Saturday, September 13, 2008

When is the Time Ever Right for Everyone?

Recently my college cross country coach left to take the head coaching job at Virginia. He had turned the program around and we went from a bunch of jokers to All-Americans and now hold the World Record in the Distance Medley Relay. It must have been a hard decision to leave all the guys who trusted he would be there for them, especially the new kids who came to Texas because of him. It seems like at any time you're going to let someone down when you make a decision that is for the greater good either for the team or personally. This was a deeply personal decision that I completely understand and respect.

This is related to decisions we make in the United States to invest in future infrastructure. Just as my old coach decided it was a good decision for his future to take a head coaching job, it is a good decision to build high speed rail for the future. My point in the comparison is that there will never be a good time to make such a decision for some people. There will always be concern trolls that say well it's a good idea but we have other obligations. Decisions aren't easy. I learned long ago with the help of my parents that at some point you have to make them. And putting them off sometimes makes things worse in the long run.

Comments like this from assembly candidate Danny Gilmore will always be made: "I am in favor of high speed rail, but I don’t think this is the time for high speed rail" For him and others who oppose the project, there will never be a good time, which is why we need to make this decision now, to support investment that will help us in the long run, because as I said, putting off a decision now, will create more problems in the future. As some of you might have found out in college, procrastination is always the strategy of last resort. As Robert always says, the Cost of doing nothing is not zero.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

We all know that HSR is viable, given that there are Interstate highways.