All the High-Speed Rail News That's Fit to Print; and then some

This is a further sampling of article offerings over the last two days, all taking a hard look at what is going on with high-speed rail in California.  This most recent California High-Speed Rail Peer Review Group (CHSRAPRG) report is a physician's certificate of death. As it happens, Dr. Frankenstein; that is, Governor Jerry Brown, intends to keep the cadaver alive and looking as if it was healthy in order to remain eligible for the FRA ARRA Stimulus grant of nearly $4 billion.

But, we can say with certainty that we are no longer ignored by the press, both within California and nationally.  Everyone can now see this monstrousity for what it really is.  It is a shell of a rail program and project; more like a Hollywood stage set. It plays well on TV, like an infomercial.  For a long time, the politicians who had pushed this project into existence insisted on calling it a "concept." That is, without substance.

All the problems began to emerge when the rail authority got its wish to go ahead and build this train. Reality immediately began to look nothing like the concept.  That put the rail authority in a bind.  How to make a less and less likely project continue to look like the visionary concept. When that scam began to fail, as it surely would, government agencies began to see through their veil of deceit.

And so did the public. Some sooner than others.  Now, the reality cat is out of the bag.  Even their own Peer Review Group has recognized it and is calling the rail authority on it.  They are also asking the State Legislature to halt any further funding.

Our fear is that this zombie/monster will continue to stalk across California without a chance of survival beyond the expenditure of the $6 billion they can get their hands on now.  Dr. Frankenstein wants that money desperately and cannot be stopped, even by all us villagers with our torches and pitchforks.

Anyhow, here's as good a picture of all this as you can get:


http://www.calwatchdog.com/2012/01/04/choo-choo-boondoggle-runs-off-cliff/?mid=56


http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/intelligent-energy/uk-railways-all-aboard-the-unaffordable-express/11786?tag=search-river


http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2012/0104/Did-98.5-billion-high-speed-rail-project-just-hit-a-wall-in-California


http://reason.com/blog/2012/01/05/55-percent-of-americans-want-private-ent


http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/04/us-economy-california-high-speed-rail-idUSTRE80305A20120104


http://www.bakersfield.com/opinion/letters/x4969998/Report-stakes-HSR-in-its-heart


http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/transportation/2012/01/advisory-group-recommends-withholding-billions-high-speed-rail


http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=226029&title=Burlingame+calls+to+stop+high-speed+rail


http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-05/rail-regulator-deceived-congress-california-s-denham-says.html


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2012%2F01%2F04%2FMNMR1ML0AH.DTL


http://www.calwhine.com/bullet-train-chair-rips-respected-critic-for-analytical-deficiency-really-really-really/1465/?mid=56


http://www.calwatchdog.com/2012/01/04/choo-choo-boondoggle-runs-off-cliff/?mid=56


http://www.mercurynews.com/california-high-speed-rail/ci_19668833?source=rss&mid=56


http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/bond-112756-speed-project.html