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United States News Title: If you care about Fresno and want it to thrive, you need to support high-speed rail I believe in high-speed rail. How can anyone living and working in Fresno not share that sentiment? Nothing else has the potential to take Californias fifth-largest city from an out-of-the-way burg overlooked by most of the state and transform us into something better, something more connected. I dont want this to always be a place where high poverty rates and unemployment walk arm-in-arm with low job creation and wages. A place that qualifies for every federal and state grant because were so socially and economically disadvantaged that everyone else feels sorry. I want something better for Fresno and the central San Joaquin Valley. Something that only will be achieved by being networked to the rest of California via trains traveling at 220 mph. We do need that connectivity, agreed Lee Ann Eager, CEO of the Fresno County Economic Development Corporation. I wish I could say we could do that on our own, but thats not reality. The word transformational gets thrown around a lot, perhaps too often, but not in this case. Connecting Fresno to San Jose via an hour-long train ride would bring unprecedented growth and opportunity. Someone could live here, where housing costs are low, and work in Silicon Valley, where salaries are high. In addition, more companies would have reason to relocate or expand. The ripple effects of all this, including a high-speed rail station that would serve as a new hub of revitalized downtown Fresno, are enormous. I talk to businesses that want to expand all the time all day, every day, Eager said. Many of them are in Silicon Valley, where they cant expand anymore. They cant expand because theres no land, its too expensive and people cant afford to live there anymore. Theyre looking for whats that next big thing.
Once high-speed rail said they were going to start the project in Fresno, that opened up an entire new world. People calling us and saying, Once that train is up and running, you are that perfect place. Unless youre someone who doesnt want Fresno to change or flourish, and wants us to remain geographically and culturally isolated, how can you be against that? Of course its one thing to believe in the vision of high-speed rail. What were finding out, as costs continue to skyrocket and timetables expand, makes it tougher to believe in the reality. The 119-mile segment under construction between Madera and Shafter was originally supposed to cost $6 billion. Its now up to $10.6 billion, according to the Draft 2018 Business Plan released in March and currently under public review. The first operational segment, between Shafter and San Jose, was supposed to cost $20.7 billion and begin service in 2025. The good news is that segment will now run from Bakersfield proper to San Francisco. The bad news is that itll cost $29.5 billion and start operating no sooner than 2029. What about San Francisco to Los Angeles, the main selling point of the Proposition 1A bond act that California voters approved in 2008? Weve gone from $34 billion and operational in 2020 to $77.3 billion and operational in 2033. Most of us will never see a million dollars in our lifetimes, so putting tens of billions into perspective is impossible. But How much are we willing to spend on this? is a question that must be raised. And if funding sources dry up before critical segments are built (i.e. tunneling through Pacheco Pass) or if our next governor isnt as supportive as the current one, then what will we be left with? Fresno Assemblyman Jim Patterson, one of high-speed rails biggest critics and backer of a comprehensive audit of the project, is already asking. My biggest concern is being left with a rump railroad from outside Bakersfield to outside Merced, Patterson said. What good will that do? I'm a little puzzled by our assemblyman. Its odd to me how an elected representative can be so stridently against a project that would benefit his constituents more than any other region in the state. Some of those benefits are already being seen and felt. It cant just be politics, can it? Were way past the politics of this, Patterson insisted during our 43-minute conversation. Were way past whether you think this is a good idea or I think this is a good idea.
We are on the verge of seeing this thing collapse, and Im not cheerleading from the sideline. Fair enough, and Ill give Patterson credit for demanding transparency and raising a ruckus over escalating costs and shoddy business practices. In a rush to spend federal stimulus dollars before the September 2017 deadline, the High Speed Rail Authority awarded some contracts prematurely and created a mess for a few local companies. Brian Kelly, the authoritys new CEO, has acknowledged these mistakes and pledged not to repeat them. But lets not overlook how much good high-speed rail is already doing: These are things that will benefit us regardless if were ever connected to the Bay Area or Los Angeles by 220-mph trains. So, yes, I believe in high-speed rail. And Ill continue to do so, even as costs and critics mount. Because I want Fresno to thrive. Don't you? Poster Comment: Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top Page Up Full Thread Page Down Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Willie Green (#0)
If you want to survive stop tax and spend like there is endless money to take from hard working citizens! Another boondoggle program to waste money. A system that no one will use for fear of being assaulted raped and robbed by criminals! Its funny how the demoncrats claim to be for the middle class but everywhere demoncrats rule the middle class disappears and you are left with very rich and very poor people!!!!
Choo-choos sure are an inefficient way to incinerate the earnings of hardworking families.
I understand wanting to get out of Fresno quickly, but a 70 mph Greyhound will do just fine. I can't believe you actually found that old video and posted it. But it is about a certain server bunker located in Fresno...
He clicked on your name and found it, wizard.
That was soooo long ago; I have vague memories. I remember the garlic bread at Olive Garden.
And for a lot less dollars !!! Si vis pacem, para bellum Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. Never Pick A Fight With An Old Man He Will Just Shoot You He Can't Afford To Get Hurt "If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." (Will Rogers)
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