Why are there foreign judges serving in Hong Kong?

It is a holdover from Hong Kong’s past as a British colony. After the UK handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997, the agreement between the countries stipulated that the special territory would continue to operate with its freedoms and systems for 50 years- including its common law legal system which operates in several other jurisdictions worldwide. Currently there seven foreign judges remaining on the court– three British and four from Australia.

So, foreign judges who are meddling in HK affairs are upset that China (the inheritor of HK) is meddling in HK affairs?

If the West actually cared about HK independence, why do they wish to maintain colonial judges in HK courts? If they cared, shouldn’t HK judges be in HK courts?

While China has been heavy handed in its effort to speed up the timeline of the power transfer, in the end, the West has concluded that HK is to be Chinese territory. By the West’s own policy, these are foreign judges getting kicked out by the “rightful” new rulers, just a bit early.

the California government didn’t give him money for that

Right, but Las Vegas did and still is. It’s more about how so many people in power were duped into believing it was ever a reasonable method of transportation. It would be dishonest to call it anything other than a publicity stunt / tourist attraction for SV tech bros.

I mean it’s the first system of its kind in the country and it’s being built in a state full of NIMBYs

Acquisitions through eminent domain have been used for far more nefarious purposes in the past.

the ticket cost will be 100 dollars from San Francisco to LA

I would be pleasantly surprised if that comes to be reality, though the cost of the project keeps rising and business school drop outs are going to demand costs be recouped through higher ticket prices.

What?

I am criticizing that the project is 10 years behind schedule and that there are very few comparable initiatives to expand passenger rail.

Instead of prioritizing work on proven solutions, funding is going to fringe science fair projects. Elon Musk literally got government permission and funds to dig a subway tunnel for electric cars.

Even if the CAHSR project is completed, it will likely be expected to run as a for-profit enterprise like Amtrak, making ticket prices unaffordable for many commuters.

Pedantism does not change the fact that the passenger rail system in US is severely underdeveloped when compared to other nations.

So, they’re throwing money at Silicon Valley tech companies that want to sell speculative and unproven tech because they can’t figure out how to build even a single train?

That’s fair. I suppose I was criticizing the concept more generally, not solely with NYC in mind.

We should instead ask why people are choosing cars over public transport, then address those issues. The number of cars are only a symptom of the problem.

And in the process, you’ve now kicked the poors off the road.

The proposal was to charge a fee for entering a zone in Manhattan, not parking.

The government has the power to make changes. When there are solutions available that benefit everyone, going with a punitive alternative that does not address the fundamental issue is bad policy.

Congrats. Make it so poor people can’t afford to drive, so public transport becomes “only for poors” and never gets the funding it needs.

The goal should be to improve public transit so it’s more convenient than owning a vehicle.

Car travel is already bad, trying to make it even worse is a losing battle.

Except, you have to build the laser… And the assembly line…