Fast-Train Foes Must Depend on the GOP

In Democrat-heavy San Mateo County, there is an unsettling conundrum afoot for foes of high-speed rail these days. Voting for their favorite political party in November will help to solidify the controversial fast-train's future in the Golden State, including the Peninsula. That is becoming increasingly apparent with each step taken by the governor on down to the California High-Speed Rail Authority. It doesn't seem to matter how many severely critical and damning analyses of the high-speed program are published. The Democrat-dominated power base in California appears to be fully committed to the project regardless of financial and environmental realities. That's where the Republicans come in. If, by some miracle, the skeptical GOP manages to hold onto the House of Representatives, re-take the Senate and capture the White House (where the president is a big backer of high-speed rail), the federal money-spigot will be turned off and Gov. Jerry Brown's dubious program will come to a screaming halt. It will be the end of the line. It's ironic, but true.