Here's a YouTube conversation with a Central Valley local City Councilman Jim Kopshever. The so-called interview is somewhat laughable since the interviewer persistently puts words into the respondent's mouth. But, never mind.
It should go without saying that not only in the Central Valley, but throughout California there are huge conflicts over the high-speed rail project; not only among different interest groups and "stakeholders," but within individuals themselves.
It's like kids outside a candy store. It all looks so good in there, but that stuff can raise hell with your stomach and ruin your day. You know it's bad for you, but you can't resist the temptations.
Or, if you prefer an adult metaphor, it's guys (like me) who press their noses against the windows of the Ferrari dealer but at the same time know that it's a very bad idea. Hey, if I borrow the money to pay for this overpriced toy, what harm could it do? Right?
So, our Chowchilla political representative wants it both ways. He tells us that he is fearful of the adverse consequences and the failures, such as no impact on the unemployment, but he still wants this train because it will spread the wealth in his community and make it grow. In short he doesn't mind the train, but he wants the local community to control the route.
It sounds like the N-word to me. That is, they still want it but not in their backyards!
(Let me make this point absolutely clear. This is not a NIMBY blog. I don't want this project anywhere.)
The fact is, to return to the car metaphor, that while it certainly looks flashy and makes an owner believe he looks good, it's nearly useless for taking us to work and back, or going shopping, or improving our financial situation, or doing anything else practical. And boy is it expensive! And are the lending rates high! And is the upkeep very demanding and costly! And then we realize that we bit off much more than we can chew.
Final comment about this brief interview. You can easily imagine the suburban sprawl that's bound to follow the tracks, although the rail authority denies this. There are land-speculators in the Central Valley just waiting for all the developers to come knocking on their doors.
At the same time, the rail authority has also stated that it's not intended as a commuter train to get to work each day. In that case, what's the point? A Disneyland Express for the well to do?
Thanks, Rita, for sending this.
