Letter: High-speed rail will be boondoggle
I am disappointed by the passage of Measure 1A.
I think this rail system will just be another government boondoggle with a bunch of do-nothing employees bringing in big bucks. Just because France and Japan have theirs doesn’t mean we have to have one.
Where are we going to get the electricity to power it? Nuclear power? Did they mention that? This thing was sold as a rapid transportation system between L.A. and San Francisco, with stops in between. How many stops? Bakersfield? Visalia? Fresno and more? Going to feel like a jackrabbit, Zero to 200 between stops.
How many people can it hold? What’s the break-even fare. Or do we care? Remember, we have to have parking lots at each stop. How big are they going to be? Are we going to have security (TSA) before boarding? How soon do we have to be at the station before departure? Is it going to run on time? Where in L.A. and San Francisco are the stations going to be? Can I get off at Disneyland or the Wharf?
Take a mental trip from Madera to Disneyland. Add up your driving time to the station. Factor in all the time. Parking, security, stops, de-training, transportation to Disneyland, etc. Now, once you are there, figure in a trip to Long Beach. How do you get there? How do you get back?
The High Speed Rail might be fun, but that’s about it. It will be as fast to drive and have your wheels with you, than to take the “Rail.” Let’s make 99 better and put in monorails to places like Yosemite and Kings Canyon.
We could eliminate all vehicle traffic in the parks and service them by monorail. Elevated to eliminate conflict with wildlife. Smooth and swift to and from the park. We could even have a Virtual Reality Train. You get on in Fresno. The lights go out. Then the lights come on and the windows are filled with the magic of the ride. Through the tunnel we go and out into the splendor of the valley. A little mist hits your face as you go past Bridle Vail. The smell of pine fills the car. All this and you never leave Fresno! Now That’s a tree-hugger adventure.
Ahhh California. Where men marry men, idiots make the rules and we follow.
Bill Hoffrage,
Madera
I think Bill Hoffrage is right, and I loved his last paragraph. I didn’t vote for the high speed rail because of its astronomical cost which many voters do not seem to understand. I would love to ride on such a train, but our kids and their kids will still be trying to pay for it long after we are gone (if it ever gets built).
Our state is in financial trouble now, and we really can’t afford any more bonds. I think there should be a moratorium on bonds until this state gets straightened out. New taxes are being discussed and the governor wants to implement a fun tax on places like Disneyland or Magic Mountain.
I watched a Zogbey survey on YouTube where they interviewed young people that supported Obama and asked a number of simple questions about Obama and the platform he was running on. They had no clue what he wanted to do and didn’t know the difference between him and McCain. It struck me that we had a lot of clueless voters voting in this election. It now appears Obama is not going to do many of the things he said he was going to do. Reality has set in.
I sent an e-mail to the governor asking him if the majority of voters that voted for Prop. 8 needed to demonstrate on the Capitol steps as the homosexuals are doing? I don’t expect an answer.
Frank Bradford,
Madera