© Brian A. Tyler and SwitchingModes.com, 2009.
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I posted this comment on the California High-Speed Rail Blog:
There are numerous comments here that express disappointment over the speech today, especially in regards to California not receiving enough money. Keep in mind the stimulus bill was meant to stimulate the economy. The fact that it will also stimulate HSR is just a side benefit. After all, John Maynard Keynes, the economist who developed the notion of using government money to stimulate a flagging economy once said, “The government should pay people to dig holes in the ground and then fill them up.” He responded to critics by saying, “Fine, pay them to build schools. The point is it doesn’t matter what they do as long as the government is creating jobs”.
The CHSRA has an excellent project on their hands, but it is expensive and will take a long time to complete. It is a worthwhile endeavor, but there are many small improvements that offer excellent cost benefit ratios and can be built quickly. Keep in mind our rail system has been neglected and that true HSR will one day be just the backbone to that system; we need both; we need to take care of our rail network everywhere. I laud Obama for his, “first step.”