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California high speed rail is dead. “Gov. Jerry Brown signaled Wednesday that he plans to withdraw his controversial proposal to protect the California bullet train project from injunctions sought by environmental lawsuits.” “…Brown’s decision not to bypass CEQA essentially kills California’s high speed rail project.” The train to nowhere reaches its destination.

Contributed on June 21, 2012 by Bonfire of the Absurdities, who has submitted 2805 posts.

{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }

Ruben June 21, 2012 at 9:11 pm

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“…To protect the California bullet train…”

Moonbeam must see a parallel between protecting a crappy project and a projectile and fears his own Fast & Furious moment ahead.

CO2Insanity June 21, 2012 at 9:20 pm

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The LSD must have worn off.

danybhoy June 21, 2012 at 10:16 pm

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Maybe, but the damage has been done.

Fenster314 June 22, 2012 at 10:40 am

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Every once in a while Moonbeam does something sane completely contra to both his base and image. In his first governorship he nuked the entire state with insecticide from helicopters on a nightly basis to kill the med fly threatening California agriculture.

Unfortunately for the state, there isn’t a chemical compound that offs public employee union officials.

flashingscotsman June 22, 2012 at 6:11 pm

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He’s doing the right thing, but it’s still insane, because he’s doing it for insane reasons.

Guy Smiley June 21, 2012 at 10:20 pm

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I’m not getting too comfortable yet. He can still have flashbacks.

StrinaM June 21, 2012 at 10:57 pm

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I wish Hawaii’s rail project will die. I have an eerie feeling it will be like the H-3: take 30+ years to go a few miles and need repairs before it opened for use.

KimmyQueen June 22, 2012 at 5:33 am

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Europe is still a railroad culture, the US doesn’t need to be. Although there are some areas where train travel is cute it is not necessary this rail thingy. California should be thinking austerity, but California is obviously insane.

Morior Invictus June 22, 2012 at 7:19 am

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Liberalism is alive and well in Kalifornia. Insane, idiotic, idealistic liberals…

flashingscotsman June 22, 2012 at 7:45 am

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To quote from one comment on the article, “To have a ‘green’ project shot down by greenie laws is rather delightful.”

I love it. Although it DOES show that Brown was not swayed at all by financial reality, only by environmentalists. So he’s still an idiot.

Big Al June 22, 2012 at 5:34 am

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“Long live high speed rail’s death!”

PsychoDad June 22, 2012 at 5:40 am

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What’s slightly discouraging is that he hasn’t abandoned it for the right reasons, ie, that it’s a stupid, wasteful, purposeless boondoggle. He’s dropping it simply because he’s been out-lawyered.

poppajoe49 June 22, 2012 at 6:04 am

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The train to nowhere reaches its destination.

And it only cost how much?

As of Feb 2011:
California: The state has captured the lion’s share of these funds, winning $3 billion to construct a 220-mph train from San Diego to San Francisco.

The money is to be combined with $9 billion California voters have already approved, plus private funds and additional government cash, to build what is ultimately expected to be a $40-$50 billion dollar project.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/02/17/news/economy/high_speed_rail_money/index.htm

As of August 2011:

The Obama administration announced this week it’s giving California $179 million to fill in portions of a high-speed rail that will travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/08/09/californias-high-speed-rail-draws-17-million-in-federal-aid-as-cost-soars/#ixzz1yWx9dXXg

mojo June 22, 2012 at 6:39 am

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Reality sets in

Notsosilent June 22, 2012 at 7:40 am

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Looks like the crazy train will be staying in Sacramento..Whoooooo Whooooo….it’s just gonna keep circling the capital and won’t go anywhere else…

flashingscotsman June 22, 2012 at 7:47 am

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Sacramento’s crazy train reaches far and wide from Sacramento. It touches the lives of everyone living here. Trust me.

HSR June 22, 2012 at 11:36 am

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Sidekick June 22, 2012 at 12:24 pm

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Love to and you can start with pointing to the place in the Constitution where the federal government has the authority to build a high speed rail or any other infrastructure solely for the people of one state. Who are you calling “Red”? I get the reference (red state) but you seem to the real “Red” here. Bring it on!!

Here is a little cheat sheet…

Since I doubt you’ve never read the Constitution, here is what the federal government is ACTUALLY authorized to do.

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

To establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;

To establish Post Offices and Post Roads;

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations;

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings; And
To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

Sidekick June 22, 2012 at 12:40 pm

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BTW, the direct cost of the war is about $1T to $1.5T. Yes, I know Reuters and other sources are breathlessly reporting figures higher than $3.7T much of which are projected future costs and VA and other ancillary expenses. I can make anything cost want it to depending on how I calculate the data. So let’s skip the cost of the wars other than to say that they are expensive. You still want to talk about the economy and infrastructure?

poppajoe49 June 22, 2012 at 2:36 pm

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I think you scared him off.

Bonfire of the Absurdities June 22, 2012 at 1:18 pm

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We used to invest in infrastructure – roads, bridges, tunnels, dams, etc, that is, stuff people actually wanted, needed and found useful. An umpty-zillion train to nowhere that nobody wants to ride is NOT infrastructure. A bunch of handouts to cronies to create “green energy” factories that make products no one wants and go bankrupt within a couple of years is NOT infrastructure. Over 787 billion bucks was handed out starting 3 years ago, most of which went to preserve the jobs of Democrat cronies and clients and that also is NOT infrastructure.

And BTW, if you read the article, you’ll hopefully understand it was not “red fools” who killed the “Very Expensive Train That Couldn’t”, it was some of the most important groups of CA Dem clients (the enviros and the NIMBYs) who did it.

But thanks for stopping by.

CO2Insanity June 22, 2012 at 1:26 pm

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They couldn’t build it because it would ruin the sex life of the Yellow Billed Penis Popper (Birduserectus).

Notsosilent June 22, 2012 at 6:38 pm

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Also the large breasted mattress thrasher, A species known to exist near highways, byways and rail lines in Kalifornia…