Look ... obviously it is a complicated issue. Nothing is black and white. I'd wouldn't claim that every streetcar system in North America was destroyed in some type of nefarious plot. Obviously that isn't how reality works, and even your article admits that said companies did influence the "trajectory of streetcar travel". Many trolley systems clearly were bought up by subsidiary companies of GM, and GM was indicted over conspiracy to monopolize the market, so it seems clear that there was at least some intent.
However (and while I fully admit that I responded and only mentioned the Streetcar Scandal), my statement "greed placed before the public good" was also to be applicable to many other federal, state, and municipal policies and zoning laws that, over the course of 3 decades, supported the highway system and automobile (in favour of automobile manufacturers who did and still do lobby government) at the expense of streetcar system. These policies gave the automobile a distinct advantage over trolley systems, and damaged public transit in many cities across North America.
We can agree to disagree, if you want. I appreciate the article and it does make some good points. Regardless, I still think that the CLRVs are historically important and should be preserved.