Regarding the possible expansion of passenger/commuter rail to Hollister and Salinas, I do feel the time has come.
Upgrading the historic Hollister Branch rail line for makes sense. Considering the heavy traffic on highways 101 and25 it is warranted.
In my opinion, the perfect train set equipment to use is called a Diesel Multiple Unit. Low-emission DMUs are currently in use by SMART (Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit) between San Rafael & Santa Rosa. SMART has enjoyed overwhelming success attracting riders and reducing traffic on this corridor. Also, expanding the current Caltrain from Gilroy is also very viable and may be the least costly alternative.
For those commuters frustrated with long drive times to and from Silicon Valley, I urge them to contact their government representatives to support and lobby for increased rail service to our area.
Gary V. Plomp
On the Road to Serfdom, Faster Than a Speeding Bullet, CAHSRA’s Bullet Train Plummets to Fiscal Insanity faster than the transit agencies do?
Who’s more insolvent, CAHSRA, or the COG, VTA, TAMC, SCCRTC, etc., transit agencies, who must increase gas & diesel taxes to keep their
bankrupt-from-conception boondoggles running? You’d never know by reading their financial reports, which are prepared using Enron-style,
Bernie Madoff-style, “off book” accounting, not GAAP accounting that the rest of us are required by federal and state tax regs to use. And governing
without the consent of the governed because they are appointed to office, not elected, at the JPAs (joint power authorities).
Again, the first official act of the New Year will be to violate the due process and equal protection rights of the citizens by appointing “Directors”
who have no accountability, and no transparency, not subject to voters’ recall remedies, and falsifying their financial reports to conceal the full
extent of their losses with public sector transport.
How high will gas & diesel taxes have to go to keep the boondogglers’ boondoggles running?
Caveat viator.
Joseph P. Thompson
(408) 848-5506
Past-President, 1999-2001, 2006, Gilroy-Morgan Hill Bar Assn.
e-Mail:
Tr******@Pa*****.Net
cc: Barry – Merry Christmas & Happy New Year – Here’s a Guest Editorial for your three newspapers. jpt
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION FOR COG: END INSOLVENT PUBLIC SECTOR TRANSIT BY ALL MODES. YOU’VE TAXED/FEED US TO SMITHEREENS (I.E., A LEGAL TERM, MEANING CUTTING OUR LEGS OFF AT THE KNEES, AND TYING OUR HANDS AROUND OUR BACKS, AND TELLING US WE HAVE TO PAY MORE GAS/DIESEL TAXES TO KEEP YOUR BOONDOGGLES RUNNING). jpt
PS, COG’s Directors thank their riders, and their public sector union employees, and their managers, but they never thank the taxpayers for making their boondoggles run. They have nothing but contempt for taxpayers, and as I know from personal experience there at their podium for ten years, blatant contempt for taxpayers’ advocates. JPT