Socialist schmocialist... It just doesn't matter.

The fact of the matter is that without government involvment our transportation system would be even worse off than it is now. Reason: companies need to show profits in relatively short time frames (technically 7 years, but practically several quarters - stockholders don't really want to wait 5 years to see a profit) and the capital investment costs of building a highways or mass transit systems are so high only super heavily traveled routes would be supported.

There are definitely some routes that would get excellent service from private highway owners, but the route between Thomson and Augusta, Ga. would be a dirt road and probably not exist at all.

That's way governments build roads. Socialist governments, Communist governments, Capitalist governments, Monarchies...heck the Pope probably builds his own roads in the Vatican.