Posted on 08/13/2014 10:06:01 PM PDT by Citizen Zed
In Texas, a private company wants to build a bullet train joining Dallas and Houston. In California, the state is raising its own billions to create a very fast ride between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Two very different ways to fund high-speed rail, but they have one thing in common. They bypass the thousand-car pileup that is Washington politics.
Perhaps its time for fans of high-speed rail to let some air into their thought box. Perhaps they should stop looking to Washington for direction and money. There are several routes to this destination, and who cares which ideology drives the train?
The drawbacks in counting on federal help for this undertaking are several. One is that most Republicans in Congress remain philosophically opposed to writing checks for such infrastructure. Another snag has been the Obama administrations failure to smartly guide the $11 billion already committed to the cause since 2009.
That money has reportedly been spent hither and yon, not focused on those densely populated regions where high-speed rail makes the most sense. In the Northeast corridor where super-expensive Acela trains sell out, despite not being super-fast scant high-speed money has arrived.
California Gov. Jerry Brown is now thinking, The heck with Washington. He says that obtaining additional money to build the rail line is well within the capability of the state of California.
(Excerpt) Read more at providencejournal.com ...
It may not in Texas but it certainly does in ca.
From the article:
Yes, it is. In June, the Democratic Legislature agreed to fund the project out of the cap-and-trade program (for curbing carbon emissions). And in other good news, an appellate court recently overturned an earlier, lower court ruling forbidding California to sell $9 billion worth of state bonds for the project.
1. The project is now estimated to cost ~$100 Billion. So the $9B is a drop in the bucket. It’s only enough to build a train to nowhere between two tiny towns in the Central Valley.
2. The Appeal court ruling is being appealed to the CA Supremes. They can’t sell bonds with that appeal pending.
3. The Cap and tax program is also being challenged in court since it did not pass with the 2/3 majority required for a tax.
What is it about Leftists and trains?
Hes a liar.
California is BROKE!
But then so is Washington
It is an excuse to spend lots of money and you can name train stations after big time politicians.
There is a train station in the middle of no where in West Virginia with Senator Robert Byrds name on it.
It is every petty politicians dream to have a train station named after them.
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