California's Proposition 1A, "Rails of Dreams"

I really like trains. Always have. I belong to the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Historical Society, am a closeted model railroader, and am also a card-carrying member of the Sierra Club, so you might think I'd support California's High Speed Rail Initiative, Proposition 1A on this year's ballot. But you would be wrong. Much as I want to support a project like this, the current incarnation before voters is an absolute disaster. Every projection bandied about by Prop 1A supporters is mired in fantasy. Something akin to a Hollywood mania or mana has enveloped the project, one with the mantra, "if we build it, the hundreds of millions of riders will come, at no cost to anyone."

But please don't take my word for it -- watch the following three short YouTube videos, wherein HSR expert Joseph Vranich testifies at a State Senate Committee hearing and thoroughly tears down the "business plan" of the HSR Authority. I just wish these videos had been seen by more California voters before today's election: