In the second half of his term President Jimmy Carter signed a series of laws deregulating shipping and transportation in the United States. The Staggers Act, signed into law in 1980, would deregulate rail freight shipping. The law eliminated the government price fixing by the Interstate Commerce Commission and instead allowed the carriers to set their own rates. This deregulation allowed the freight railroad network in the United States to flourish, while in contrast the government controlled Amtrak passenger rail system has floundered. The collective bargaining agreement that governs the...