CA: 30 years of idiocy and counting

OC Register ^ | 8/5/04 | Ray Haynes - Opinion

[NormsRevenge]

"If you don't build it, they won't come." That philosophy, courtesy of the administration of former Gov. Jerry Brown, has corrupted California's growth both at the state and local level for the last three decades. This is the idea that if we stopped building freeways, water projects, universities and power plants, we wouldn't be able to sustain future growth and people would stop coming here.

They didn't.

As a result, we are now facing massive shortages and deterioration of our state's infrastructure, even as the population continues to grow beyond the capacity of our roads and freeways. And yet in nearly every article about trying to expand our highway or freeway system - like efforts to create an alternative to the 91 Freeway between Riverside and Orange County - somebody is opposed because the new roads will "just encourage growth."

Guess what? The growth has already happened without the freeway - and will continue to happen without the freeway. The new freeway will only help us deal with this new and future growth. The only way to stop growth in California would be a China-style forced abortion and sterilization population- control program in combination with a ban on immigration from other states and abroad.

[EggsAckley]

"If you don't build it, they won't come."

Yeah, sure worked for Santa Cruz.

/sarcasm

[glorgau]

Actually, a large part of the "growth" would be curtailed if immigration laws were enforced. Apparently that idea is "off the table".

[brianl703]

"This is the idea that if we stopped building freeways, water projects, universities and power plants, we wouldn't be able to sustain future growth and people would stop coming here."

Some people would stop coming there. Others, of the sort who think it acceptable to live 20 to a 3-bedroom house, won't care.

[SierraWasp]

Yup! The GANG-GREEN NIMBY/EnvironMentalistas that started in Governor "Moonbeam's" era snearingly smear all man-made improvements as "GROWTH INDUCING!"

They're still at it by fooling Governor Schwarzenegger into thinking a Sierra-Nevada Conservancy would stop "Urban Sprawl" in it's tracks!!!

What a "Ship of Fools!" (Socialist Fools, that is)

[Amerigomag]

This is the idea that if we stopped building freeways, water projects, universities and power plants, we wouldn't be able to sustain future growth and people would stop coming here.

They didn't.

I'm surprised Mr. Haynes would publish this in the face of the facts. They did stop coming to California. California's legitimate population is shrinking.

California's recent population growth is due solely to foreign immigration, the vast majority of which is illegal and originates in Mexico.

[IncredibleHulk]

California can't build a new freeway or road in less than 25+ years. Look at the 710 to 210 connector in Pasadena or the 105 freeway. The lawsuits will stop everything even if the property is seized by eminent domain.

[tubebender]

Santa Rosa had the attitude they could slow growth by limiting CalTrans plans for 101. Yep, growth happened anyway and the exsisting 2X2 lanes become a parking lot during most of the day forcing more cars onto the city streets.

We don't have a problem yet on 101 unless there is a wreck here in Eureka. Growth here has averaged about 1% a year for a number of years but there is no timber industry here to speak of so the only jobs are government and medicine...

[brianl703]

"Santa Rosa had the attitude they could slow growth by limiting CalTrans plans for 101."

A lot of these envirowhackos think that they can slow growth by not building roads.

The end result is that traffic jams on I-95 on a weekend afternoon are considered normal.