole-fixing mode. We speak with an array of transportation nerds — including the secretary of transportation and his immediate predecessor — to see if a massive federal infrastructure package can put America back in the driver’s seat.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Love it or hate it, there will never be another country in the world that is more auto-oriented
0:09.6	than the United States.
0:12.4	The difference between America and England, it has been said, is that Americans think
0:17.1	a hundred years is a long time, while the English think a hundred miles is a long way.
0:23.2	American drivers put on more miles than drivers in any other country, over 13,000 a year
0:28.6	on average, that's nearly 30% more than Canadians who are second.
0:33.3	It isn't just that Americans love their cars.
0:36.4	It's almost as if cars are America.
0:39.5	If you've ever watched American TV, you already know this from the car commercials.
0:44.5	Here are a couple things America got right, cars, and freedom.
0:51.9	Other countries they work, they stroll home, they stop by the cafe, they take August off.
0:56.8	Off.
0:58.2	This country can't be knocked out with one punch.
1:00.6	We get right back up again, and when we do, the world's going to hear the roar of our
1:04.0	engines.
1:06.2	What is it that accounts for this bond between Americans and our cars?
1:11.1	In a series of episodes, we've been exploring the ways in which the US is an outlier among
1:16.0	the nations of the world.
1:17.7	As we've learned, the US is the world leader in terms of individualism.
1:22.7	In an individualistic society, a person is like an atom in a gas.
1:27.0	They can freely float about, and life is an adventure.
1:30.8	Life is an adventure.
	...

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