Visionary billionaires investing in cutting-edge transportation?
Sounds great.
Until it isn't.
Remember what happened to Gotham when Thomas Wayne died?
When the Wayne family’s shiny monorail fell into disrepair?
The city descended into dysfunction and chaos. Not because of criminals, but because myopic leaders had hitched the public welfare to one man's fate and fortune.
We’ve seen it time and again, in both fiction and the real world.
Elon Musk's bid to privatize critical infrastructure threatened to set a dangerous precedent.
Letting modern-day Howard Hughes types reshape the built environment in their image is a recipe for disaster.
Oh, the negative effects may not be felt immediately.
Not by the politicians who greenlight these projects, eager to ride the coattails of Silicon Valley darlings.
But in time, the people who rely on that infrastructure will suffer.
There's nothing inherently wrong with private investment in public works. But the deals must be structured with the long-term welfare of citizens in mind. Safeguards and contingencies to ensure continuity of service, come what may.
Abdicating responsibility, and placing the public weal in the hands of capricious private interests is only going to delay a world of pain.
