California's leadership: Antonio Villaraigosa and Jerry Brown
Yesterday, California's madcap governor, "Run Down" Jerry Brown, headed a giant news conference in Los Angeles, where he signed an 8 billion dollar bill to start the high speed rail project.
http://www.vvdailypress.com/articles/future-35622-oks-angeles.html
"This legislation will help put thousands of people in California back to work. By improving regional transportation systems, we are investing in the future of our state and making California a better place to live and work," said Brown, whose signature was only a formality since he led the charge for the bullet train in Sacramento.
If this project is going to "put thousands of people back to work", does that mean that the workers who will be building this monster are presently out of work?
Of course, it is doubtful this rail will extend any further than the Central Valley area because once the 8 billion dollars is spent, California has no more money. It's like a homeless man buying a yacht with a 10 dollars down payment.
Yet, there was Jerry accompanied by all sorts of union types as cheerleaders, as well as LA's incompetent major Antonio Villaraigosa, who gave a nonsensical speech about dreams (All his speeches are nonsensical.) There was such much cheering, the reporters had to shout their questions over the tumult. The question was, "How are you going to pay for it?" Brown's answer?
"Faith."
Meanwhile, California is broke, LA is headed toward bankruptcy, education is in the toilet, and the state university system budget hangs on voters approving Brown's latest tax initiative this year. The truth is that Sacraemtno has spent the state billions into the red, and now they are coming back to the tax-payers for more money. If they don't get it, we will be left with a high speed train that goes from Bakersfield and some place called Madera.
Jerry and Tony want to move California into the "black-hole" of bankruptcy, one city at a time and it is working. The bullet train is only a much faster way to get there (pun intended). The California leadership is condemning our great state to the level of a third-world country.
ReplyDeleteSquid
I wonder if a state can file for bankruptcy? If it can, I wonder which one will file first? California, New York, or Illinois?
ReplyDeleteI can just imagine how Gary would have editorialized about the Interstate freeway system when President Eisenhower kicked it off. We might have been connected by fifty-mile an hour roads, running through the main street of every little town, coast to coast.
ReplyDeleteOh, with 20/20 hindsight, Gary LOVES cars, because billions of tax dollars have been poured into the interstate. But back then, only liberals and RINOs supported such a notion.
Siarlys,
ReplyDeleteMaybe I didn't make myself clear. We don't have the money for it. The voters, based on faulty info from the govt, approved 8 billion dollars. That will pay for the first leg. After that, there may be no more $$$. We don't know how many hundreds of billions this is going to ultimately cost.
@ Siaryls,
ReplyDeleteHow did you get "Interstate freeway system" out of Bullet Train. If the money California would receive from the Fed was for repairing Interstate highways and freeway bridges, that would be a step in the right direction. Maybe you where thinking about this?
Squid
Not at all Squid. Did you miss what Gary said? There is not money to pay for this. Mile for mile, rail costs less to put down than one land of highway.
ReplyDeleteIn the long run, it is the way to save money. Done right, it could even be safe, convenient, and enjoyable.