Will Californians Support High-speed Rail?
In addition to pulling for an Obama win next Tuesday & perhaps even 60 D-seats in the Senate, I'm most interested in the outcome of California's Proposition 1a, the high-speed rail act.
Voters are being asked to approve the issuance of $10 billion worth of bonds to finance this ambitious project, which would provide a high-speed rail service from San Francisco & Sacramento to San Diego. Passage of the proposition is by no means a sure thing & the debate is running pretty hot.
So Californians have the chance to step up on a major issue & show some leadership & some guts. Yes, they have a major structural budget deficit ... but this is a transcendent issue. This is a rethinking of how we get from point A to B in this country. This would be taking action to rearrange our lifestyles to address the energy crisis. This would open people's eyes to new forms of transportation. This would get people off the road, out of their cars. This would be real change & a new direction.
This is when we have to start projects like these. Right now. Not in 5 years. This couldn't be more important & I hope Californians do the right thing.
