California High-Speed Rail: Later, Slower, and Way Over Budget

Private industry - don't want something, don't buy it.
Govt - don't want something, go to jail or get heavy fines or both.

Big difference.

But, it wouldn't seem like one that would matter to one who roots for predators.

Which is the predator? The one who offers you an over-priced product that you're free to decline? Or the one that takes your money and (mis)uses it to create a product you don't want?

Both.

Predation of the stupid is still predation.

In fact....I'm hard pressed to come up with too many examples of "fair fights", in the jungle, or the savanna, so...yeah, it's just plain old predation.

So, the big question in all this is....





























This shit is STILL going?!

How naive. Private industry lobbies (read: bribes politicians) to get massive subsidies all the time, to get special kick backs and tax rules just for them, to get all sorts of items compelled for tax payers to buy no matter if we like it or not. Your stance is shockingly naive for a guy who is normally pretty on the ball.

We aren't sold on trains, high speed or otherwise, because there's something better...

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You are the one that wants a government which is powerful enough to do that.

Society can't function without the power of imminent domain because no long distance roads, rails, or canals would ever be built. A more intelligent observation would be that the government, really just about all governments in the world, already have that power and so the arbitrary distinction between the abuses of government and the abuses of the private sector was complete bullshit to begin with.

At least with government we can vote the bums out but with private corporate abuses you're more or less stuck especially in the ever more common monopoly or duopoly situations. Ideally, you outlaw all forms of bribery, yes including "campaign donations", have campaigns publicly funded as that would eliminate the legalized bribery which dominates out system. Problem maybe not solved by certainly reduced by orders of magnitude.

dunce, the dunce was dunce and imminent dunce dunce the nuanced frequent dunce wasn't really dunce dunce de dunce dunce.

eminent domain dunce. nimrod putz ?

It looks like for all practical purposes the CA High Speed Rail project is DOA...

http://washingtonexaminer.com/calif...-is-dead/article/2500302#.T-N8Uo9pCts.twitter

That doesn't make it dead but it does mean they won't make their construction schedule because now the thing will be tied up in the courts by the NIMBYs for the next decade.

Stupid. They do need to change the NEPA/CEQU laws so that it doesn't take 6+ years to fight off NIMBYs just to get projects started. That's just an insane amount of power handed to obstructionists.

Yeah, the nerve of those those bastards and their private property. It's almost like they think they have some special claim to a piece of land they purchase and maintain.

I'd rather the project spend MILLIONS in court trying to keep its operations up than it spend BILLIONS building this boondoggle.

This could be a rare win for fiscal sanity.

Eminent Domain is an entirely different subject, Al. NEPA deals with claimed environmental impacts. You're mixing different things up here.

Ok it's official CA is trying to commit suicide...


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-07-06-19-12-38

MONORAIL!!!

Suddenly San Francisco and LA are nowhere. Better not tell that to his constituents.

I've worked with the Bay Area Council before and they are awesome folks!

This is all around great news. Not only will it provide much needed infrastructure development but it will help lower state unemployment.

No, it won't. It will go past 15% again.

Is that CA state unemployment or US unemployment? CA unemployment hasn't been at or above 15% at all during the given timeline.

May I ask you, who do you think will build the rail lines besides people residing in California? Where do you think they will spend most of the money they are earning?

No, YOU MAY NOT.

Pretty little chart doesn't change the fact that this project is one major clusterfuck but CA deserves it the sooner it falls off into the Pacific the better.

California's NOT going to fall in the Pacific, despite what the media would suggest.

It gets too many earthquakes, which keeps the faultlines from building too much pressure for such cataclysmic quakes. You know who's going to get hit by that? The PNW. Not California.

Madera to Bakersfield for $2.6 billion. Somehow I doubt this will help our already bankrupt state.

Instead of high speed rail, how about super-broad guage rail?

Instead of rails being less than 6 feet apart, make them 12 or 18 feet apart.

Make all tunnels and bridges over the rails high enough to permit passage of the 3 and 4 story high trains that this widening (and resultant stability increase) would make practical.

Freight trains wouldn't need to be so long for one.

For high speed long distance passenger transport, stick with planes.

San Fran to LA is by no means long distance, you can make the journey by car in one tank. Considering all the factors associated with plane travel, high speed rail would take about as long and in some cases might be faster. It opens up a more affordable, less polluting choice to people.

I do agree that for long distance travel (500+ miles and cross-country especially), plane might be the better option.

the trains would be too heavy and they'd have to replace all the rolling stock.

It's funny, for all the bitching about the death of the space program, you guys are pretty happy consigning what made your country a nation to the trash.

Well, I admit I am conflicted. Trains are cool. Massive, unstoppable machines that make a noise like fucking armageddon. What's not to like?

But that's gotta stack up against the stigma of placating the sort of novelty groupie who chafes himself raw over the prospect of acting out his fantasy of living in some enclave of chainsmoking pompous douchebag "modern artists" with descriminating tastes in wine, a short train ride away from a little boutique bakery in a neighboring country that sells his favorite cresc...crousss..French fucking donuts.

After having been on the high-speed train from Paris to Nantes, I can say this is an epic idea. Anyone, anywhere along the TGV lines can buy a ticket to Paris and be there in a few hours with no hassles. It's cheaper than a plane and it's a damn comfortable ride. There's a built-in restaurant in every train too. It was like flying first class for a fraction of the cost.

If the one in California is half the quality of the TGV, it will have been money well invested.