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PolitiCalON POLITICS IN THE GOLDEN STATE

Gov. Jerry Brown: Bullet train will keep U.S. out of Third WorldJanuary 27, 2012 | 1:22 pm

Gov. Jerry Brown is on a mission to prevent the United States from becoming a Third World country, and he says the solution is a high-speed railroad in

California.

"We're not going to be a Third World country if I have anything to do with it," Brown said in a Friday morning interview on KCBS-AM in San Francisco.

Fourteen countries already have high-speed rail, but the United States does not.

California's high-speed rail plan has come under increasing scrutiny as cost estimates rise, and the state auditor warned Tuesday that financing is "increasingly

risky." Although $12.5 billion has been secured for a rail line stretching from Los Angeles to San Francisco, the auditor said the entire project could end up

costing $117.6 billion, up from an earlier estimate of $98.5 billion.

During the interview, Brown fired back at critics, saying the rail line will be cheaper than roads and airports in the long run.

"This thing is going to be a lot less than some of the critics have said," he said, adding that "this will transform Central California."

Brown has made his mark as a penny-pincher, slashing the state budget in order to downsize California’s looming deficit. But he's also sought to dream big,

and the high-speed rail project is Exhibit A.

During his State of the State speech earlier this month, Brown likened the project to epic undertakings such as the Panama Canal, and he repeated such

comparisons on Friday morning.

"Just like Lincoln can built the transcontinental railroad during the Civil War ... you've got to think big," he said.

Photo: An artist's rendering of a proposed California high-speed rail station. Credit: California High-Speed Rail Authority

RELATED:

Gov. Jerry Brown's tricky balancing act

State auditor issues financial warning on California bullet train

Gov. Jerry Brown defends high-speed rail in State of State speech

-- Chris Megerian in Sacramento

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15 comments

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Pamela Hesketh Jacobs � Top Commenter � Alta Loma, California

Do you see the lovely rendering of the future train station, with it's high tech suspension covering, thesmartly dressed people anxiously awaiting a train to whisk them away to the North? It's not real is it? It's a

fantasy world that the people of Calif..........cannot afford!!

Reply � � Like � Saturday at 6:20am5

William Crandell � UCLA

I respect Jerry Brown and have long admired his mindset and his integrity. But I must disagree regardinghis allegation. If he persists with high speed rail, California will become so bankrupted that this state will

become Third World. The entire Central Valley (excepting the Sacto Metro region is ALREADY on the verge

of Third World status.

Reply � � Like � Friday at 7:00pm5

Davide Florez � Top Commenter

I like Jerry, but this just smacks of "tax and spend" liberal, without any idea how to balance a checkbook.

Yes, it sucks having to live within your means, but at some point every family and society must do that.

The ones that don't - Greece, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland - are all finding that out the hard way.

Plus, that little bit about "it's more expensive to NOT spend $117 billion on HSR, because the alternatives

of freeways, roads, airports is MORE Expensive" has been proven to be a flat out lie, just like the lies

regarding "cost to build", "projected ridership numbers", "cost of ticket prices", "number of jobs created","including San Diego and Sacramento in the construction cost estimates", etc. etc. etc. - see the LA Times

Article debunking the "cost not to build HSR" lie: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jan/17/local/la-me-

bullet-exaggeration-20120117

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/nov/06/opinion/la-oe-white-railroaded-20111106

Reply � � Like � Friday at 7:44pm

View 7 more

4

Jon Falk � Top Commenter

It sounds like you're not thinking big like Jerry is. We also need to keep in mind that there are

paid trolls who post on forums like this. The oil lobby is untrustworthy and they would wouldlose a ton of money if people can travel from SF to LA without having to fill up a gas tank. So

it's natural they pay people to spout propaganda and nit pick any excuse to say "no" to high

speed rail. It's really anti American to say why America and it's people are incapable of doingthings other nations have already successively done.


Yuval Kremer � Top Commenter

Jon: everybody who disagrees with you is not "anti American". With OVER A HUNDRED

BILLION DOLLARS, we could quickly build urban local rail (like the "Subway to the Sea"), lightrail, roads that are exculusive to buses and cyclists (like the very successful Orange line in the

San Fernando Valley) and restore bus service that has been slashed (in the LA area, bus

service has been CUT IN HALF by the MTA)...that would save a helluva lot more gas than thisSpecial Interest-backed luxury-which-we-cannot-afford project, which is the only reason that

Brown is still fighting for it. Even IF this thing EVER gets COMPLETED (not in my lifetime),

which it WON'T, the price to ride it will be comparable with air travel, which many people will

prefer for that trip, as they do now. It's not this project vs. gasoline fillups, it's this project vs.airplane fuel.


Yuval Kremer � Top Commenter

And, BTW, I take public transit...I don't own a car...and I'm STILL against this RIDICULOUSLY

EXPENSIVE project that WE CANNOT AFFORD (and frankly don't need).

Reply � Like � Saturday at 7:46am

Rebecca Christiansen � Top Commenter

How are we supposed to build high speed rail --?? We have environmental laws that would restrict this kindof construction and we've got union benefits that will bury the project before it finishes. Costs - COSTS -

COSTS!!

Reply � � Like � Friday at 7:41pm4

Harry J. Painter � American

Lincoln did not build the TCR during the Civil War.

Reply � � Like � Saturday at 5:08pm4

Eric Morrison � David Anderson Junior - Senior

"proving yet again that you get more accurate information from AMC original series than from

the Times" - reason.com

Reply � � Like � Saturday at 5:22pm1

Peter Seidel

You can stop the high speed rail. Go to www.notrainplease.com and add your signature to the No TrainPlease Act to get it on the ballot this November!


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Gov. Jerry Brown: Bullet train will keep U.S. out of Third ... · HPV study finds 7% of U.S. teens, adults carry virus in mouths TAMIFLU® Official Site (oseltamivir phosphate) Get