Trump Cancels Almost $1 Billion For California’s Train To Nowhere

Yeah, this would be that high speed rail boondoggle that is way, way, way overbudget, which almost no one will take (via Twitchy)

At the link, we can see someone stomping their foot

California Gov. Gavin Newsom immediately pledged to take the administration to court.

“The Trump Administration’s action is illegal and a direct assault on California,” he said in an emailed statement. “This is California’s money, appropriated by Congress, and we will vigorously defend it in court.”

Yeah, no, it’s the money of the citizens of the United States. Let Gavin use California’s money for this project.

Gavin himself has said that it will never reach LA nor San Francisco, so, what’s the point? The original estimate of the cost back in 1999 was $25 billion. Now we’re talking about somewhere between $63 and $98 billion (that’s why you may see $77 billion thrown around). One of the reasons for the $1 billion being pulled is

The decision was made based on the rail authority’s “repeated failure to submit critical required deliverables and its failure to make sufficient progress to complete the project.”

Back in 2008, it was promised that it would be completed by 2022, including spurs to San Diego and Sacramento, but, now “the first segment of the line—San Jose to Bakersfield, almost 200 miles short of completion—won’t open until 2029.”

The money that was supposed to come from private investment didn’t. If Gavin wants the money, let him raise it in California.

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20 Responses to “Trump Cancels Almost $1 Billion For California’s Train To Nowhere”

  1. Hoss says:

    And then the rail will take the people off the highways who are paying gasoline tax and put them in a railcar which will be endlessly subsidized by the federal government, by what else: federal gasoline taxes.

  2. formwiz says:

    This is how you balance the budget.

  3. Elwood P. Dowd says:

    Teach typed, ignorantly: “… it’s the money of the citizens of the United States. Let Gavin use California’s money for this project.”

    California pays more money into the federal government than does any other state – $406 BILLION in 2015 alone! No other state comes close. Congress allocated $1 billion to California and trump said no because Californians hate him.

    Do you want California to keep its nearly 1/2 trillion dollars a year? This money flies trump and his kids all over the globe. It pays for road repairs in poor red states, who can’t afford it. It pays Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid payments all around America.

    • Liljeffyatemypuppy says:

      California did not hold up their end of the deal, little missy. https://www.thepiratescove.us/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_cool.gif

    • Phil says:

      Elwood is making the usual mistake of giving too much credit to California by simplistically looking at the “taxes paid by state” number. That $406 billion is greatly inflated by the fact it includes corporate taxes paid by companies headquartered in CA,even if the economic activity didn’t occur there.

      So, for example, the corporate taxes paid by Walt Disney for the profit they make on distributing the blockbuster Avengers Endgame will be “paid by California” even though the movie was shot in GA, NY and London and the profits were made in theaters in 50 states. Well Fargo’s corporate taxes are “paid by California” even though they have about branches 5000 branches located in all 50 states generating that profit.

      • Elwood P. Dowd says:

        Phil is making the usual mistake of giving too much credit to corporate taxes, which are a small fraction (and shrinking) of total taxes paid to the federal government, being dwarfed by income and payroll taxes.

        • Phil says:

          I didn’t quantify corporate taxes, so again you are being disingenuous by saying my non-existent number was “too much”.

          I wasn’t really writing TO you, because your history proves your lack of cognition skills, For the more astute readers I was giving one of the examples showing how the number YOU posted was inflated. Another, since you brought it up, would be that California gets credit for the 6.2% corporate share of SS payroll taxes for companies headquartered in CA even though many of those employees physically work elsewhere.

          • Elwood P. Dowd says:

            The commenter wasn’t writing TO me yet used my name.

            Which US state pays more to the federal government in personal income taxes than California?

            Don’t answer ME, but please present the results of the research to the “more astute readers” here.

            Which states (takers) take more than $2 for every $1 they give to the feds? Indiana, West Virginia, Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, North Dakota, New Mexico, Hawaii, Mississippi, Kentucky, Alabama… a lot of red there. South Carolina wins the prize, taking over $5 for every dollar they give.

            Who pays the bills for the takers?

