Posted by Martin Engel, a resident of the Menlo Park: Park Forest neighborhood, on Jun 17, 2011 at 2:28 pm

Ms. Johnck favors high-speed rail through Menlo Park. Morris Brown opposes it. I oppose it.

But we all want an answer to the question; What is the city's policy on High-Speed Rail?

This is the same question that my colleague Morris Brown raised in front of the city council this past Tuesday.

Menlo Park's City Council is given to making decisions, pronouncements and resolutions "Ex Cathedra" about high-speed rail. Apparently, a clear, unambiguous policy is a good thing to avoid. It's better to make decisions on the fly. Call it political opportunism.

After all, the opinion of the masses is a messy thing. Better to avoid it. It is much safer, politically, to pursue an agenda of ambiguity, taking a middle road, making accommodations with all sides, protecting one's political behind, as it were.

Siding with Eshoo, Simitian and Gordon is easy and safe. After all; don't they do all their homework, and don't they know best what's good for us?

A little track here, a little track there. Some high-speed rail, but not too much. Nobody gets hurt that way.

You're in good hands with the Menlo Park City Council. See, you can have it both ways.

Posted by R.Gordon, a resident of another community, on Jun 19, 2011 at 3:24 pm

Nothing will prevent HSR from happening.

The consequences of not starting immediately are just going to cost a lot of money to citizens and it will still happen.

It is written.

Posted by morris brown, a resident of the Menlo Park: Downtown neighborhood, on Jun 20, 2011 at 4:02 pm

@ R. Gordon:

As Lawrence replied in the movie "it is not written", in this case anywhere.

There will be no further funding from the federal level for many many years; private sector financing will never occur, unless a guarantee is given that they would get profits and pay back of any equity they put up, (a public subsidy), and under law, that is completely illegal.

No, indeed it is not written and it won't happen.

Posted by Joe, a resident of the Menlo Park: Allied Arts/Stanford Park neighborhood, on Jun 20, 2011 at 4:31 pm

If R.Gordon says it is written, who am I to argue? R.Gordon, you rule.