The Lake County Democratic Party recommends a yes vote on Proposition 1, the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21^st century.

Proposition 1 is a $9.95 billion state bond that will be the down payment on a $40 billion world-class high speed rail system. It’s a lot of money. It’s a big project. High speed rail is bold thinking in a time when we need to have bold thoughts.

High speed rail is a project worthy of a California in the 21st century. The California Aqueduct and Central Valley Project, the University of California and California Sate University systems, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Interstate Highway system – just a few of the big ideas that have paid off for California.

High speed rail will put California's to work building and operating a system that our great state needs. A project of this magnitude means jobs – engineering jobs, construction jobs, operations jobs. California jobs that can’t be shipped overseas.

As a nation and state we have squandered our money on Wall Street get-rich-quick schemes and have very little to show for it. California State High Speed Rail Bonds offer a safe reliable investment put to work on a common sense project. The system is designed to benefit a large segment of the population going about there business and pleasure travel in an environmentally compatible way.

California is the seventh largest economy in the world and the nation looks for us to lead, in computers, in energy, in entertainment and with high speed rail in transportation. Let us be bold and show the world we are ready to lead in innovation and infrastructure by investing in a future that is as hopeful and bright as California. Vote yes on Proposition 1.

 

Evan Willig is vice chair of the Lake County Democratic Central Committee.

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