I could have a hidden agenda, and so could you? I don't ask you to believe me or trust me.

I think that some of those criticizing CHSRA are ineffective, too, and I have said so. I think some are even trojan horses who want to use any excuse to stop it, using any means.

I support high speed rail. I think it has a very real role that could improve our mobility and economic competitiveness in the future. And, I believe we are no less competent, as Americans, than the French or Spanish, and can build it right.

Maybe, I am too hidebound and conservative for you with my old fashioned views about public integrity and responsiblity to the taxpayers. But, in the real world, we have to respond to markets and/or ask people to tax themselves to do these things, and we can't just print dollars forever. So we'd better have a more coherent rational for this project, than piling up public debt to steer contracts and shovel taxpayer dollars to the politically wired.

And, yes, there are a lot of things we may agree on. The current attempt to steal all of the State transit operating funds, because the Governor is angry that he lost in the Supreme Court on his previous illegal theft of those funds, is a probably a far more important transit and passenger rail issue this week, than CHSRA.

And last, the CHSRA Board are finally going to be able to replace the dubious management, and maybe begin to get the runaway money train back under at least some semblance of adult supervision. Which I took as the best news, so far this year, from the CHSRA.