The nattering nabobs of negativism and the blathering bleating of mice will not stop it. The lawsuits, the failure to initiate condemnation, which may take years, and the time constraints of the lapsing Federal funds are the real threats, to HSR, from years of incompetent planning and political trough slopping.

Unlike the modern luddites and nattering nabobs, I support a properly planned, affordable, and much needed system of high speed and intercity rail to meet our real needs. So I am more interested in how to fix this mess. We have a very shovel ready set of projects to meet real needs today, that were not funded, and not even submitted by Schwarzenegger and the Caltrans, Division of Fail, which meet those requirements.

Division of Fail just released the State Rail Plan which could have been used to refine and refocus the HSR program, but doesn't. The plan is an empty document that fails to address how the improvements proposed meet real travel needs in a cost effective manner. So this, thus far, is a clear failure in attempting to reform the HSR component. This so-called State Rail "Plan" is out for review and comment, without even having completed an operational plan, another sign of failed planning at Caltrans. After all, shouldn't such plans identify real needs, prioritize cost effective solutions, identify operating scenarios to achieve those goals, and prioritize projects to achieve those operational parameters? Well, it doesn't. So start by commenting on that.

HSR and IC hearing in the Legislature are planned this spring about the time the court cases are being heard. These hearings are being held by some of those legislators, who like me, support an effective and affordable rail passenger system to meet our real passenger travel needs. So this will also be an opportunity to review this troubled program., and propose needed reforms. Similarly, the reauthorization of the Federal Transportation Act, there is an opportunity to reform and restructure the passenger rail planning process (there currently isn't a real planning process required by FRA despite the useless guidance they published), and toughen up funding requirements and project prioritization, based on a needs based process, not political visions or delusions.

But unlike nattering nabobs of negativism, the train haters, the BART conspiracy theorist's, those who hate the American form of imperfect governance, and the neo luddites, I support a first world rail passenger system for California, and hope that by reform and education we can fix the troubled transportation programs in California, and provide to our children and grand children the kind of wise investments that our parents and grand parents left us.