Steve Jobs quotes applied to replacing Caltrain's Killtrain with BART around the whole SF Bay

Freemotorist posting on Palo Alto Online today
The late Steve Jobs, who lived in Palo Alto, Calif. used to quote Henry Ford when asked about asking people, like current Caltrain-at any cost (and death) advocates to state" If I had asked my customers what they wanted they would have said a faster horse"...and today we'd still be dealing with horse fecal pollution, deaths by common 'runaway horses' etc. Electrifying Caltrain, even building more grade crossings, extending the Caltrain further into San Francisco, and building the Dumbarton Rail Caltrain extentsion (at grade) is a waste that won't come anywhere near the benefits of simply extending safer, fundable, financially surplus BART, electric, grade separated (by law), ... using those funds and more. Doing the above for Caltrain is simply "Perfuming the Pig". BART  is locally-regionally controlled, unlike HSR--which is State controlled.  Jobs also is quoted to say "Innovation distinguishes Leadership"  "Upgrading" Caltrain to accommodate HSR, is not innovation. Extending BART around the whole Bay, connecting University to University, Sports Venue to Sports Venue, community to community, downtown to downtown, airport to airport and train station to train station, is the way to go...and it has a higher farebox recovery than Caltrain, with more frequent, quieter, service, and, soon new rail cars, too

5th death on Caltrain this year, 181 since 1995, How Many More Must Die before BART comes up the Peninsula to connect the whole Bay Area-1 rail system?

The fifth person this year died on Caltrain tracks again this morning. This time in Szn Mateo.  Caltrain is outdated, dangerous, and can and should be replaced by BART up the Peninsula to connect the whole Bay Area with one, much safer, electric, grade-separated from the street level auto, truck, pedestrian, cyclist, traffic, and wandering ill-fated animal and pets.  I will be going to the Palo Alto City Council (Oral Comments) to speak again to advocate to at least start a study with neighboring Caltrain communities to bring BART up the Peninsula in an environmentally and neighborhood sensitive way.  Believe me, HSR, a state-driven project will usurp local control, just as is now happening in the Fresno-area design and soon contruction plan. Sneaky Simitian's Blended Plan, backed by die-hard, arrogant Jerry Hill and elitist Jerry Brown with Pres Obama's backing, are hell-bent to cram this HSR up the corridor. It must be stopped, or stop in SJ, with BART connecting all the Bay area--and safer, too.  "Only" one person has died on the longer BART tracks this year (most suicide attempts fail, unlike Caltrain's).  Please, let's save lives and protect our communities (including mine in SJ where one lane of Monterey Road will  be taken, just like Alma in P.A. if HSR sneaks into the "tent" with the Democrat Blended Plan. Statistics:  181 people have died on Caltrain tracks since 1/1/1995, 16 died last year, 5 in Palo Alto, 5 this year so far, the fourth month of the year.  More will die as the corridor densifies by current General Plans. Let's stop this Caltrain madness and start to end this Caltrain Killtrain carnage. In Silicon Valley, it is not "good enough" to "always have done it this way". BART is the way, and fundable during the next 10 years, with money from planned Caltrain fund-seeking for upgrades $4Billion, plus another $4Billion to get over the next 10 years (and 160 more deaths) necessary to connect BART the final 28 miles to Millbrae from its currently planned end in Santa Clara.  Please do your part to end this Caltrain danger among us to our children, now toddlers, won't have to risk their lives when they become teens, or our neighbors, friends, and visitors. How many more must die by Caltrain?

Jerry Brown asks Legislature to "Man Up" - Hey Jerry, You "Man Up" and dump HSR to use GF funds for People, not your elitist HSR toy train

Comment to KTVU article about the elitist Jerry Brown demanding the Legislature "Man Up". Freemotorist demands Jerry Brown to "Man Up" and dump his desire to have HSR funded by taxes that California's needy are desperate for:

