Posted on 05/10/2012 8:20:54 PM PDT by SmithL
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood warned the California Legislature today that the Obama administration will not wait until fall for a vote on high-speed rail, urging its approval in a budget vote next month.
"We need to make sure that the commitment is there to obligate the money," LaHood told reporters at the Capitol, where he was meeting with lawmakers and with Gov. Jerry Brown.
The state's commitment, LaHood said, will be demonstrated when lawmakers "put it in the budget and take a vote on it."
Brown and the California High-Speed Rail Authority want to start construction on a $68 billion rail project by early next year, proposing initially to use $2.6 billion in state rail bond funds and $3.3 billion in federal funds. Lawmakers considering allocating that money remain skeptical, however, and the Legislative Analyst's Office has recommended against it.
LaHood said he was at the Capitol to reiterate the Obama administration's commitment to high-speed rail, while "checking signals" in the Legislature.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.sacbee.com ...
I vote “NO”.
What’s going on with these people that they need the vote right now to budget for it when they don’t even have a budget for over 1,000 days, nor are preparing to have one?
I call BS on this.
Obligate what money?
The money that does not exist?
Stinks of a play to enjoin California. Make California subserviant to the Socialist Centralized Federal Government envisioned by the Obama Administration, and handlers.
This would be what IMO the second term of Obama would be about. Going in for the kill.
If Obama wants it...
There must Be corruption Money to be had for Democrats
and other RATs
Nothing new here. You have an administration who has a record of massive borrowing, deficit spending and has accumulated huge unsustainable debts, demands that a bankrupt state spend huge amounts on a showcase green project of dubious economic worth. Of course if Obama is reelected he will “demand” that Congress assume the debts of what should be the country’s wealthiest state.
Guaranteed it won’t be built with Rearden Steel and it will not be called “THE JOHN GALT” line....LOL
Right.
Just who in the hell does this asshole think he is? King of California?
Hey “Ray The Hood” where is Kali going to get the money. Small point I know Ray but worth the thought -—You FOOL!
No, it’s not BS. Patty Murray has a bill in committee in the Senate to fund Gateway Projects around the country, particularly a coal terminal in WA state for the Company that employs her husband. The plan was to transfer the money that was promised for light rail to the freight trains, Warren Buffet’s freight trains because there is not enough profit in shipping coal to justify Buffet spending his own money. The project cannot really go through without the federal funding.
Obama has promised the coal terminal to Richard Trumpka, who was the former head of the United Mine Workers. The primary battle in W. Virginia made this coal terminal even more important to the Obama re-election.
Gotta be a campaign strategy cooking there with Ray the Hood as a key player.
I guess hussein and his cohorts in crime are done trying to bully the Supreme Court around - for now. Guess they’re trying to tell States what to do too. Forget that whole States rights thing. hussein needs something “progressive” to crow about when he’s campaigning in CA.
Let’s see.
Cost 100 billion dollars.
State budget: massive deficit even before spending that much more.
Solyndra, version 2.0. The train.
Perhaps Obama’s lackeys in Hollywood should fund it.
KMA Obama!
He just might.
I sure hope so.
Even though this throws our once-Golden state in the poor house for ever, we have to consider the critical needs of the teeming throngs of passengers desperate to save a half-hour on the 130 mile trip between the metropolises of Merced and Bakersfield in the year 2019. (The rest will be completed much later).
And what about the people of china (who will be designing and building much of the train)? We should consider their feelings here, right?
.
“What’s going on with these people that they need the vote right now to budget for it when they don’t even have a budget for over 1,000 days, nor are preparing to have one?”
What’s going on is the total destruction of our country, that’s what!!! The Marxists know that the time is short for their hold on the reins of power so they need to move with great haste to make sure that they’ve driven the stake into the heart of the country to such an extent that it can’t recover, even if we throw them out!
I think it’s deeper than that Eva. You may be correct, or partially, but if there isn’t enough profit in the shipping of coal for Mr. Buffet then why the wars over the coal terminals. Those coal trains of Mr. Buffets go on for miles utilizing thousands of pieces of equipment that all indicate there is profit, or they wouldn’t be there. As with oil it’s especially profitable my understanding in the shipping of coal to foreign lands via those sought after coal terminals.
Patti Murray is interested in her, and her husbands welfare. A typical politician. Obama makes promises, and good for him keeps some of them. Warren Buffet is wise to use somebody else’s money if he can rather than his own.
I think it’s a more political reason behind this push to get the California Legislature to move in the direction they want them to, and that’s to entrap California in obligation to the Fed IMO. More ripping of the purpose of the Constitution.
We shall see. Thanks for your response. Worthy of consideration.
Who is John Galt?
Yes. Precisely. See my post #7, and please see post #15 by Eva, and my response to Eva at post #23.
Thanks for your response, and good night all.
fix'd
bendoverbarry is panicking.
LOL!!! Touche, my friend!
Rent or better yet buy “Atlas Shrugged”.
That would be superfluous.
The war over the coal terminal has to do with Unions and Richard Trumka, as the former head of the United Mine Workers. Trumka is an almost daily visitor to the White House and he has been working hard to organize labor behind the Western Sub Bituminous Coal industry in a kind of give and take compromise with the White House.
BNSF has admitted that they will not spend the money to add additional track that is needed for the coal terminal in Whatcom County. BNSF came right out and said that the profit margin was too tight and that they expected the federal government to pay for the rail improvements that are necessary South of Bellingham. Buffet’s RR are receiving lot’s and lot’s of help from the Obama government, profits are up tremendously. Oh, BNSF also said that they were reserving their funds to be spent on more profitable projects, like in Canada (where they will be carrying the tar sands oil to the west coast).
All the profit in shipping sub-bituminous coal is in the terminalling. Until very recently, sub-bituminous coal and pet coke were selling for a nickel a ton. The purchaser pays the terminalling and shipping costs. I don’t know who pays for the RR costs.
Patty Murray tried to switch the TIGER grants from light rail to her bill twice before, but was stopped both times by the Republicans in the HOUSE (ironically, with a lot of help from the TeaParty candidates)
Thank you.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.