With every American from President Bush on down complaining about the high price of gasoline and ways to curb our appetite for the fuel, the government is overlooking the obvious.

How about more funding for Amtrak, the nation's beleaguered passenger rail service?

Amtrak - born when the operations of 18 passenger railroads were combined - turned 35 on Monday, but its growth has been stunted by lack of adequate federal funding. With a fuel crisis looming, it's time to realize Amtrak's promise.

Now more than ever, America needs a fast, efficient and affordable mass transit system that is expanded to connect cities, and that's why Amtrak, despite a history of poor management, needs government help.

From the start, Amtrak was saddled with cast-off equipment from private railroads and worn-out infrastructure. If Amtrak had been adequately financed when it was created in 1971, perhaps the nation's commuters wouldn't be so reliant on their gas-guzzling SUVs.

Perhaps American commuters would be more like European commuters - happy to sit back and watch the scenery go by. Imagine taking a nap, reading a book or taking notes on a laptop while traveling to work. As a way to travel, it sure beats driving along the nation's congested highways - and it sure beats filling up a gas tank to the tune of $30 to $60.

Lack of investment in the rail system has yielded predictable results. Amtrak has debt of more than $3.5 billion and its operating loss for 2005 topped $550 million. Last year, it had to suspend all high-speed Acela service due to cracks discovered in some brakes.

The government's answer to the rail system's problems is to eliminate Amtrak's operating subsidy and remake it as a private operation. Amtrak is seeking $1.59 billion for the next fiscal year, while Bush is calling for $900 million.

As we've said before in this space, that mindset is the wrong way to run a railroad. The nation's highways don't turn a profit, but billions of funds are dedicated to keeping the roads in shape. And many would agree that the nation's highways haven't been maintained well enough to handle the volume of traffic.