Wednesday, February 25, 2009
The Real Sin Would Be Not Constructing The Nevada-California Maglev
By Robert L. Candiotti
"Billions of dollars for a Sin Express train from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Necessary? I don't think so,"
said Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho.
In a newspaper story I read, he was talking about the proposed 300 mph Maglev
train from California to Nevada. He made this statement just a few days ago.
Calling the CA-NV Maglev "Sin
Express" sounds suspiciously like a juvenile campaign against the Maglev dreamed up by some high-priced P.R. consultancy.
You know, sin is a very subjective thing. Different cultures and different religions look at sin quite differently.
Buddhists believe it is a sin - or, more appropriately, bad karma - to kill any living creature. The Protestants
consider it to be a sin to even think bad thoughts. Atheists would say it is just plain wrong to conduct
yourself poorly. The Classical Greek word harmatia - translated as sin - means "to miss the target."
Which, of course, implies: It ain't the end of the world. Aim again.
But it is not
the task of this particular blog to engage in an academic dissertation about the various beliefs and definitions regarding
sin.
The point of this blog is just to say it will be a real sin if the NV-CA Maglev is not completed. The
Maglev is needed to keep the functioning of ground transportation between Southern Nevada and Southern California efficient,
enduring and entertaining far into the 21st century.
Not only does Ivanpah Airport need the Maglev,
but the future of the geographical region does, too.
7:42 pm pst
Friday, February 20, 2009
At A Fancy Restaurant With Famous People, But Intelligent Conversation Appears To Be Absent
By Robert L. Candiotti
I live in Las Vegas. I read the city's daily newspaper, Las Vegas Review-Journal, pretty much every day. In
fact, I subscribe to it. When - at dawn - I hear the sound of its arrival outside the front door, I am pleased.
I rely on it for information, but there are times when I wonder about the paper's sophistication and "brains."
Two recent examples of what I mean are a Sunday, February 15, 2009, front page story, "Working Girls, Las Vegas'
50 most prolific prostitutes," and a column by Sherman Frederick on the same day, "Shall we give Harry the boot?"
The prostitute story - though it could have easily run with no photos of any women - had mug shots of 24
young women who, for the most part, were arrested for trespassing, not for prostitution. What is the justification to put
this story on the front page, above the fold?
It looked like tabloid journalism to me. To me, running the photos
of the women is unfair and thoughtless. And I must say, Las Vegas appears to have a schizophrenia problem. On the one hand, Las
Vegas vigorously markets itself as a naughty hideaway ("What happens here stays here"), but then also exhibits
an indignant concern about women who may possibly be available for sex at a price.
This identity tension of
Sin City vs. Cleantown USA is pretty nutty. Did the R-J run the story to sell papers on a Sunday? I found the layout
and the placement of the story to be strange.
On the very same day, there was another odd story - personal commentary
by Sherman Frederick - about disapproval of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada U.S. Senator. And this, actually,
is the piece I wanted to focus on.
Reading the column, I got the picture of Mr. Frederick at a fancy restaurant
with famous people (who he declined to name), but the conversation appeared to be shallow and smarmy. Sitting with people
described by Frederick as "savvy Nevadans," the conversation got as far as "Should Nevadans give Harry Reid
the boot in 2010, or not?"
Mr. Frederick is entitled to a personal bias against Harry Reid. I would think,
though, that as publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and president of Stephens Media, he would be a little more
circumspect and cerebral about the issues Reid is connected to, and a little more conversant about the emerging topics
of our time that Reid clearly has his hands on.
Harry Reid is no shrinking violet, at least not with the positions
he takes. He has been a staunch opponent of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, he has been a tireless advocate for
development of renewable energy in Nevada, he promotes the long-term benefits of high-speed and Maglev trains for this region,
he has been a consistent opponent of coal power expansion in the state, and, like the Brookings Institution, he sees Nevada
(along with Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico) as potentially being part of the New American Heartland.
Harry
Reid is involved in a lot a significant things. I think the image promoted by Frederick of giving someone the boot is blatantly
crude and demeaning. To me, it is evidence of boring bias.
