Amtrak's Horrible, Expensive Food to Protect Overpaid Public Jobs

"It's a whopper of an idea, trading good-paying jobs for cheaper hamburgers," is the defense.

Selling edible food at a profit is not rocket science. Even the airlines have increasingly figured out how to do so. If Amtrak can't do it itself, it could outsource its food service operations to a company like Gate Gourmet that has expertise in travel catering.

Why doesn't Amtrak do this? Nick Rahall, the ranking Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has one answer. He says Amtrak food service jobs are well-paying, and we shouldn't eliminate them, even if the food service is expensive and terrible. "It's a whopper of an idea, trading good-paying jobs for cheaper hamburgers," said Rahall.