Arnie Asks Feds For $4.7 Billion For Speedy Trains - Bullet Train From San Diego To San Francisco

[Kadie]

Oct 2, 2009 1:53 pm US/Pacific
State Asks Feds For $4.7 Billion For Speedy Trains

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has requested $4.7 billion in federal stimulus money to help build an 800-mile bullet train system from San Diego to San Francisco.

The governor submitted the state's application Friday for the grant, which would call for some $5 billion in state, local and private matching funds to help pay for the $45 billion rail project.

Schwarzenegger said at a news conference at Los Angeles' Union Station that it was time for U.S. rail networks to achieve speeds reached by systems in Europe and Asia.

Planners say the train could travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco in under three hours.

http://cbs13.com/breakingnews/california.bullet.train.2.1224414.html

[robinlynne]

1. what state budget would that be Govner? certainly not ours....

[BlooInBloo]

2. While that's a cool project, all things being equal Ahunld...

You've just destroyed your state. There are currently more important things to ask for 4.7 billion for.

[truedelphi]

5. Arnold did not destroy this state.

For one thing, he is in office precisely because Di Fi can never bring herself to see to it that anyone with charisma runs against Ahnold. We could have had a Steve Westly vs Ahnold contest the last time around, but she went out of her way to ensure that the mousey Phil Angelides was the candidate.

IMNSHO two things conspired to destroy this state, ONE: the fact that the Big Real estate interests amped up the housing bubble and preyed upon the lower middle incomed class to an unprecedented high. And this occurred because of Paulson keeping in place the same low interest rates that Alan Greenspan had employed during his tenure. Had interest rates not been so artificially low, then this housing bubble would not have expanded skyward, only to burst and leave devastation in its place. This is another reason why the Federal Reserve needs to be abolished - it exists only to create situations in which on e sectre of the economy gets blown out of proportion, and its inner circle knows whent he plug will be pulled.

The second thing - for decades, this state has spent every penny it pulls in. So when the Dot Com bubble was oeprating, all the extra tax monies were immeidately spend away. When that bubble collapsed, suddenly the state was broke. Overnight. And the same thing occurred with the housing bubble.
How hard would it be for the state to have a rainy day fund? (they have finally figured that out and it is now in place, I believe.)

California gets only 76 cents for every dollar that its citizens pay to the Federal Government.

[NYC_SKP]

3. I hope we get it, we need it badly. nt

[lunatica]

4. Will it put the 12% who are now jobless back to work?

Somehow I don't think that will happen. It would be nice if it could though.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

6. Stupid

To start with the NIMBY forces will fight to the death to make sure this is not built in proximity to ANY populated area, so it will be planned to run through the desert and other uninhabited areas which will bring down the wrath of the environmentalists. And even if the damn thing is built nobody is going to drive all the way to Holtville so they can take the bullet train to Victorville or Stockton.

[onethatcares]

7. did i miss something here?

I was under the impression that California is broke, flat busted, brother can you spare a nickel, out of money, none, nada, the piggy bank is empty and unemployment has hit the entire state causing people to just give up. What is the actual synopsis on this? Are they gonna just take the land using a term that escapes me at this time, throwing more folks out on the street, or are they going to borrow more money from the Chinese? Is John Snow or CSX behind this?

I've yet to see one of the California IOUs, can anyone scan a pic? are they numismatically collectible?

[lunatica]

8. is the term eminent domain what you're looking for?

Sure. Why not. Take it all from the parks.

[ljm2002]

9. Hope I live to see it!

Also the LA to Vegas line, if they do a maglev it will be awesome!

[Subdivisions]

10. Anything to help mitigate the move from fossil fuels has my support. AFAIAC,

this would be a much better investment than another Wall Street/Corporate bailout.

[musiclawyer]

11. They pretty much know what land has to be condemned

and who will fight so they know the costs, generally....depending on one court case that is left regarding which route will be used. It's expensive, but condemnation cases are actually some of the fastest moving on the court dockets, once all the due diligence is done and the cases are filed. And when they are filed, the State can go to work pretty much right away after some precedural motions are done.