# Some suggestions as to how we might salvage the disastrous HSR roll-o



## WICT106 (Apr 22, 2011)

Disastrous roll-out of HSR, and how to make it better in the future.

One suggestion: Avoid labeling State-of-the-art conventional speed rail as HSR -- To do otherwise only gives more ammunition to the opponents. Also, Reason, CATO Institutes, et al. will oppose this no matter what. They will never print an article in favor of passenger rail, but we have to pay attention to them and their writings, because they have so much impact on the right side of the political aisle. We ignore them at our peril. Post comments below.


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## Steve4031 (Apr 23, 2011)

I think the article is informative. I agree that Obama made errors in how to implement HSR. However HSR is now being considered and discussed in this country.


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## Spokker (Apr 23, 2011)

That they are even talking about upgrading passenger rail in this country is a miracle. Disaster.

The NIMBYs, the libertarian types, the lawsuits, so what? It would have to go through all that no matter how good or bad you think the projects are.


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## Anderson (May 11, 2011)

The NIMBY stuff is very ironic if you're familiar with the DC metro area, where being "near the metro" gets you $50-100k on a house's value in some areas. I think that the same applies to a lot of areas in New Jersey or Long Island; honestly, if we had frequent service (6-8 trains per day) and the station were in a good neighborhood, the only reason I _wouldn't_ move as close as I could to the local train station would be leaving the house I am in now (which belonged to my grandparents and which is in a very fine neighborhood to boot).


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## jis (May 11, 2011)

There are three angles to NIMBYs.

1. I hate change and adding anything in my neghborhood is change there fore I oppose it.

2. I believe that property values will go down if that line goes through here therefore I oppose it.

3. I believe property values will go up and my taxes will increase beyond my reach therefore I oppose it.

Anderson's argument above could appease only the second category if they believe the well documented trends on this subject. The same argument will send group 3 into a tizzy. Group 1 is beyond help. They should have just been born 5 ceturies back and lived and died in that era.


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## Steve4031 (May 11, 2011)

jis said:


> There are three angles to NIMBYs.
> 
> 1. I hate change and adding anything in my neghborhood is change there fore I oppose it.
> 
> ...


The solution, IMHO, would be to make being a NIMBY a capitol offense. lol


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## jis (May 11, 2011)

Steve4031 said:


> The solution, IMHO, would be to make being a NIMBY a capitol offense. lol


Does a _capit__*o*__l_ offense imply that the offender has to wear a hat shaped like the dome of the Capitol building?


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## George Harris (May 11, 2011)

jis said:


> There are three angles to NIMBYs.
> 
> 1. I hate change and adding anything in my neghborhood is change there fore I oppose it.
> 
> ...


That would not work either. We tend to forget how much political turmoil existed in that period, despite there being essentially technological stagnation. Over a lifetime you could find yourself living under four or five different minor monarchies, plus having everything you owned destroyed or hauled off a couple of times. Wait a minute! This sounds like an excellent sentence for these types. They they will find out what it is like to live without all the changes they so oppose.


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## Anderson (May 12, 2011)

jis said:


> Steve4031 said:
> 
> 
> > The solution, IMHO, would be to make being a NIMBY a capitol offense. lol
> ...


Nah...it means that the offender is in Congress.

As to the NIMBY bit: The answer for #3 is a (_far_ weaker) version of Prop 13, limiting those associated property tax increases. Mind you, Prop 13 went way too far...but I can't blame some of the anger when "inflation increases" were running in the double digits many years. #2 is, however, what is usually expressed...many politicians' reaction to #3 is going to be "Then we'd better force you out of your house before the next election so I don't have to face you at the ballot box" while there is a tendency to see anything and everything that runs up a home's value as being good (even if the tax bill soars, you simply sell your house and move elsewhere, pocketing the difference tax free).


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