What has gotten into Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez? She used to be somewhat fiscally conservative but lately she has really lost it. For example, she testified in Congress this week that we need high speed rail – and her “evidence” was that she used to have to wait up to 45 minutes to take off in private jets, before she was in Congress. And her kicker was talking about the shutdown of part of the 60 Freeway, after a gasoline tanker burned up and damaged an overpass.
Here’s the question – how would high speed rail fix any of this? The biggest downside is the cost of building it but beyond that rail has a limitation that airplanes don’t have – it travels only from point A to point B. You can fly from John Wayne Airport virtually anywhere of note. A high speed rail line that goes from Orange County to Sacramento will eventually get you to Northern California, but what if you wanted to go to Las Vegas? Or Phoenix? You would be out of luck – and even worse, as a taxpayer you would still be stuck subsidizing the rail line. Continue reading