In any case, Frederick concludes the column by
saying, Reid "may get the boot in 2010." There is no indication in the column that the conversation went even
the tiniest step further into the realm of who, in reality, would replace Reid. I know Mr. Frederick is rich and powerful,
but I pick up on an arrogance that I find to be annoying, at best.
I do not claim to be a political expert,
but isn't time running a little short to name a Republican opponent for Harry Reid? And when that opponent is finally
named, I believe the first polls will reveal Senator Reid is more attractive to the voters than the Republicans
think or hope.
I am a dedicated voter. But I am not a registered Democrat or Republican. I am a Libertarian. Believe
me, I do not give Senator Reid total and complete approval. I will say, though, I sense he would probably be a more
engaging conversationalist over dinner than Sherman Frederick.
7:25 am pst
Monday, February 16, 2009
Riding The Las Vegas-Anaheim Maglev With Senator Harry Reid
By Robert L.
Candiotti
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAIDEN VOYAGE OF LAS VEGAS-ANAHEIM MAGLEV SET FOR TODAY
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, FEBRUARY 16, 2017...Today is the inaugural route of the Las Vegas to Anaheim Maglev.
Senator Harry Reid of Nevada - recently reelected in 2016 for another six year term - has extended
to me an invitation to be one of his guests on the Maglev (magnetic levitation) train when it pulls out from McCarran
Airport (the Maglev's northern turnaround point) for its very first commercial ride with stops at Ivanpah/Primm
- Barstow - Ontario - Anaheim.
I still remember the long-ago date of February 12, 2009, when I read on
salon.com that Reid was instrumental in getting $8 billion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act directed
toward high-speed railway construction in the U.S. It was known even then that much of that money would go to fast train development
on the East Coast, but several billion would also be designated for the proposed Las Vegas-Anaheim super speed train.
The very day that I read about the $8 billion, I wrote to Senator Reid and said I would like to be on the first
Maglev trip to Orange County. "Write my name down, please," I requested in my letter. "I want to
be on that first train. Kindly send me notice when the Maglev to Anaheim initially starts up."
Apparently, Senator Reid did write my name down, because when the date of the first Maglev trip to Anaheim
was announced, I received an invitation to be part of the inaugural trip. I know that other early supporters of
the Maglev also have been invited. I do not know how many invitations were sent out, but I have been told of some who, like
me, indicated they would like to be part of today's first ride: Neil Cummings of the American Magline Group,
Las Vegas architect and urban planner Robert Fielden, Bruce Aguilera, chairman of the Super Speed Train Commission, and Paul
Saffo, a Silicon Valley technology forecaster.
My sister, who lives in Santa Rosa, California,
is taking the new Northern California-Southern California high-speed train to connect in Ontario with the NV-CA Maglev. When she
and I arrive in Anaheim, after I bid adieu to the group, we will take a trolley to Newport Beach, and then we will board
a tourist boat for a few days on Catalina Island.
So, today's the day. It is time for the first
Las Vegas-Anaheim Maglev ride. Heading south from McCarran, the first stop will be Ivanpah Valley/Primm. Ivanpah Valley Airport
is scheduled to open in 18 months. We will be able to see for ourselves the proclaimed convenient positioning of the
Maglev stop for Ivanpah air travelers. Interestingly, the Maglev will pass close to the vast solar photovoltaic system that
will power a significant amount of Ivanpah Airport with renewable energy.
Adjacent Primm, the hotel/casino
resort area at the Nevada/California border, has been under construction and complete redevelopment for several years
now, and is also scheduled to be ready for the Ivanpah Airport opening toward the end of 2018.
One of the new
things in Primm that is already getting extensive worldwide media coverage is the glass bottom casino that straddles over
the huge I-15 freeway. The floor of much of the casino is very thick glass, making for a never-ending view of every type of
vehicle whizzing past beneath the casino floor.
People are also buzzing about the driverless buses
that will shuttle people 24/7 between the Primm hotels and Ivanpah Airport.
South of Primm,
the next stop will be Barstow. Then Ontario. Then Anaheim.
Not only am I looking forward to the Maglev ride,
but I am also looking forward to getting to the Maglev without having to drive at all myself. I will take the newly-introduced
CAT 213 electric trolley from where I live on Desert Inn Road to catch the Las Vegas Monorail at the Las
Vegas Convention Center. On its recently completed extension, the monorail will take me all the way to McCarran
Airport. The Maglev guide-way track begins right there.
