Once, the state built public works without piling up debt

FRESNO -- During the two decades that followed World War II, as California's population boomed and its economy soared, the state's politicians wisely invested immense sums in what they and supportive voters called "public works."

Most of the public facilities that contemporary Californians take for granted -- an extensive highway network, waterworks on a grand scale, thousands of schools and colleges of all varieties, and parks -- were established during that era. And we didn't go deeply into debt to do it, because state and local governments routinely set aside a high percentage of their tax revenues for capital projects -- about 20 percent of the state general fund in the early 1960s.

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Don't we have the highest gas taxes in the country?

Where are they going?

I think we'd be fine if we stopped "investing" in dysfunctional, gold-plated rail projects almost nobody uses. If we put that same money in highways, we'd get a pretty darn good return on it.

No more money required, just a more intelligent allocation of what we have.

D

All of the 'infrastructure' funds are being spent on various welfare programs, or on schools that don't educate, or on pet projects of one sort or another.

Here's a suggestion: privatize the infrastructure and let the state work off the current debt. It should be debt-free circa 2050 or so...

--Boris

Tick, tick, tick...

Let's get out the vote! Here's a tool...

Click here to download the California Republican Liberty Caucus' tri-fold pamphlet on the governor's race!

It's a .pdf file, so you'll need Acrobat Reader... it's free, and chances are good you already have it on your computer. Try the link and see.

Print it using the printer-icon button in the Acrobat toolbar in your browser (not File|Print in your browser's menu). It's intended for double-sided printing using single pieces of paper-- no stapling needed if you do it that way, and saves trees! ;-) Print one side, then invert the paper and feed it through a second time for the second side. Fold, and sally forth to get out the vote!

Give this to friends, walk your neighborhood, take it to stores, give a wad of 'em to your school, hand some out at your house of worship, at clubs, at stores and small businesses...

Let's retire Gray Davis!

Let's show the media and RINOs that "It's the base, stupid!"

Let's show Gray Davis that money can't buy him love ...or re-election!

Freepers and RLC activists can claim considerable credit for nominating Bill Simon, so now let's elect him!

when you subject yourself to debt, what else do you expect?...(slow load)...

Boris: you wrote: "Here's a suggestion: privatize the infrastructure and let the state work off the current debt. It should be debt-free circa 2050 or so..."

Even if it did this, it would only work off relative debt. Its books would be balanced, but only in terms of US$ which are themselved denominated debt instruments, all representing the endlessly growing debt of the nation.

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