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Commuter Railroad needed
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Posted by editor Mon Apr 28, 2008 14:24:22 PDT
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This is an attempt to vent my frustrations and make delusional accusations in the direction of our government. This is also an attempt to get somebody to put a passenger train back on our railroad track, and allow us poor people an alternative route to work.

As gas prices continue to rise, I find myself thinking about how we will afford to travel to and From work. Assuming that I'm not the only person who gives this issue way too much thought, I began trying to find options that would somehow lesson the financial stress that my family, like Many others are feeling. We have two large vehicles that we need to trade for economical ones. The oil companies are actually allowed to charge us ridiculous prices for fuel, because our government is allowing it. Why? Maybe they want to control how much fuel we use, as this will force us into driving economical cars. Shall we run out; buy electric cars and commit to 5 more years of car payments? I was talking to someone who has lived in Tehachapi for many years and she mentioned that There used to be a passenger train that would go from Tehachapi to Mojave and back. I know that Lancaster has a Metro Link that takes passengers further South. If a Metro Train has not been proposed to take passengers from Tehachapi to Bakersfield and a route from Tehachapi to Mojave, I would like to propose this idea right now. The financial crunch is here and it's not limited to the price of gasoline. Many people have lost their jobs, so they won't have to worry about buying gas to get to work. Now, they'll have to worry about Keeping their homes. There are over 2,000 foreclosures in Kern County and the number is rising. My husband and I have had many discussions about our economy and the upcoming presidency In which he insists that our government is slowly turning us toward socialism. I thought he was having some kind of paranoid episode, and listened to him talk about how the Government is slowly taking our independence with scare tactics such as global warming, the bird flu, and terrorism to name a few.

I didn't think much of the socialism theory until I received a letter from Edison a few days ago. It said,”Want to save money on your energy bill? We can help”. Or something like that... It sounded great and I continued to read on. Turns out, Edison wants to put a digital thermostat in our Homes that THEY control. What? Is this something that people will actually agree to? How long will it take for Edison or any other Company to stop asking and start Requiring us to let them monitor and control our homes? I can't help but think that this kind of control will have a domino effect which will lead to more of our freedom lost. The truth is that we have very little control over what decisions are made outside of our personal lives. We do still have the right to Vote ....and then we hope for the best. I would like somebody to tell me with certainty which decisions we the people get to make about anything other than what kind of toilet paper we buy. I've watched citizens in this town fight to keep Wal Mart from moving in. We all know who won that fight. I watch parents fight with the School District to keep academic programs for the kids, and the programs are cut.

Somehow, the sports continue to be funded while academics take the back seat. Did We make the decision to fire the much needed teachers from the public schools? Did we vote YES on releasing thousands of “non-violent” inmates because the State says there's no money to keep them locked up? Do we really have a voice in our own town or country? Has the paranoia rubbed off on me? Absolutely.

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Comment From: madkow2747

It would be fantastic if there were a commuter train here- going to either Lancaster or Bakersfield, preferably both! I know I'd use it. If high gas prices are making people more willing to consider mass transit, let's get connected! Comment From: rpournelle

I've driven down to Lancaster or Santa Clarita many times to catch a Metrolink train. There's no reason the line couldn't run to at least Mojave. That would allow people from Ridgecrest, Cal City and Tehachapi to use the line. We should worry less about turning railroad depots into museums and focus on getting something real. Comment From: benevolence

I whole-heartedly agree that with the rising fuel costs, a commuter train that goes to Bakersfield AND one that goes to Lancaster would be a terrific solution for many people who live in T-town!