LA Times: California's High Speed Train Wreck (San Joaquin: attorneys, unemployment)

[18Montclair]

The state's plan to build a bullet train has become a monument to the ways poor planning, mismanagement and political interference can screw up major public works. We can do better.


Transportation: California's high-speed train wreck - latimes.com

I couldnt agree more!

[ZhugeLiang]

The very concept of high-speed rail is fool's gold. It always looks so good on paper, until you actually start building the thing. The environmental impact studies and all the lawsuits to stop the construction, and the inevitable rerouting, means this thing won't be built in our lifetimes.

[Des-Lab]

Well this thing was being trumpeted for the virtue of all the jobs it would create. But as they say, the devil is in the details. What specific types of jobs was never made clear. Now we know: it's been fat city for lobbyists, consultants, and attorneys.

So in that sense, it's been chuggin' along exactly as intended.

[Bulldogdad]

Um yeah. Be nice to see some pro rail posters that have blathering on about how wonderful this project would be for California chime in.

Fools gold is a great way to describe high speedrail for California.

Better to upgrade all our existing freeways first.

[FresnoFacts]

There are Democrats in the Legislature (and media like this LATimes editorial) calling for shifting the federal money to their own areas in Southern California or the Bay Area and out of the Central Valley.

Over $2.5 billion of the fed money for California HSR is ARRA stimulus money given to generate Central Valley jobs. That is why the first HSR construction work was picked to be where unemployment is higher.

Shifting ARRA funds elsewhere without the CV getting other job creation funds is just a money grab by some Dems hiding behind HSR criticisms. At least GOP critics are saying either use the ARRA funds for other CV projects and CV job creation or cut off all the fed money.

If the ARRA money isn't used for HSR as currently planned then it should stay in the CV for other job creation, not for projects in Southern California or the Bay Area.

Democrats run on party platform planks of Social and Economic Justice for all. But it disappoints me to see that when money is involved there are Democrats who see those as only words not a value they live and follow.

[krudmonk]

Originally Posted by bulldogdad

Better to upgrade all our existing freeways first.

No thanks, grandpa.

[TimC2462]

Considering that the San Joaquin Valley is infested with the worst pollution in the nation, unemployment remains at an all time high, and that there exists a widening gap of income inequalities between the Central Valley and coastal cities in California, it shouldn't be hard to figure out why the federal government insisted that the HSR project begin in the the valley.

[SportyandMisty]

Originally Posted by TimC2462

Considering that the San Joaquin Valley is infested with the worst pollution in the nation, unemployment remains at an all time high, and that there exists a widening gap of income inequalities between the Central Valley and coastal cities in California, it shouldn't be hard to figure out why the federal government insisted that the HSR project begin in the the valley.

Ah, yes; let's choose the route for high speed rail based on current income inequality statistics.

Makes perfect sense. If you're a government bureaucrat.

[TimC2462]

Originally Posted by SportyandMisty

Ah, yes; let's choose the route for high speed rail based on current income inequality statistics.

Makes perfect sense. If you're a government bureaucrat.

Like it or not, but that was the reason why the federal gov't handed the HSR the stimulus money. It was intended to originate in the Central Valley instead of the more populated cities on the coast.

[Dunbar42]

boondoggle