Along with hoverboards and flying cars, high-speed rail is one of the most iconic futuristic technologies discussed today. European and Asian countries such as Germany, France, Japan and China have been using high-speed trains with great success for decades. Japan has been a leading innovator in the field of high-speed trains and has currently developed a train capable of reaching 500 km/h (Shadbolt). This MagLev is revolutionizing public transport and changing the world's view of trains forever. The average European high-speed train can travel at speeds above 220 mph (“I 10”). The United States has fallen behind in this highly efficient, safe, and environmentally friendly high-speed rail race. With the amount of traffic congestion between cities like Los Angeles and San Diego, Dallas and Houston, Miami and Orlando, high-speed rail could significantly reduce the time and cost of travel between these cities. With the ability to travel at more than 200 miles per hour, safely, the time would be reduced by approximately 70% (based on calculations of the average car travel time from Dallas to Houston (4.5 hours) and the estimated travel time for a high-speed train (1.28 hours) to Waizel). This will not only decrease travel time, but will also reduce traffic, which saves lives by reducing the risk of road accidents, helps the environment by reducing cars on the road, creates jobs and reduces airport traffic for short flights . Overall, high-speed rail benefits the United States by creating jobs, helping the environment, reducing safety risks, and providing safe and reliable public transportation. The US unemployment rate has been steadily decreasing ("Database, Tables") thanks to a recovering economy and many businesses and government trying to help people find... half the paper... if ever more people get licensed. Let's start construction now while we desperately need jobs. The system has already been mapped and is ready to go. California is already trying to train people for the work of building the high-speed rail system. The only obstacle preventing the high-speed rail network from becoming a reality is funding. Obama has already said he wants to spend the money to create a vast high-speed rail network, but Republicans and Supreme Court Justice Kenny prevent spending money to create this network (Williams)(Marin). High-speed rail is a huge project that should not go without debate, but there is currently too much discussion about it. The advantages of high-speed rail far outweigh its disadvantages, which is why today is the best time to start implementing high-speed rail in America.