Last week, U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, a Democrat whose district includes the three cities [with some of the wealthiest enclaves in the country], issued a joint statement with two state legislators calling for the elimination of the elevated structure. She also characterized the project's ridership estimates as "less than credible," though she expressed her support for "high-speed rail done right."I assume by "done right," she means putting these "unsightly railroads" in someone else's neighborhood.
Opposition to a high-tech rail line from the capital of high technology strikes some proponents of the system as ironic. "The success of Silicon Valley and California as a whole has been an ability to embrace innovation," said Scott Klemmer, a Stanford University assistant professor who is a member of the group All Aboard Palo Alto. "It's a real shame that we're seeing a baseless fear of change in our own backyard."
Sort of reminds me of the stance taken by the wealthy toward wind turbines off Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
