Caliphorniapoliticians approved billions of dollars Friday in construction financing for the initial segment of the nation's first dedicated high-speed rail line connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The move marked a major political victory for Democratic Gov. Jerry Governor Moonbeam Brown ... those who ignore history are bound to repeat it ... and the B.O. regime. Both have promoted bullet trains as job generators and clean transportation alternatives. I'm going to go visit my brother in Florida later this month. I looked into taking the train. It cost about twice as much as flying. A bullet train won't be cheaper.
"No economy can grow faster than its transportation network allows," U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement applauding the legislative vote. "With highways between Caliphornia cities congested and airspace at a premium, Caliphornians desperately need an alternative."
The bill authorizes the state to begin selling $4.5 billion in voter-approved bonds that includes $2.6 billion to build an initial 130-mile stretch of the high-speed rail line in the Central Valley. That will allow the state to collect another $3.2 billion in federal funding that could have been rescinded if politicians failed to act Friday.
Brown pushed for the massive infrastructure project to accommodate expected growth in the nation's most populous state, which now has 37 million people. He said the project is sorely needed to create jobs in a region with higher-than-average unemployment.
Members of the state Senate voted 21-16 along party lines after intense lobbying by Brown, Democratic leaders and labor groups. The bill, which passed the state Assembly on Thursday, now heads to Brown for his signature.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/07/2012 00:33 ||
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#1
"No economy can grow faster than its transportation network allows,"
Stupid, stupid, stupid! Wishful thinking.
Given their economy, CA needs to shrink its rail system.
Perhaps they are planning on taking the money and declaring bankruptcy. Maybe this is how Obean is planning on staving off their looming bankruptcy.
#2
This money buys no trains, only rail bed and stations. Billions spent and not a single train carrying a single passenger. If you are alive today, you will never see a train run from SF to LA. The lawfare in each town will take years to sort through. The first money for actual rolling stock isn't expected to be allocated until 10 years hence.
#5
John and Ken on KFI call it the "Browndoggle". It's a ridiculous expenditure that violates all the promises and restrictions on the bond that passed by the idiot voters. It will not work and needs to be taken to court
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/07/2012 8:12 Comments ||
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#6
These people [the ones who cannot escape] will one day be the source of a great deal of trouble.
And the ones that do escape are a source of great trouble right now.
Not all of them, but enough. They spread their contagion by fouling whatever new nest they land up in. We need to quarantine the whole state.
Posted by: Secret Asian Man ||
07/07/2012 9:40 Comments ||
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#7
SecretAsianMan, sorry, but no sympathy for you. California is almost nothing but people who invaded us from other states (and Mexico). This is just payback.
#9
Browndoggle...heh, heh. How he thinks we're gonna pay for it when the state is already broke is beyond me. I like trains but you can't keep spending money you don't have.
And AuburnTom, you are 100% correct.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
07/07/2012 13:29 Comments ||
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#10
"If you have never jetted in from DC and needed to get to the vineyard, you just do not understand."
That is when you fly in to the Santa Rosa airport (Sonoma County Airport). Vinyards are right there.
#11
...said California would have lost billions of dollars in federal aid if the Senate fails to pass the bill before adjourning Friday for a monthlong recess.
Or as the ShamWow guy would say...Call now 'cause we can't do this all day.
#13
SecretAsianMan, sorry, but no sympathy for you. California is almost nothing but people who invaded us from other states (and Mexico). This is just payback.
Whose fault was that? Speaking of no sympathy...right back at you. But now, my state (Texas) is being flooded with Blue State refugees and some of them are from California.
And completely clueless as to what went wrong in the state they just abandoned. Not all of them, but most.
Posted by: Secret Asian Man ||
07/07/2012 14:53 Comments ||
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#14
"No economy can grow faster than its transportation network allows,"
That may be true, but it does not mean the transportation network is the limiting factor in Cali's economy. Last I was there, they still had paved roads and were even connected to the interstate highway system.
This is just a Pacific island cargo cult writ large. Build it and prosperity will come! Pity they will need to borrow money to do it rather than simply using indigenous coconut shells and bamboo.
#16
But now, my state (Texas) is being flooded with Blue State refugees and some of them are from California.
The exact same thing happened in California back in the 1970s. The people came from New York, New Jersy, Michigan and, yes, even Texas. I know because I saw the out of state license plates. We were just that many years ahead of you. :)
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
07/07/2012 18:08 Comments ||
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#18
Taiwan bought rights to the previous generation of Japan's high speed rail and the current generation of the robots to build elevated grade high speed rail lines. To go from Taipei to the southern most city... about the same distance as from Chicago to St Louis takes about 2.5 hours and cost $35. The secret is not inventing it themselves, not building it with lots of workers and not buying equipment from overseas... rather just licensing good enough and building lots of robot builders.
Posted by: Water Modem ||
07/07/2012 21:32 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Jerry 
