Letter: Paying twice for rail authority's PR

It is unconscionable that that State is taking sides on a ballot initiative. It should be completely neutral. The HSR authority should be required to give matching funds to opponents of HSR so that they can fund another ballot initiative that will postpone 1A until the State balances the budget and eliminates its deficit.

HSR will more than likely cost $200B before it is over. This is something the State of California can not afford in this severe economic crisis. Not to mention the danger to the communities of running high speed trains up the densely populated peninsula, the huge costs of purchasing right of ways at $4-6 Million per acre, the Berlin Walling of the Peninsula cities, the decline in city tax revenues over the next several years due to it being too difficult to go out and shop, the disruption in poeple's lives, people being kicked out of their homes, and a rail system that will have to be heavily subsidized in perpetuity.

This does not make econmic sense at all and the negative impacts to the nearby communities far outweigh its benefits. This really needs to be revisited at tha ballot box. People have really been misled by the 1A propaganda campaign.

Well, when the opportunity arises to agree with both Tony Wynne (with whom I always agree) and Hank Lawrence (with whom I almost never agree)it would be cavalier to turn that down. Both Kopp and Diridon, as well as their minions, are politicians and salesmen. That is to say,that first and foremost the CHSRA is a public relations organization. Their mandate has been to generate and promote a "concept," to use their term.

Their skills were apparent in their ability to have convinced a
majority of voters that the earth is flat and the moon made of green cheese, so to speak. (Some of us actually knew that they weren't and so we didn't vote for this adolescent train fantasy.)

Hank has it right, it is egregious of a government office to sell its product and at the same time deny contrary voices. Let's ascribe it to China envy. That country knows how to shut people up that don't agree with them. They can build their damn trains anywhere they want and if you don't like it, we solve that problem quickly.

While I don't have a lot of confidence in revisiting the ballot box,
we might want to ask our legislators who control the CHSRA purse if they are OK with spending $9 million on shutting us up while the teacher lay-off in this state moves our educational capacity to third world status. And to those who say that these moneys come from different pockets, I say it's the same pair of pants. Our pants.

Not a person seems to recall that we spend $100 million dollars a DAY on our Republican inspired war yet wet their silk shorts from Sulka when it comes to evaluating the purpose of what HSR is going to mean when returning wounded come back to a state AND country without any reliable means of transportation.
These same opponents who scream loudest here, are the ones who have their kids in private schools and still fly first or business class on the planes built by our (former airline industries) and drive their Cadillac hybrids (built by our former auto industries) on roads (desperately in need of repair at 12 million dollars a mile)and we have a million miles in immediate need of repair without throwing in bridges in our country. Our Bay Bridge is in its 6th year alone of upgrading and STILL doesn't work....if that be the correct term for a turn which has had daily accidents and in need of more the 10 million to fix itself.
The above two locals do not care about anything except their property being devalued and nothing else.

With all due respect, R.Gordon from another community, I first thought about responding to your snide comments with some substantive points in which, as it happens, we agree. But, upon second thought, I would only be holding a pointless discussion with the Ogilvy mind-set and agenda. As I learned a long time ago, you can't teach anybody anything they don't already know. And, discussions with ad hominem wielding attackers merely nurtures their road rage instincts.

The folks at HSR Authority are running amok with taxpayer money. A $9 million PR contract? The letter writer is right: these guys are willing to spend $9 million to spin this monstrous project, rather than facing city councils and members of the public who are asking legitimate questions. They don't need to spend $9 million to explain to us: WHAT MISINFORMATION?

Without ANY warranted respect, Mr.Ebgel, I don't see how you would have the gall to respond to my information when you are running from the truth with one leg.
I also am curious what your opinion of the GOVERNMENT handing over the half BILLION dollars to TESLA without many of us seeing it coming and for what reason?
You gripe about a measly $9 million dollars? How much is your house valued? About that? No matter, it is close.
Now clear up another thing......Are you speaking of Angus when you are speaking of the Ogilvy mindset? Have I got a load for you to look up in case you are not familiar with politics.
There is nothing worse than road rage like your's when we have such crumbling or crummy roads here in CA. We should have an HSR.Yep, that will save the 50 TRILLION we will need to get those electric babies running across country.

I'm not sure what Mr. Wynne is referring to when he says that taxpayer dollars were used to promote Prop 1A.