"Yeah, right, Jerry....Jerry, the silver-spoon fed, upper-class, failed Jesuit, who forces average taxpayers/students/non-building trades union members, police/fire/library workers, needy users of vital health and human services, disabled, autistic children/adults, teachers, park users, animal shelters, and so many other tax-funded (General Fund dependent) Californians to fund his Toys for Elists Electric Vehicle chargers and the horrible High Speed Rail that is nothing more than a failed, modern-day back-to-the-future land-based SST (super sonic transport) --even though at one time 'every other developed country' had the SST. Phooey!. Jerry Brown and his special interest, corporate cronies, liars (Yes, Dan Richard listens to the HSR-bigot, Mineta Transportation Institute--Rod Diridon, it seems), and state Democrat machine leaders need to "Man Up" and abandon the HSR, redirect the funds to extend BART around the Bay (stop Caltrain deaths--5th death on tracks in 2012 occurred today, 4-16-12), improve SR99 (HR761) and improve SoCal Rail, then support the ballot measure to repeal the fraudulent and illegal 2008 ballot measure (Third Appellate Court decision for HJTA against HSR ballot language) and serve the people...if this spoiled brat "Wiley" Brown "Romanov" can humble himself...as he could not bring himself to do when he dropped out of the seminary. "

SF Peninsula needs one track-BART in an effective, efficient rail transit plan...and a highway plan, too!

KCBS (SF 740AM) reports on April 4, 2012
Calif. State Senator Mark DeSaulnier, (no friend to automobility), proposes a Statewide Rail Plan:

Freemotorist comments:
Democrat DeSaulnier is on the right track.  If his rail plan ends the current Democrat "Rail Madness", (offshoot of "Reefer Madness") that Gov Jerry Brown, Democrat earmark-funded special interest MIT Exec Director Rod Diridon rail fanatic/advocate, and Honda, Boxer, & other Dems rail addiction-- especially in the S.F. Bay Area, then that is a good thing...in moderation, without new taxes, fees, or tolls against motorists.
Imagine, 3 heavy rail systems, the most heavily subsidized, most expensive transit, yet in the low ridership SF Peninsula Corridor ridership!  Only one rail system, regional BART, is needed up the Peninsula for its electric, GHG-reducing, no-congestion at-grade crossing, reduced suicides and accidents than Caltrain, higher farebox recovery, for a complete area seamless high-capacity rail transit that connects universities, shopping areas, event venues from AT&T park (soon to SJ's) HP Pavilion, Oakland Coliseum, airports, that will naturally attract riders from our roads.  BART will free up the Caltrain station land in the developing SF SOMA area,  allow removal of the Dumbarton Rail 1911 decaying bridge support towers, returning the wetland to its 1910 natural state (along with the salt ponds), and, induce whole-region ridership onto BART when its currently-planned terminus in Santa Clara is expanded to link up in Millbrae. This gap is only 28 miles and perfectly fundable wiith planned Caltrain upgrades and other funds, providing lots of local jobs for the next 15 years!  Electrifying, and taxing for Caltrain is only perfuming this deadly at-grade Pig Killtrain. HSR is built on fraud. HSR must have a federal and State DOJ racketeering fraud investigation because of all the orchestrated false numbers starting with the illegal 2008 ballot fraud.
California cannot afford to go the way of the 3 of 5 Europe PIIGS countries that HSR has driven to financial weakness and deprived citizens of needed basic government services--as is happening now in California, Parks, Animal Shelters, Adult, Child (incl Autism) Mental Health, Medical, schools, university students, teachers, and Professors, Fire and Police, as well as sacrificing other administrative union members jobs, especially in the HSR corridor communities.
We must stop California's unaffordable "Rail Madness".  I doubt DeSaulnier will do it, since he, like Simitian and other Dem's make a lot of noise, but don't take action. Democrats in the vertical monopoly of all levels in the San Francisco Bay Area governing bodies, they depend too much on rail-oriented corporate cronies, incestuous rail/density beneficiaries and (CAJ) union-extorted dues from desperate union members for their campaigns.
Say, how about a Build Highways plan once again?  Freemotorist has a long list of urgently-need alternative highway projects. These California's UnMet Highway Needs for safety, mobility, and, financial solvency actually pays for itself without tolls.  The under-appreciated motorist-derived, golden goose of automobility funds (including trucking) taxes, fees, fines, penalties, and range of other funds cornucopia, don't require subsidies.  Look around you. Automobility funds everything.