Rail Depot

In Carlsbad it was proven once again that it doesn’t matter what the issue is, if you have enough people ranting loud enough, the City Council will capitulate.

I’m talking about the council’s decision to rescind support of a commuter rail station in downtown Carlsbad, a project embraced by the chamber of commerce and residents--including downtown merchants--alike three years ago when it was first unveiled.

Never mind that the folks who did all the ranting had very little in the way of facts. Never mind that they represented just the tiniest percentage of the Carlsbad populace, and, indeed, none of the potential user base. Never mind that they had closed their eyes and ears to the possibility--no, the probability--that a commuter rail station in the midst of our flagging downtown district would be just the injection we’d need to get us through these bumpy economic times.

Never mind that a commuter rail station in Carlsbad would benefit many: the businesses in the village, the commuters from Carlsbad, and in the bigger scheme of things, the quality of air and life and freeway transportation for all of us in San Diego County.

None of that matters. Because in this country, we can lobby for or against anything we want. And if we are loud enough and persistent enough in our short-sighted propaganda, if we can get enough people to buy into our misdirected line of reasoning, if we can scare enough public officials into believing that their reelection is at stake, we can keep all kinds of important things from happening.

No wonder we’re in so much trouble.

ELAINE GUEBERT

Carlsbad