Over a century ago, California voters enacted our initiative and referendum laws to stop the railroad barons in Sacramento. In 2008, a different set of Sacramento robber barons railroaded voters into passing a $9.95 billion High Speed Rail bond measure. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association’s (HJTA) Jon Coupal writes how voters need to stop this runaway train before it leaves the station.
Coupal reports how Sacramento and business interests conspired to use a deceptive ballot title and summary, and misrepresented costs and profitability in order to deceive voters. Project costs (originally $33.6 billion) are projected to exceed $100 billion. And environmental studies now show that the project will be more damaging than auto and air transportation.
It is not too late to stop this train before it leaves the station, writes Coupal. The Legislature can refuse to issue more bonds or appropriations. Given the state’s budget crisis, lawmakers should demand an end to this waste of taxpayer money – or be turned out of office.
Yep. Show me a government project that came in on time, on budget, and actually functioned as well as projections claimed. All this in a state where we are cutting schools and parks.
Not sure I agree. I do agree that it will cost more and be poorly managed in the government’s hands. But a high tech WPA (jobs, taxes, and new innovation as opposed to the usual handouts to the unskilled) may be just the thing that is needed to start moving CA forward… Probably not, but at least worth a day or two worth of thought…
Also, the education mafia has all the money they need. Money will not cure what ails our education system… Wish it were that easy.
Better watch it, Colony. They really hate “NIMBYs” over at Red Kounty!
Fred,
Setting aside the economic evidence that the WPA and other New Deal programs actually prolonged and worsened the Great Depression, California can’t afford it. Such programs must be paid for and can only be paid for by taking money out the “real economy” – reducing business investment and individual savings.
GOP leaders should call for cutting funding to this boondoggle.
In fact, Curt Pringle (who helped lead this deceptive campaign) should call for its termination. It worsens the environmental problems it claims to solve, and it worsens the state’s budget crisis. This stain on the little blue dress of Pringle’s resume should be a career-stopper.