The rightful public skepticism about the dysfunctional incompetent mismanagement of the CHSRA is real, stealing scarce transportation dollars that are being misused by another group of cynical special water interests in the San Joaquin Valley, who want to steal the money for their pet project, is just another excellent example of our American political dilemma, the clear "win-win" choices we are often given to make, between Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber........

We are finally getting relief from a real five year drought in the northern and central Sierras that has caused real calamity in agriculture, and the reservoirs are slowly filling up again. This proposal would steal scarce transportation money which could be used to benefit all of us to fund some additional water projects, some of which may even be needed, but might be better and more appropriately funded by taxing those who would stand to directly benefit from them....as crazy as that idea sounds?

If California agriculture needs water, try investing in drip irrigation systems, which allow our competitors in places like Israel to use less than half as much water per dollar produced of things like citrus and nuts....?

Stealing money from transportation to fund another fairly wasteful special interest scam is not the answer, although it is so typical of the usual political hacks that promote these schemes.

These High Speed Rail funds should be moved to the State Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), and used for the huge backlog of unfunded rail and transit projects, which have to "compete" with other "shovel ready" projects, which have committed local funding match, and have gone through the vetting process, unlike the process at the contractor "all you can eat" taxpayer funded "buffet" they host over at the big CHSRA slop trough. That is something I would support, over this new "bait and switch" special interest funded initiative campaign....but then who would seriously fund an initiative drive which would actually benefit all of us?

Imagine grade separating those dangerous Ventura County grade crossings? Imagine the traffic impacts of completing the Union Station run through (saving millions in operating costs annually), or the LOSSAN Double Track projects which could be completed in 7 years, instead to 20 years?

Tweedle Dumb, or Tweedle Dumber? Is this the clear and sensible choice they want to give us....? It is not really a solution to this problem (or most complex problems, for that matter?). It is not a choice that in any way fixes the problem. Rather, it is this very kind of cynical political manipulation and nonsense, resulting in the poor choices we get, that is at the heart of and the cause of this problem......