Comments on: Is California’s High-Speed Rail Getting More or Less Money Under the New Congress?

By: Over a Dozen States Get Wisconsin and Ohio’s High-Speed Rail Money – CleanTechnica: Cleantech innovation news and views

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:01:17 +0000

[…] California: up to $624 million […]

By: Zachary Shahan

Zachary Shahan — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 21:38:22 +0000

yeah, there are uncertainties. we don’t have HSR in the US.

& everyone has a right to their own opinion based on what they consider more- or less-important societal factors

By: Pete

Pete — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 05:37:47 +0000

Thanks for your impute. Sorry if I came accross abrupt. I can appreciate your opinion. This HSR is such a big decision. No one really knows if it will work or not. I just have read and studied the negative vrs. the positive impact on The USA and California. I believe the negatives out way the positives in this case. Your Matsers vrs. my High School diploma. I guess we’ll see who was right in about 10 to 20 years or so.
Best wishes.
Pete

By: Zachary Shahan

Zachary Shahan — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 23:20:18 +0000

Ted: very simply, these things happen in phases. you cannot get to phase 3 without doing phase 1 & 2 first.

By: Zachary Shahan

Zachary Shahan — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 23:19:30 +0000

Pete: I’ve got a Master’s in city & regional planning. I’ve studied these issues for years. I’ve seen these arguments come up more times than I can count. I’m sorry to say that I think you go way overboard on your criticisms of the project. There will be environmental impacts, but the long-term environmental benefits are greater. The project will create some jobs for foreigners as well, but it will create a ton of highly-needed jobs for U.S. citizens — find something that will create more. As with any infrastructure project (let alone the largest in CA in 50 years), there will be those who oppose it, but there will be many more who benefit from it. If our society doesn’t progress, you can be sure that the U.S. will not be in the position it is in today globally — and we can already see that shift occurring from 8 years of the Bush administration.

By: Ted Crocker

Ted Crocker — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 09:04:37 +0000

Here is what the California HSR project has dwindled down to; the proverbial bridge to nowhere created by fully subsidized jobs, and paid for by the tax payers.

http://www.calhsr.com/environmental-review/preview-of-upcoming-california-high-speed-rail-authority-board-meeting/

Is it any wonder that Lewis is thinking that giving CA ARRA funding for HSR wasn’t such a good idea after all? It seems CA is headed towards building a glorified Amtrak system in the middle of nowhere, instead of a true HSR system connecting SF and LA as promised. Pulling the funding is very rational and is called cutting losses.

By: Dr Stanwyk

Dr Stanwyk — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 22:08:17 +0000

Guys – I suggest you turn your attention to the situation in Ohio and Wisconsin. It is VERY SERIOUS. If those states are allowed to fall, then California is next. An article or two encouraging people in those states to stand up is the only thing that will save California too!

Also – your image seems to be linked to a weird popup of itself.

By: Pete

Pete — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:37:36 +0000

I live in California where the HSR project is now looked at like a huge mistake by most Californians. When the vote was passed to start the project, prop 1A promised lots of things that the HSR authorities have since disregarded or have lied about. I will start with cost. The total cost wa suppose to be $30 billion, now it’s $43 billion and reality and studies predict $200 billion. A one way ticket was suppose to cost $55, now it’s up to $105. Anyone can take a plane for $65. It’s suppose to create 600,000 jobs for Californians, but in reality, it will be like a gold rush and workers from other countries and states will come in and work for lower wages. They talk about it being “Green” and helping curb polution, when just building it over the next 20 years will cause the same amount of polution as 70 years of cars on the road in Cali. They said it would have little if no affect on homes and businesses, when if fact they are trying to push HSR down the Peninsula and other small towns throughout Cali and take houses, businesses and also cut down over 20,000 trees along the way. Then there is the over escalated ridership numbers. UC Berkely and Stanford have both done studies that show bisically the HSR authority just “guessed” on ridership numbers and the actual ridership numbers are less than half of what was predicted. And last, All of the materials used to build this thing is coming from CHINA! and if the Feds don’t fund it, Cali want to barrow the money from China, S. Korea, Japan and Germany. We will have to pay this back with interest (all U.S. taxpayers). So to wrap it up HSR in California is a big waste of taxpayers money and will not produce the promises that the HSR authorities have promised. Please do more research and write a new article. That is if you are an investigative journalist Mr. Shahan. Go to http://www.highspeedboondoggle.com for more info. Thank you. Pete