quote:

Originally posted by Scoutmaster:

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:...No shit, Sherlock. Not directed at you, Pipe Smoker, but at the stupid voters who voted for this.

I know a number of people who fit your description. Problem is, they will never acknowledge their insanity.

California's basic problem is that their voters all think someone else is going to pay.

Whether that 'someone else' is some in-state entity in a different tax bracket, or taxpayers in the saner 49, or some bondholder just waiting to get fleeced upon default. Bottom line is they vote their feelings and don't worry about cost.

CA is the ultimate expression of the insanity of representation without taxation.

Edit - Joel^^ nailed it. ^^

Ca. voters expected the rest of us to pick up the tab. They might have gotten lucky if Hillary was elected, but we have someone with common sense as President who knows costs and construction instead. Like Sig upthread noted, I say let them pay the bill they voted in if they still want it, and if they don't, too fucking bad. Not my problem.

BTW, when the voters approved the $10 billion bond, the cost (from memory) was $24 billion. It rose several times to @$68 Billion and then went up to the $98 billion range. They did some paring back to get it back to $68 million.

http://www.politifact.com/cali...-several-hundred-mi/

quote:

Originally posted by jdmb03:
Current estimate $67 billion. WTF!

That means $200B ... ... Their current obligations? Who knows. Hundreds of billions. Of dollars.

That's quite unbelievable. There should be a large swath of people going to prison over this.

quote:

Originally posted by ElToro:
Let call it what it was. A blatant sop to the various unions who would build it. Let’s also not investigate too deeply the politicians who conveniently owned land in areas that would be eminent domained for track. This was widely called a boondoggle before vote even took place and Moonbeam just crammed it down our throats. The train from nowhere to nowhere that nobody will use. FML. One more reason to blow out of this place sooner rather than later.

And the hundreds of millions of dollars spent thus far in consulting and planning. My guess is that the train will never be built, but a few billion will be spent......thinking and planning for it. Nice work CA!

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
That's quite unbelievable. There should be a large swath of people going to prison over this.

Probably wouldn't happen...

Example:

City of Tucson (Democrats in control) squandered over $250 million in a 10 year period on a project called Rio Nuevo, a mass redevelopment scheme west of I-10.

State AG, after a thorough investigation, found no one responsible for the fraud. Couldn't find anyone with directly accepting funds.

Democrats can be slick...

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
SunRail. 3,000 riders a day, weekdays only for the most part. $7,000,000 a year in revenue at an annual cost of $34,000,000. Of course it must be expanded, they plan to make it up in volume!

It's that new math.

And that 3,000 riders a day number is complete and utter fantasy. I'd be shocked if the daily ridership was even half of that. From what I've personally seen while sitting at the crossings, the damn thing runs virtually empty.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
That's quite unbelievable. There should be a large swath of people going to prison over this.

I don't think that's going to happen.

I remember out of nowhere, people said we need a new portion of the Bay Bridge. Nevermind that the bridge was already retrofitted.

But, in any case, they built the new fancy looking bridge section from Treasure Island to Oakland. Then shortly after opening, news about inspections not being made, not certified substandard bolts from China were used, leaking in some parts. It simmered for a while but now not a bubble.

It's like some third world shithole country where politicians and their cronies suck out the life blood from people.

if California was smart (and we all know they're not - this was more rhetorical), they'd simply hire the Japanese to come over and build it themselves as a contractor - no re-inventing a wheel, been there done that...

these people are seriously stupid, they're clueless and abysmally low IQ - room temperature is smarter

is it the water (or lack thereof) that causes so many of these people to be such idiots...

By the time the boolit train is ready, Elon Musk will already have the hyperloop in El Ehh done, heck he'll probably have a tube from NorCal to SoCal done, no need for trains, planes or automobiles, just pop into your sardine can, click off a couple of credits on your MuskTranspoCard and bing! you're where you're going...

https://www.wired.com/2017/01/...digging-los-angeles/

crossing dozens of fault lines at $150 m.p.h.,
maybe it would be beneficial in the long run for us to pay for it

This project was doomed from the start. As a resident of the goofy state, these are the pertinent points, all pointing to failure:

1. Jerry Brown has a small penis complex compared to his father, the former governor Pat Brown. Pat Brown was responsible for a number of decent and worthwhile projects in CA and Jerry wants to look good to his deceased dad.

2. No private money is investing in this and never will. That's because it will forever lose money and never turn a profit aka it will always have to be subsidized if it's ever completed.

3. Nothing is high speed about this. The rail tracks in the destination areas are owned by freight companies and you are unable to go bullet train fast through the urban areas. You can go no faster than the current Amtrak.

4. No one will ride on this for speed or ease of use when you can fly to the train destination areas for $100 or so and much faster.

5. If this thing is every fully built, it will be ready for a museum right away because technology will likley make this obsolete.

6. Democrats like underfunding projects knowing that they will appeal to the public by saying that all the money previously spent will be wasted if we don't finish it. That works a lot of time but here it's many billions they need for more at least 15 years each year.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
That's quite unbelievable. There should be a large swath of people going to prison over this.

I don't think that's going to happen.

Neither do I.

For one thing, they can’t afford to build and operate more prisons, and the ones they have are under court orders to reduce the number of inmates.

These rail projects are always boondoggles.

Look up the light rail line from Escondido to Oceanside. Compare projections used to justify the project with operations.

Find a project that has been any different.