A Rock and Hard Place

Talk about being stuck between a rock and hard place...Sacramentans are not only paying the highest national average for a gallon of gas, but our alternatives may cost us a pretty penny too. And if the Governor has his way we will be paying more for less. At least that's the assessment of the Sacramento Bee.

Sacramento transit riders could pay higher fares and find fewer buses on the streets if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's latest budget plan is enacted, local officials say.

Echoing complaints from transit officials statewide, Sacramento transit chief Beverly Scott said her agency faces a potential $7 million deficit that could lead to service cuts and increased fares for students and others who now pay reduced rates.

The Gov's May Budget Plan Revision has another punch from the body-builder: a big zilch on funding the High-Speed Rail start-up. According to The Sacramento News and Review the budget will just barely keep the plan afloat and it looks as though the Governor's expecting the private sector to pony up:

We know, of course, that rail isn’t popular with those all-powerful entities--oil, automotive, airline industries and the real-estate lobby--who want people to travel in automobiles and on highways with off ramps leading to new developments. And we know many of these people are your friends and contributors. But you’ve shown you can act independently, right?

Now you seem to be pushing the idea that high-speed-rail proponents need to first lineup private funding for the project. But you must know that private financing of a giant public-works effort such as this is basically impossible without a firm financial commitment (like the passage of a bond) from the state of California. The public investment simply has to come first. You know it, everyone knows it. Saying the bullet train has to be built with private monies is saying it won’t be built. Governor, it’s a quiet killing.

So much for reducing those greenhouse gas emissions...if the cost of riding the bus goes up, and there are no other alternatives, people will stick to their tried and true automobile. But then again, as the Los Angeles Times pointed out in their "Greenhouse Gas Bags" piece:

IF WE COULD HARNESS the renewable wind power from all the politicians making empty promises about fighting global warming, we could go a long way toward solving the problem.

The PBS series NOW broadcast an excellent show: Miles to Go, discussing how American car makers have done their share to keep us mired in the petroleum mud. The show also highlights the performance versus fuel economy trap that the Japanese automakers are now falling into. For an excellent review of fuel alternatives, and why we need to pay close attention to these, see the Nightly Business Report.