Alpern At Large: Spinning High Speed Rail and the Law for political gain

The idea of more carefully building a statewide higher/high-speed rail network between urban centers where it's cost-effective and legally viable? Where is the leadership from the state?

By: Ken Alpern, Chair
Alpern@MarVista.org 

Oooh, that whole "democracy" thing is so darned hard, isn't it?  And that whole "constitutional" thing--really hard, ain't it?  But there's a way to get around all that, isn't there ... just do something, damned the illegality of it, and beg for permission, right?  Way harder than asking the citizens and legal authorities, right?

Jump into Iraq based on nebulous information?  No problem--let's fix it after we blunder in.

Tell everyone that a federally-required health plan isn't a tax, and that it's affordable and easy?  No problem--let's fix it after we blunder in.

Jump on board a High-Speed Rail plan that breaks the funding and speed laws the voters approved?  No problem--let's fix it after we blunder in.

Because you'll get re-elected...

Read more and comment at CityWatch.

Ken Alpern chairs The Transit Coalition and is a LA Westside Village Zone Director and Boardmember of the Mar Vista Community Council. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Mr. Alpern.