Japan has had the Bullet Train for almost fifty years. Yes, the Shinkansen has been around since 1964! We may get our first HSR in another decade if we are lucky. HSR or High Speed Rail can surely intimidate anyone. It conjures up an image of technology and machines rushing through your neighborhood. The Bullet train though has always been about Speeeed. Krugman compares the speed and convenience of Trains, Planes and Automobiles and tries to place things in perspective. In fact he has been writing about this for a while. It takes an entire state though, to make a perceptional mess of what might have been a phenomenal showcase even if flawed. Taking advantage of Florida's short-sightedeness, California may once again show, like its mythological Queen Calafia, that the riches are far west.
