High Cost Rail - Part 60

A new poll is saying exactly what many of us have been hearing for some time

California Voters Disapprove of How Sacramento Spend Their Tax Dollars, Voters Sour on High-Speed Rail

Our recent research revealed that of California voters, a sizable majority (66.4%) of Californians disapproves of the way that California’s state government spends their tax dollars.

When asked how they would prefer that state government spending was prioritized given limited state funds, voters overwhelmingly selected Education, Public Safety and Health/Social Services. High-speed rail between Los Angeles and San Francisco ranks last.

When put to the test, 62.4% would vote to stop California’s high speed rail (HSR) project.

Is any one listening in Sacramento?

Comments

[pat giorni]

Just out of curiosity, who commissioned the poll?

[pat giorni]

From an email by the author of this post:
Lots has been written in the last few days about this new poll that emerged last week showing 62.4% of the public would vote not to fund the High Speed Rail project. Some have written that the poll is bias but compare it to the Authority's poll conducted 15 months earlier See if you think either poll is biased.

http://www.examiner.com/transportation-policy-in-san-francisco/newest-high-speed-rail-poll-vs-the-authority-s-poll

[pat giorni]

From the Oct. 8 Daily Journal...
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?type=opinions&title=Letter: California money for schools and seniors, not high-speed rail&id=110227

Editor,

A new Sept. 29 statewide poll (Probolsky) confirms California voters would overwhelmingly vote to spend limited state money on education/tuition, mentally ill, water, environment (75 percent) over a “high-speed train” between San Francisco and Los Angeles (11 percent). And 63 percent vote to end the high-speed rail boondoggle now and 61 percent said they would never take a high-speed rail train from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The results are not shocking. Due to California’s bad budget, in 2011-12 we see: protests at UC and CSU from 26 percent tuition increases, lawsuits from cities/nonprofits due to state taking their money but releasing convicted felons into our communities, senior centers and state parks closing, raiding of city redevelopment funds, cutbacks in social services, etc. In contrast, high-speed rail cost estimates continue to rise to $67 billion-$100 billion and feds only providing $3 billion, with California liable for $97 billion and additional cost overruns. Call Gov. Jerry Brown at (916) 445-2841 and Treasurer Bill Lockyer at (916) 653-2995 to kill the boondoggle now.

Mike Brown

Burlingame