And fewer cars means less pollution. For all those reasons, the bullet train is a good idea. What the ballot description doesn't say is that the train would only serve those specific portions of the state. It doesn't say that all those drivers on I-4 want the other guy to ride the train, because no one wants to be without their own car. And much like that French restaurant, we're in for a shock when the check comes.
Few voters do enough homework to know the intricacies of such amendments.
That is why legislators have proposed bills to require two-thirds of the state's voters to approve constitional amendments. Had the bullet train and its financing been left up to the Legislature, it wouldn't have stood a chance. Nor would a better-informed public likely have passed it. But they did, and legislators are stuck figuring out how to proceed. The Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Committee passed a bill to establish a 10-member commission, require it to begin meeting by June 15 and submit its report to the governor and Legislature by Jan. 1, 2002.