I had to hold off on this posting because the Chron did not release this item to their website until today:

[www.sfgate.com]

Using the public schools for social engineering, ie. "leveling", is a big mistake and will only lead to parents trying to use private schools and turn voters against the "educracy" and against school levies. Unequal schools are unfortunate but remember these differences are not statutory, like segregation, but the result of class structure. And unlike the sciences and vocational training, for the humanities, aka arts and letters, money may not be so important as motivation. I mean how much does an excellent 1895 Latin grammar cost? Gotta be in the public domain by now. Textbooks are a racket.

And now to NCRA-NWP-SMART. For sure, byzantine local politics are implicated in this ongoing comedy of errors, but the changing economics and demographics that prompted the SP to shed the NWP are still in place today, and probably even more so.

But when it comes to blowing the big bucks, the CHSRA is in a category of its own. Evidently it has resolved to use federal money LaHood has directed to California hsr to build out a segment of trackage centered on bustling metropolitan Corcoran. Interestingly it has been pointed out that this isolated chunk of double track almost entirely resides in the district of a pro-hsr congressman who just narrowly won re-election. But the best part is that if no other monies are forthcoming an 11-mile connection will be built to the Santa Fe and the plan is to run diesel-powered San Joaquins on the trackage.

Sorry, but to this rank amateur this seems the height of folly. IMHO the CHSRA worthies would do better to build their precious, damn Tehachapi detour and design the tunnels to accommodate diesels. At least maybe we could induce Amtrak and the Santa Fe to reintroduce the San Francisco Chief. Who knows but what they might be able to slip in a freight or two to help defray the passenger operating losses.