Posted on 12/29/2005 9:14:24 PM PST by NormsRevenge
"There are lots of needs because we have neglected lots of things," said Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland. "California has not invested in a long time in things that make California work."
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Gee, Thanks, Don! You mean all the dough blown on illegals and the unions could have been spent on infrastructure all along if folks like you had set the priorities to that end.
And of course these projects will be financed by the the hard earned dollars of California taxpayers. Goodness, can we get a politician that doesn't fall into the tax and spend trap that seems to be the cultural norm these days?
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, right, hugs a supporter after announcing that he would seek re-election at a town hall meeting in San Diego Friday, Sept. 16, 2005. Schwarzenegger prepares for a re-election campaign saddled with low approval ratings, particularly among Democrats and independents. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger talks with the media after attending a ribbon cutting ceremony at opening of the Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park in Sacramento,Calif., in this Sept. 9, 2005, file photo. Schwarzenegger, who called 2005 his 'year of reform' starts 2006 facing reelection in a weakend postion, caused by his ill-fated special election and unrest within his own party with the appointment of a Democratic activist as his chief-of-staff. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, FILE)
Where does the AP come off asserting that infrastructure is a Democratic issue? Infrastructure is necessary for economic growth, and although the GOP experiments in private and market solutions, it has never opposed public spending on economicly productive purposes. It just has a much narrower concept of which government purposes are productive.
Why do we need a high Speed Rail System?
"Why do we need a high Speed Rail System? "
Because the roads are terrible, after many years of neglect.
Whatever happened to shaking hands?
Saddly, his political days are close to over.
Why do we need a high Speed Rail System?
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To get the fish home from the beach faster?
It's a vision thing.
I ain't going there,, but apparently girly men are. ;-)
The Dems have been ignoring the infrastructure and spent all the tax revenue on social programs instead, and it finally hit crisis proportion under Arnold, just as terrorism has been ignored for years under Clinton and became a crisis under Bush.
This is from 2001, and things have only gotten worse since:
Dec. 27, 2001:
California Tops the List of Worst Roads in the Nation
http://www.allstays.com/Features/CaliforniaWorstRoads.htm
California's rutted, cracked and neglected roads now rank at the bottom of all 50 states in roadway quality and per capita dollars being spent to improve them, according to a new study from Transportation California.
Last year the state's roads were third worst in the nation. With 37 percent of 168,000 miles of state and local roads rated poor, the state has fallen to dead last on the list, according to The Road Information Program, which prepared the study.
``A generation of underinvestment in California's streets, highways, overpasses and bridges has resulted in a shameful deterioration of what once was a showcase transportation network,'' said Larry Fisher, executive director of Transportation California, the state's leading transportation advocacy and public education organization.
California ranks first nationally in extra vehicle operating costs that motorists pay when driving on congested, rutted roads. California motorists collectively pay $12 billion, or $558 individually, in extra vehicle operating costs annually as a result of driving on roads in poor, mediocre and fair condition. Reducing the percentage of poor and mediocre roads to 20 percent, respectively, would save the average motorist $215 annually, and all California drivers $4.7 billion.
And more about CA roads:
California Has the Roughest Roads in the Country
http://www.transportationca.com/recent_news/roughest_in_country.shtml
Puublic works projects are great if you have money to pay for them.
Sometimes you don't have a choice -- see my previous two posts about CA's roads being the worst in the nation.
In LA 64% of the roads are rated poor, compared to the national average of 26% beeing poor.
Heaven forbid be it a *GASP* petroleum refinery!
You don't have to convince me about the state of California roads! I have lived in CA since 1979. I still remember when CA roads, colleges, and high-tech businesses were the envy of the world -- before the arrogantly and hyperbolically stupid Leftists gained power and destroyed everything within their reach. Every penny of gasoline tax, and every bond issue ever floated to maintain roads has been diverted by CA's massively corrupt politicians into the coffers that provide payola to the bureaucracy and unions, which have a serpent's stranglehold on this once magnificent state. IMO, you couldn't execute enough of these bastards quickly enough to bring this state back to it's prior greatness.
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