Bullet Train

Re "Stop before you tax again!," Editorial, Nov. 18 Words of caution are probably necessary concerning the Democrats' two-thirds majority in the Legislature, but it should be pointed out that the intentions of the voters of California have been thwarted for many years because of the undemocratic tyranny of the legislative minority in both houses. There have been many proposals to fix our budget deficits. Our problems would not be occurring, and Proposition 30 would not have been needed, if there had been an orderly process for the expression of the will of the voters.

Re “ Bullet train leg to finish later ,” Nov. 16 It has been my experience that high-speed rail has brought untold benefits wherever it has been developed. The early decision to solve Japan's transportation needs with bullet trains had many side benefits, including the development of both industrial and commercial centers that were and are major supporting elements to the success of the system. The same can be said for the TGV in France. Jobs, growth and more freedom of movement are but a few of the positive elements from this long-overdue project.

Re“ Rail line's Big Dig ,” Nov. 13 FOR THE RECORD: Bullet train: In the “Train to somewhere” letters to the editor on Nov. 16, the word “million” was missing in this quote: “Fully operational, the bullet train will need an estimated 2.7 million kilowatt hours of electricity every day.” I am old enough to think that not much can astound or surprise me. But the article on the bullet train construction did just that....

The California High-Speed Rail Authority said Thursday that it was adding 12 months to the construction schedule for 130 miles of track in the Central Valley, easing what some outside experts have contended was an overly aggressive and risky timeline. Jeff Morales, chief executive of the authority, said the revised schedule would have the track completed by December 2017 rather than a year earlier as set under the agency's contracting documents. The new timetable will allow contractors to use less overtime and other practices that were expected under the accelerated plan in place earlier, Morales said.

Re “ Boehner still faces House divided ,” Nov. 13 Voters in this election were very aware of the looming “fiscal cliff.” Mitt Romney's solution was to cut expenses/essential programs; President Obama was very clear he would raise taxes. The country voted to raise taxes. Note to Congress: Get the job done. We've got to move on; time is of the essence. Global opportunities are passing us by every day our country stalls. Elizabeth Eyerman Los Angeles I found the first comments by Obama and House Speaker John A. Boehner after the election very telling.

Civil War veteran William Hood arrived at the mosquito-infested swamps near Bakersfield in 1874 to build a rail line that would soar through the Tehachapi Mountains, linking the Bay Area and Southern California for the first time. Hood, Southern Pacific Railroad's chief assistant engineer, assembled 3,000 Chinese immigrants with picks, shovels and dynamite. They snaked the track up treacherous mountain ridges, twisted it back and forth around canyons and punched it through sheer rock in a series of 18 tunnels - climbing 4,025 vertical feet along the way. It's a feat no one has attempted to duplicate.

Re "Act of God or act of man?," Editorial, Nov. 1 You blame both God and man for super storm Sandy. I agree. However, the cost of dealing with the human side of the equation is not as high as the oil, coal and natural gas industries would have us believe. A revenue-neutral carbon tax, best known as fee-and-dividend, is the right step toward solving the problem. By placing a steadily rising fee on carbon-based fuels and returning the revenue to the public, we will send a signal to the marketplace that motivates the private sector to invest in clean energy.

Re "Europeans clearly prefer Obama, survey finds," Nov. 2 I recently returned from a Mediterranean cruise, during which I met people from all parts of the world. It was astounding how interested and informed everyone was about our upcoming election. What was enlightening to me was the intensity with which the rest of the world awaits our election. As one passenger on that cruise put it to me, the fate of the world rests on what happens in the United States. At those moments I felt deeply the responsibility we have as a part of the global community and how gravely the rest of the world prays for our success as a harbinger of its own fate.

Re "How to save Prop. 30," Opinion, Nov. 2 I agree 100% with Dan Schnur's suggestion that Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature should immediately drop support for high-speed rail. Continued support of this project would be the biggest cause of a Proposition 30 defeat. With so many really important infrastructure projects that California desperately needs, to stubbornly cling to the rail project - especially by a governor who has substantially improved things in this state - is nothing short of suicidal.

Re "LAPD hid key details in use of force," Nov. 1 I have written a number of letters to this paper, primarily to clarify what I think are important issues or to take The Times to task when I believe inaccuracies have been reported. This letter is different; it is an admission that The Times was right and the Los Angeles Police Department was wrong. The article on an officer-involved shooting in the Newton area questioned why key information that the individual we shot was handcuffed was omitted from our original news release.