And about that ‘billion’ dollars for railroad bridges

Billion, with a B! It’s more than just a number; it’s a metaphor for immensity. Let’s play a drinking game: we’ll take a shot whenever “billion-dollar” appears in the Sentinel Opinion section. The adversaries of the RTC’s passenger rail plan won’t let us stay sober. The anti-boondoggle hecklers are shouting the “B” word, hollering, “two-three-four-five billion.” This is in response to a preliminary draft overview report from RTC’s engineering consultant, which produced an “order of magnitude” estimate of the highest possible cost for replacing and repairing railroad bridges — $980 million. An order of magnitude refers to a factor of ten; presumably, that means costs could range between $98 million and $980 million. Many design criteria that affect the costs remain to be determined.

Let’s stay calm and carry on. The conceptual design process will continue for another six months. We know this project will require a significant investment in public infrastructure, serving public transportation needs for over a century. Our children and their children’s children’s children will be the beneficiaries. Let’s not be short-sighted.

— Jim Weller, Capitola

A better use of a billion to improve transportation

We could spend $1 billion to make the railroad bridge infrastructure safe or we could invest $1 billion and use the interest to pay Uber, bus and ground/air taxi fares for the carless for years. I like both trail ideas.

I love trains. I think installing a commuter train is an irresponsible use of my taxpayer dollars.

Either way the carred are gonna keep driving. Creating new infrastructure doesn’t create new revenue to maintain it and infrastructure doesn’t take care of itself.

Spend $1 billion on AI coordinated traffic signals if you want significant improvements in the efficiency of traffic movement in Santa Cruz County.

— Bill Stoesen, Santa Cruz

Comparing protests: Columbia and Jan. 6, 2021

Mahmoud Khalil, one of the protesters at Columbia University, has been arrested and threatened with deportation. Trump and Rubio said this is because of his “anti-American activity” and “being complicit in what are clearly crimes of vandalization, complicit in shutting down learning institutions.”

Meanwhile, rioters on Jan. 6 who attacked police, broke into and vandalized the U.S. Capitol, and shut down official government proceedings, are called by Trump to be “patriots” and “political prisoners.”

And if I remember right, several people died during that violent attack (and if you don’t agree it was violent, you need to re-watch the video).

So let’s get this straight: it is OK to do violent protests, including upon our U.S. government, as long as you are doing it in the name of Donald J. Trump.

Explain that one to me, MAGA folks …

— Phil Hormel, Scotts Valley

More on what Trump voters should consider

We very much appreciated a recent letter “Trump Voters: Is all this what you voted for?” We would like to add to it.

If you voted for Trump and you believe in law and order, did he go too far pardoning all of the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6? If you believe in liberty and freedom, is he going too far in supporting Russia against Ukraine? If you believe in careful economic downsizing, has he gone too far in the non-merit-backed chainsawing of government employees’ jobs? If you believe in less inflation, has the president gone too far with on/off again tariff threats? If you value a sustainable environment, has he gone too far in eliminating all efforts to deal with climate change?

Are you prepared to witness all the governmental cuts being used toward the upcoming tax cuts for corporations and wealthy people?

If the president has gone too far beyond what you value, please speak up! We need your voice to curb the destruction of our nation.

— Marilyn and Derrick Clark, Santa Cruz

Letters policy

Letters to the Editor should be no more than 175 words and be accompanied by the writer’s home address and a phone number for verification. Letters can be emailed to editorial@santacruzsentinel.com. Our policy for frequent contributors is at least 10 days between publication of letters from the same writer.