California is nearly 400 billion dollars in debt. The lukewarm sense of hope following the contentious fight to wrap up the yearly state budget is tempered by the knowledge that the agreement requires the public to ok a referendum temporarily raising taxes by 8 billion dollars. Social services, health programs, the education system, the court system, state parks and almost all public sector employees (aside from the legislators, of course) will feel the pinch, and the governor knows that still isn’t enough.
Even with all of the painful new cuts, California is still in deep, deep trouble. What else can they do to help save their drowning state?
Build high speed rail, of course!
Yes, you read that correctly, and no, I did not have a stroke. This is actually happening.
California Governor Jerry Brown signing the high speed train bill.
Weeks after Governor Jerry Brown ushered in a new era of Californian austerity he had the temerity to pick up his pen and sign a bill to begin a bullet train project that will carry people between San Francisco and San Diego at a slower speed than an airplane – and for a higher cost.
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Jerry Brown is the biggest reason successful businesses are fleeing California for other states. He’s a hardcore left winger who has no understanding of running a business. For that matter, neither do most of the Democrats who run the state assembly and senate, of the majority that voted for them — courtesy of the radical teacher’s unions that are not interested in students but only in increasing pay for their (there are several teacher’s unions) members. Californians had a chance to do the right thing and vote for Meg Whitman, who actually did run a successful company, but they chose not to — to their peril.
What’s funny is that even the reporters knew that high speed trains are boondoggles. Several of them shouted questions out a Brown when they asked him how it was going to be paid for. His answer was similar to “if you build it they will come.” Jerry, this is real life and not a Hollywood movie. He’s a moron who helped put the final nails in the state’s coffin. We can only hope that some of the lawsuits being waged will put a stop to this bogus train mess.