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Maglev opportunity

With federal funds available for high-speed rail, state must act fast to make it happen here

March 20, 2009|By Ted Venetoulis

And then we have to lead the fight - a fight for which Maryland is well-positioned. Consider: We have a governor who doesn't shrink from a scuffle. We have a couple of savvy U.S. senators who can tangle with the best of them in Washington. Our House delegation includes Steny H. Hoyer, the House majority leader; Elijah E. Cummings, the new president's most powerful state ally; Chris Van Hollen, the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee; C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, who's been known to land a few blows for his district; and Donna Edwards, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (and whose district encompasses a large portion of the proposed maglev line).

A couple of billion dollars may not seem like much in this world of trillion-dollar bailouts and trillion-dollar deficits - but it's a great start for a visionary project that's just been resurrected from a deep sleep.

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"I don't want to see the fastest train in the world built halfway around the world in Shanghai," President Obama said. "I want to see it built right here in the United States of America."

Good idea, Mr. President - and there's no better place to start than Maryland.

Ted Venetoulis, a local publisher, was Baltimore County executive from 1974 to 1978. His e-mail is venetoulis@aol.com.

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