The third runway at Sea-Tac opens today—and there's already talk of building a fourth runway. Maybe we should follow California's lead and invest in high-speed rail instead? California voters—lately pilloried in this space—voted to build an "800-mile high-speed train system serving Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, the Central Valley, the Inland Empire, Orange County and San Diego." If we can get Oregon to sign on, we could have high-speed rail corridor running up and down the entire west coast.

Yeah, yeah: deficits and stuff. And building rail will be more expensive than plunking another runway down at Sea-Tac. But building rail will be less traumatic, process-and-lawsuit-wise, and it's better long-term investment, and rail is ultimately a cheaper, and more environmentally-friendly way to move people and goods.