Posted on 09/26/2010 3:35:34 AM PDT by Willie Green
Building a high-speed rail maintenance facility in Shafter or Wasco would create between 1,520 and 2,170 Kern jobs, and would support an additional 1,990 positions in the county once it reached full capacity, according to an economic impact report made public last week.
The 24-page study is intended to build public backing for the two proposals. It was paid for by the Kern Council of Governments at a cost of $75,000, and prepared by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.
While there remain questions as to whether the California High-Speed Rail project will ultimately run all the way between San Francisco and San Diego, funding is in place for at least part of the system. That would appear to require a repair and maintenance facility such as the ones proposed in Shafter, Wasco and elsewhere in the Central Valley.
The facility’s overall cost is expected to range between $255.8 million and $349.3 million.
Construction alone would generate state and local taxes totaling between $7.5 million and $10.7 million, the report estimates.
Business revenues would range from $231 million to $329.3 million, the study said, while construction-related wages would total as little as $92.2 million or as much as $132.1 million.
The study’s authors calculated that, after construction, the facility would produce $245.3 million a year in general economic activity, and produce state and local taxes of $25.9 million a year. Jobs in and around the facility would come to $146.3 million a year, the report states.
All of the dollar figures refer specifically to jobs and revenues in Kern County, with the exception of taxes. Economic impacts on Los Angeles County and elsewhere were broken out separately.
The report notes that although the facility could potentially stimulate additional economic activity by supporting transportation-related industries, that scenario should be considered unlikely.
“Even without a local supplier network, however, the high-speed rail heavy maintenance facility would be a valuable contributor to Kern County,” the report concludes.
“At full operation, the facility would bring 1,500 relatively well-paid, stable jobs to an area which suffers an unemployment rate that consistently exceeds the statewide average. Purchases made by households supported by these jobs will create additional demand for local goods and services. Based on existing commute patterns and an examination of the residential pattern of employees at the Target Distribution Center (in Shafter), we would expect that approximately half of the employees of the facility would be based in Bakersfield, creating an economic impact in that city as households spend their earnings.
“Nevertheless, maintenance of the (High-Speed Rail) fleet would be less prone to disruption due to swings in the state economy, and the facility would therefore contribute to the diversification and stabilization of the local economy.”
So, these well-paying jobs, would eventually turn into well-pension situations as well?
Before anyone jumps on this train deal....they might want to ask management how exactly they will pay the pension situation. I’d prefer all of these guys be given a 401-k and just toss in four-percent of their salary-level each year, and then have no connection or liability for the state when the guy finally does retire.
So we should be against American jobs, because they might create pensions?
Honestly, does anyone really believe there is $250 million dollars of 'activity' in Bakersfield that this rail system can soak up?
Willie Green is an idiot who thinks that the monorail is a great thing. Willie is a lib who has repeatedly posted the same article over and over. Willie: Go away son, you bother me.
And what do you think this boondoggle will cost the TAXpayers. Lemme guess. Let's say, $100 billion. You may think that's a lot, but it cost $15 billion to build a tunnel and a couple bridges in Boston, remember?
So, doing the math, the 0bama government can "create" 1500 union jobs for $100 billion, comes to $67 MILLION per "job".
It would be more effective to give 100,000 out of work people $1 million each!
Now, I've got nothing against trains. I prefer them to airplanes, as I hate to fly.
That being said, railroads should be built by PRIVATE ENTERPRISE.
I think he is referring to goveco funded pensions which we all know are a model of stellar management.
We should oppose make-work government jobs that decrease real productivity and funnel money to politically favored constiuencies. If the railroad were economically viable, private investors would be falling over each other to build it.
Name one passenger rail system, either large city mass transit or long haul intercity systems, in the US that has been profitable within the last 70 years.
Name one, that is all you have to do.
Guess what? You can’t.
NONE of these public works boondoggles has EVER been profitable. NONE of them has ever generated the needed revenue to not only pay for it’s infrastructure and operating equipment but also all those “high paying jobs” that you are so enamored with eventually become unionized government jobs. For a fine example of that see the BART system in San Francisco.
In case you have not noticed California is dying-in fact you can hear it’s death rattle right now. It is being sucked dry by it’s unionized government leeches....errr....”workers” and their lavish benefit and pension plans.
