Posted on 11/29/2010 8:01:52 AM PST by SmithL
A few days before this month's election, the federal government announced that California would receive an additional $715 million for its high-speed rail project, contingent on the money being spent quickly on a segment in the San Joaquin Valley.
Why? You'd have to be terminally naive not to believe that the splashy announcement, made personally by an Obama administration official in Fresno, was to help an embattled local congressman, Democrat Jim Costa, stave off a very stiff Republican challenge.
Costa, a longtime bullet train advocate, did, in fact, eke out a narrow re-election win. And last week, the California High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) announced plans to spend that money and some other federal and state funds, $4.3 billion in all, to build a 54-mile segment from Madera to Corcoran.
It was instructive on two fronts. It illustrated the pork barrel aspects of the scheme, with financing, routes and station sites dependent more on political pull than objective criteria. It also underscored the eagerness of bullet train boosters to turn dirt, thereby creating a moral commitment to complete the project despite its deficiencies.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
Mongo, why would Hedley Lamarr care about where choo-choo goes?
Dead broke CA will have the distinction of building a railroad to nowhere.
This is why there is a huge Federal deficit.
This should open up a whole new demographic of passengers for the TSA to search.
“We’re on a road to nowherecome on inside.
Takin’ that ride to nowherewe’ll take that ride.”
Talking Heads
Now Brown is talking about “tweaking” Prop 13.
Has a certain ding to it, n'est ce pas?
“If you build it, they WON’T come....”
There are three full scale interstate highway overpass's that I know of. One just south of St. Augustine on I-95 and two over on I-75. They have no roads to them. They spread dirt on top of them and planted trees and grass so the animals would have a place to cross the interstate.
Meanwhile, medical helicopter life flights to be suspended in Volusia County due to cost. Meanwhile, Volusia County Council approves spending $28.8 million to purchase 4,806 acres of land.
You can't make this up.
Better, cheaper and smarter service from small local airports would be better than a local loco that nobody will use.
The San Joaquin Valley has lots of fast, straight roads that are relatively uncongested. They work just fine to get to points here in the valley and the valley perimeter. It’s easy to get to Los Angeles and San Franfreakshow from here. But it’s a major hassle to get to points on the other sides of those cities. Such as San Diego.
Pinging Willie Green...
I plan to be among the very first to not ride it.
.
Who’s Willie Green? Searching brings up a basketball player.
Willie Green is a Freeper who is an enthusiast for mass public transport... particularly Amtrak.
Enthusiast? That's an understatement. According to Willie, their isn't a problem on the planet from global warming to the heartbreak of psoriasis that can't be solved by a high speed train.
“According to Willie, their isn’t a problem on the planet from global warming to the heartbreak of psoriasis that can’t be solved by a high speed train.”
Yes. But that’s only if you’re standing in front of it.
Does Wee Willie even live in California and is his livelihood dependent on these projects...
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