Is High Speed Rail Too Big a Gamble for California?

The claim that railroads built the West is now being re-examined by contemporary historians, and the claim that high-speed rail will solve the state's future transportation needs is also being questioned. Why is the first leg from Fresno to Bakersfield? Have the costs been underestimated and ridership wildly exaggerated? With construction scheduled to start next year, is it time to put on the brakes? Also, more cuts at the LA Times, including columnist Tim Rutten, who's been there since 1972. On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, how does gridlock look from outside the Beltway?