Regular train line would be just fine
To the editor:
Being an avid train buff and train traveler, I’ve read with great interest each and every word you have printed regarding the proposed XpressWest project (“Reid plans meeting to push XpressWest effort,” Thursday Review-Journal). The desire exists for anyone living in the Los Angeles area to travel to Victorville? For what?
Yes, we need a train to travel between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, but just a regular passenger train, no high-speed ordeal of an outrageously expensive form of travel to get to nowhere to enjoy nothing upon arrival. There are existing tracks owned by Union Pacific and other freight lines that Amtrak’s Desert Wind traveled on for years between the two major cities, and the same could be done again today.
Train travel offers scenery to enjoy and relaxing hours of a convenient way to travel. Amenities are available every mile of the way, such as food and drink, men’s and women’s restrooms, and large seating arrangements not offered in an automobile. A train trip can also be spent reading, sending some emails or taking a nap to assure a refreshed arrival.
The cramped seating of an auto journey with no amenities offers the arrival of worn-out passengers, along with exhausted tempers that arise when encountering fellow travelers who display no courtesy and no respect for traffic laws. Thanks, President Eisenhower, for signing the interstate bill and initiating the elimination of rail travel.
Sen. Harry Reid is spending a lot of time promoting his dream (more like a nightmare) of high-speed train travel in this area. Wake up, Harry! This is not Japan. You’re in America.
JOHNNA IRVIN
LAS VEGAS
Obama’s got it wrong
To the editor:
ObamaCare is a train wreck, the recession still persists, record numbers of Americans are on food stamps and President Barack Obama threw billions of dollars at companies such as Solyndra that went under. The president won’t OK the Keystone pipeline, which would produce thousands of jobs. A traitor fled the country and found sanctuary in Russia, making the United States look foolish.
Last year, George Zimmerman (termed a white Hispanic) killed black teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida. Mr. Obama announced that if he had a son, that son would look like Mr. Martin, turning the matter into a racially charged case.
Our embassy in Libya was attacked, killing four Americans. Mr. Obama blamed the attack on an obscure video that supposedly ridiculed Islam. Millions of Americans still struggle to make ends meet, and the president took an African vacation that cost $100 million. He’s got it wrong.
In July 2009, Massachusetts police arrested Henry Gates, a black Harvard professor, for disorderly conduct. Mr. Gates was returning to his home at night after an overseas trip and found the front door jammed. His attempt to pry the door open caused his neighbors to report a break-in. Clearly, Mr. Gates was attempting to gain access to his own home, but the police claimed that he became belligerent, prompting his arrest. President Obama said police acted stupidly. He got it right, but when pressured, he got it wrong. Law enforcement agencies criticized Mr. Obama for that comment, causing him to back down. He invited the arresting officer and Mr. Gates to the White House for a cordial meeting, which became known as the “Beer Summit.” In reality, the Beer Summit was intended to suck up to the cops.
Would President Ronald Reagan have backed down? In 1981, Mr. Reagan fired thousands of striking air traffic controllers for not returning to work. World leaders took notice of Mr. Reagan’s spine and willingness to go to the mat. When Mr. Obama let those cops back him down, he signaled his distaste for confrontation, and world leaders have been watching ever since. We have no respect around the globe.
DENNIS SARFATY
HENDERSON
