Friday, April 13, 2012

Hi, Welcome to Keokuk and Cape May

Peninsula residents got a surprising taste of spring/summer weather in the Midwest and East Coast last night. Yep, that three-hour thunder and lightning show was a real attention-grabber. Who knew that residents from Pacifica to Pescadero and Brisbane to Portola Valley were going to feel like they were residing in Keokuk or Cape May in mid-April, one day before the opening of the Major League Baseball season in San Francisco? Holy cow, this correspondent has not experienced such a sustained assault by Mother Nature in 65 years living in these parts. Homes were shaken to their foundations by some of the thunder blasts. Small children and animals were similarly affected. Car alarms were firing up with regularity. It was quite a show. Now, let's all get back to normal ASAP.

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.