[If it is permissible to say anything in favor of high-speed rail, here is my offering:]
I don’t recall ever seeing a total, eventual cost estimate for the Interstate Highway system, nor Hoover Dam; nor was there a concerted media put-down campaign against either of these massive undertakings. So, why, now, are pundit– types so riled up against high-speed rail? Of course, it’s running way over budget. Doesn’t everything of this size? Behind schedule? Well consider, if we built one of these every year or so we could easily prepare an accurate construction schedule, couldn’t we? Funding? Investors? For heaven sakes, this is a massive public utility were talking about, not some high tech startup. You don’t look for “investors” in a project like this. Investors are looking for big profits, whereas high speed rail should be funded with long-term bonds which pay off over time. Attractively priced, long-term bonds can tap into an almost bottomless pit of investment capital. So why are we not simply plowing ahead to build something that will benefit everyone and pay for it over the many generations of its use?
Howard F. Sosbee 1400 Weston Ridge Road Scotts Valley CA, 95066 831, 335, 8401 hfs@sosbee.com <mailto:hfs@sosbee.com>
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