You know I recently looked at taking Amtrak from where I live to Tucson. The fare for sleeper berth would cost almost $1,000. One of those “lounge chairs” for those who don’t want to spend a grand for a bunk bed was over $500. Now why the hell would I want to spend that kind of money to take LONGER to get there then driving it and be uncomfortable to boot? I can drive there and back for $250 plus have my own transportation when I get there. I can fly there on Southwest for (depending on the kind of ticket you would want) for $180 to $300. To fly there on Continental is $500.
The only “demand” for this train would be for elitists from Hollywood and San Francisco to ride once or twice to show how “green” they are then they would go back to their private jets. The rest of us would take one look at the fares they would want for passage on it and laugh and say “no way-it isn’t worth that much”.
Now, let me ask you, would you pay $400-$600 to go from LA to San Francisco? If you answer yes you are the poster child for the old adage “Fools and their money are soon parted”. it also makes you automatically qualified to be a card carrying member of the California Democratic Party.
In Fairfax County, VA the Metro rail expansion is expected to cost $1 BILLION dollars more than what was forecast in our "study" three years ago. That represents about a 25-35% increase from the initial total cost. Now they don't know where they're going to get the funding to complete the thing. I guess they didn't plan on the recession and thought if they would raise taxes no one would care.
At the time it was difficult to get people to sign off on the expansion with the price tag being so high. The "study" came in on the high end but within "acceptable" limits. One has to wonder (snicker, snicker) how an independent study could be so far off. Perhaps if we required those who do these "studies" to pick up the cost overruns, then the projections wouldn't be quite so rosy but more realistic.
There are only two ways for Americans to eat:
1) Work.
2) Welfare.
At this point, I’m for anything. Anything. Which increases American jobs.
Sort of like the California initiative which would forestall implementation of the “global warming” scam until unemployment drops to 5%.
Until we have enough American jobs, let’s please not find political or ideological excuses to oppose American jobs.
Americans need jobs. Now.
They would fall under the railroad workers pension act set by government legislation; a very generous one at that.
Lonesome in Massachussets-1
Cringing Negativism Network-0
You are using "political or ideological excuses" to support this boondoggle.
The ONE thing we do not need any more of is unionized government leeches....errrr...."workers". The country simply can not afford anymore of this crap. Like Lonesome in Massachusetts pointed out if these kinds of rail systems were all that great private investors would be already building them.
Don't worry though, hun. There are plenty of gubmint subsidized choo-choo's that you can ride in Europe. Going there to ride them would be cheaper then going from St. Louis to L.A. on AMTRAK.
Since when did it become conservative to oppose American jobs?
I’ve been watching Carly Fiorino getting creamed by Barbara Boxer because of outsourcing.
Jobs, are the single reason the GOP is out of power. Outsourcing is destroying not only America, but also the GOP.
Every American who loses a job to outsourcing, becomes a democrat. Every American on welfare, becomes a democrat.
It’s like Maslow’s heirarchy of needs.
Let’s please not drive Americans into the arms of the democrats by becoming hostile to American jobs.
No matter the reason.
The proper answer to the “outsourcing” accusation is that the job wasn’t “outsourced”, it was “OUT-FORCED” by Democrat legislation making it uncompetitive to do the job in America.
It’s not about answers.
It’s about JOBS.
Jobs are not talking points. Jobs are necessary.
You may think that's a lot, but it cost $15 billion to build a tunnel and a couple bridges in Boston, remember?
I remember when gasoline was 27¢ a gallon and a bottle of coca-cola cost a dime out of the vending machine (including the 2¢ deposit on the glass bottle.)
So what's you're point?
EVERYTHING costs more nowadays.
That's why we need more passenger rail... so we're not throwing away so much money on Imported Oil.
Did you get kicked off of Democratic Underground for bad mouthing Obama because he isn’t moving fast enough to install the LLP agenda? You certainly sound like a refugee from there.
If you can not grasp the simple facts that the country can not afford anymore of this tax payer subsidized crap, that this will end up costing 20x more then the “original estimates” just like very other tax payer subsided boondoggle has and finally no one will end up using it because it costs too much and is too inconvenient then you need to get out of the “reality-based community” and go out into the real world.
BTW you can save all the rest of your crap for your buddies over at whatever board you hang out at now you got banned from DU. It is fairly obvious from your comments that you do not understand how the real world works. Not surprising, no LLP I have ever met has.
Oh for crying out loud.
If anything, you could accuse me of being a Buchananite I suppose.
That’s closer. Though I would prefer to associate my positions with the great Congressman, Duncan Hunter.
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