            Which states (givers) take LESS than they donate? California, New York, Delaware, Minnesota, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Utah, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Ohio… with CA and NY, the NuCon bete noirs doing most of the lifting.

            You don’t like the way it’s calculated, show a better way.

        • formwiz says:

          The bunny suit is making his usual disinformation of giving too little credit to corporate taxes.

          Phil said companies HQed in CA., many of which do their biz elsewhere.

          Much like DE. Why else would a dunce like Gropin’ Joe rise to such prominence in the Democrat party?

    • formwiz says:

      The bunny suit typed, ignorantly, about CA’s population, as he does about electing Presidents.

      He wants people to believe the biggest state gets the most.

      Wrongaroonies.

      It goes on the basis of need, party support, worth to the country, and a lot of other criteria.

      The train is a boondoggle and a waste of money. Also, CA’s (along with NY, NJ, and a host of other Lefty paradises) population is fleeing as fast as they can. Something about not being able to walk on the sidewalks.

      Jeffery whines about the debt, but he wants the Demo states to keep the sugar coming in.

      • Elwood P. Dowd says:

        Edward D.,

        There you go again, Edward D. Edward D. whines about the debt, but it’s blue states supporting red states.

        Those GOP red states keep their local taxes low and rely on that sweet, sweet sugar from those productive blue states.

        The hair suit loses again!

  4. Professor Hale says:

    The project was cancelled because it was a terribly mismanaged boondogle. Way over budget. Way behind schedule. No end in sight. And when it is done, it will connect two remote communities that will never generate the revenues from traffic that were promised. It exists to transfer tax money into the pockets of connected people in California. It was never expected to actually operate. FACT: America doesn’t have passenger rail because Airplanes were invented. As much as we hate our air travel, flights are cheaper, faster and less hassle than taking a train anywhere. There is no where in the world where passenger rail service pays for itself with revenues from the passengers. For example, the VRE, a local commuter train in Virginia, operates with standing room only crowds and still they lose money on every passenger they carry. They make the claim that passenger revenues pay 70% of their operating costs. The rest is paid by taxpayer donations. They are considered to be one of the higher revenue to costs rail lines. But the truth is far worse. For one thing, they don’t pay any costs for infrastructure. They use the freight rail lines for free. For another thing, 3/4 of their passengers get a subsidy from their employers to ride “mass transit”. And most of the employers are Federal government. So, a hidden taxpayer subsidy laundered through the passenger hands. And because the trains stop at every stop to take on passengers, the trip takes trice as long as taking your own car, even being stuck in traffic. A faster train, would make no difference due to the stops along the way.

    • formwiz says:

      The commenter wasn’t writing TO me yet used my name.

      Which US state pays more to the federal government in personal income taxes than California?

      Don’t answer ME, but please present the results of the research to the “more astute readers” here.

      Which states (takers) take more than $2 for every $1 they give to the feds? Indiana, West Virginia, Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, North Dakota, New Mexico, Hawaii, Mississippi, Kentucky, Alabama… a lot of red there. South Carolina wins the prize, taking over $5 for every dollar they give.

      Who pays the bills for the takers?

      Which states (givers) take LESS than they donate? California, New York, Delaware, Minnesota, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Utah, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Ohio… with CA and NY, the NuCon bete noirs doing most of the lifting.

      You don’t like the way it’s calculated, show a better way.

      All out village idiot does is list states by population.

      CA has the highest poverty rate in the country. ND is still a rural state, but pumps out that evil oil by the carload. TX is third highest Federal revenue-producing state in the country.

    • Professor Hale says:

      Correction: The project wasn’t cancelled. Federal funding for the project was cancelled. The state of California will continue to try generating funds from somewhere to keep paying the corporate salaries and spin-off profits to all the people who make money off of standing in the way of construction in California.

  5. formwiz says:

    California pays more into the feds than they take, ignorant.

    Irrelevant.

    How much goes for sanctuary cities? How much for illegals?

    American taxpayers have the right to keep that money.

    Ignorant.

  6. formwiz says:

    There are so many bums in SF these days, they’re quartering them in boats in the Bay.

    Seems like all those tolerant, compassionate Lefties don’t want to have to see or hear (or smell) them.

    Not to mention walk around their spoor.

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