Patrick Verwer, London Midland's managing director, said the franchise extension would give the company the stability to "continue to improve our service and focus on providing the reliable, consistent service our passengers expect and deserve".
Because deficit reduction, with the exception of a few esoteric groups -- most of them inside Washington -- is not a desirable goal unto itself, it is a goal in service of a bigger goal, which is economic growth, stability for the middle class, more and better job creation.