There is excitement in the air. Afterall,
after several years of severe economic problems in the U.S., the nation's economy only truly turned around in 2012. And,
as is generally agreed, what could be described as "good times" only emerged in 2016. This is one of the reasons
why Harry Reid was reelected once again, by an even wider margin than in 2010. Voters in 2016 finally were pretty comfortable
that "happy days are here again."
So, today there is talk of the exciting Maglev
inaugural combined with a strong, transformed economy.
All aboard!
1:59 pm pst
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Toll Lane Plan For Las Vegas Has Makings For Doozy Of A Debate In Nevada Legislature
By Robert L. Candiotti
At the bottom of the Nevada Toll Roads page, posted July 2, 2008, in the associated website IvanpahValley.com,
there is this statement:
"There is bound to be a lot of news about Nevada toll roads emanating from Carson
City next year. The 75th Regular Session of the Nevada Legislature will begin on February 2, 2009."
Therefore,
it is interesting, but not too surprising, to see, in the February 2, 2009, Las Vegas Review-Journal, an article
titled "Toll lane plan for Las Vegas would allow private funding."
It didn't take long, did it?
The Nevada Department of Transportation believes this - which will require changes in Nevada laws to get toll fees
underway - is a project of utmost importance.
Assuredly, and justifiably, there will be a silver-tongued debate
in the Nevada Legislature covering the many aspects of this proposed vehicle transportation transformation.
In
the article from a week ago, Review-Journal journalist, Francis McCabe, writes, "The debate will be at the forefront
of transportation issues argued during the state legislature session beginning today."
The toll lane plan
for Las Vegas will most certainly not skate through the Legislature.
McCabe notes, "In Nevada, the toll lane
plan must overcome two major obstacles: Tolls and electronic enforcement are not allowed under state law, and the project
must rely on both to be effective."
7:26 am pst
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Freedom, Compassion And Peace: Ancient Tibetan Culture In East To Libertarianism In West
By Robert L. Candiotti
Currently, I am reading books that may seem, at first, very different in subject matter, but actually are interestingly
related.
First, I have been reading the autobiography of the Dalai Lama, Freedom In Exile. The Dalai Lama
- who has lived in exile from his own country, Tibet, since 1959 - professes freedom, peace, compassion, humantarianism
and intellectual growth.
Today's Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso) - residing in Dharamsala, India - is
considered to be the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. He is intimately and devotedly connected to a continuous
Buddhist Tibetan culture going back 1000 years.
I have also been reading books regarding libertarianism -
the political philosophy of liberty, respect for the rights of others, and the avoidance of war. I have been reading
Libertarianism by David Boaz, Radicals For Capitalism by Brian Doherty and Philosophy Who Needs It
by Ayn Rand.
Some say the first libertarian was the Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu who lived around the sixth
century B.C., and libertarianism has continued through many centuries until today, with many proponents of
its tenets (such as Ron Paul from Texas who has a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives) continuing to beat the drum for individual
freedom and personal responsibility.
Taking just one topic, war, the similar views of both are quite obvious
to me.
In Libertarianism, Boaz says, "Libertarians have always battled the age-old scourge of war.
They understood that war brought death and destruction on a grand scale, disrupted family and economic life, and put more
power in the hands of the ruling class."
In Freedom In Exile, after visiting casualties of the India-Pakistan
war of 1965-66, the Dalai Lama - walking between the rows of hospital beds with the wounded, and among sobbing family members
- writes that "this was the only real result of war: tremendous human suffering. Anything else that might arise from
conflict could be brought about by peaceful means."
So, with regard to the strong preference for peace and
freedom, in my present readings, I am recognizing that East meets West.
What does this mean for Ivanpah Valley
and the proposed Ivanpah Valley Airport?
Nevada is widely viewed as a natural home for libertarianism. Nevada's
propensity for libertarianism is rarely disputed. And, to me, Ivanpah Valley represents the potential future of Nevada.
As I ruminate over things today, I think what Ivanpah Valley should stand for encompasses both the libertarians'
and the Tibetans' simple beliefs in peace, freedom, and the mutual respect for individual rights.
1:21 pm pst
