Free Republic

Those hoping to ride the state's high-speed train next decade will have to dig much deeper into their wallets than officials originally thought, a harsh reality that will chase away millions of passengers, according to an updated business plan released Monday. The average ticket on the bullet train from San Francisco to Los Angeles is now estimated to cost about $105, or 83 percent of comparable airfare. Last year, the state said prices would be set at 50 percent of comparable airfare and predicted a ticket from San Francisco to Los Angeles would cost $55. As a result of the...

In his refreshingly short State of the State speech Tuesday evening, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger boasted of his commitment to transcend partisan divides and to work together, Republicans and Democrats, toward achieving a California agenda. The state government can avoid the partisan gridlock of Washington, D.C., and move forward, he said, "because the future does not wait." While those words make for decent political rhetoric, we were less than heartened by the big and bold agenda the governor detailed. ... The mountain he has pledged to climb with the Legislature looks a lot like a mountain of debt and regulation. If...