I think Collapso has soured him on our cynical verbalization of the usual nonsense topics the agenda writers pour on us to stimulate emotional responses.

We all know trains are fun to watch…can’t we all get along together?

Fair and balanced.

Now we know from the other cost estimates on previous government projects that this $68B monstrosity will end up costing way north of $100B.
It will cost north of $250 BILLION.
Cost estimates are never overstated, but always understated.
You mean CalTURDS over estimates income and under estimates expenses NO WAY. I refuse to believe it 🙂

Next you’re going to be telling me Jerry Clown’s budget over estimates income and under estimates expenses, and that counties and cities do the same, I just do not believe it, government would NEVER lie like that.

Oh wait, they did that with SB400 and every Governor has done it with every state budget since 1970…MY BAD 😉

thanks U Uhaul, maybe you’re not such a goon after all 😉

LOL^^^ LIC, you destroyed a Teddy Gimmick Account.

Simple opinion for simple minds. Would make for an excellent ‘bullet train’ marketing slogan….’Trains are good for California folks. Period. End of story’….Email it to Jerry. If adopted he may have a place for you in his public communications department.

But she does have a minor point. Trains are notoriously late with departures and arrivals. Even moreso than airliners.

But we need someone like Ross Perot in the State legislature who gets out the magic marker w/ the big meeting writing board, draws some pictures and fills in the dollar and cents. And dumb the presentation down to about the 5th grade level. Maybe that would get some results.

I just went over to the Orbitz website. As long as I book a week in advance I could purchase a round trip flight from LAX to SFO for $116. No doubt a stingy consumer could even find an even better price than I did during the 30 second search. And your flight time, liftoff to touchdown, is right about one hour.

Now we know from the other cost estimates on previous government projects that this $68B monstrosity will end up costing way north of $100B. Once they start laying track we’ll be locked in and add-on costs will not be an option. We know that from past experience on everything from road projects to health systems. Cost estimates are never overstated, but always understated.

Okay. Even if this ‘bullet train’ lives up to it’s name – how long would it take you to get from LA to SF? It wouldn’t be like a non-stop Delta flight. There would be stops along the way to pick up more passengers. Probably at least 3. If you’ve ever ridden a train you know these stopovers take 20 minutes at least. That’s an hour wasted right there. The total time it would take you to fly from LAX to SFO. lol. So if the ‘bullet train’ could theoretically travel from LA to SF in, let’s say, 3.5 hours, tack on another hour for stopovers.

Now consider travel fares. LAX to SFO = $116. Today an Amtrack fare from LA to Oakland (an 11 hour trip) with a connecting bus into SF is about the same as a one-hour plane flight from LAX to SFO. lol. No joke. Riding a train for the first time is sort of fun. Kids like it. It’s a novelty. But it gets old fast.

So how much would the ‘bullet train’ fare cost you? Undoubtedly much more than the $59 one-way saver fee (non-refundable)w/Amtrack. Probably at least double the Amtrack fare. Afterall, they’d have to recoup that $100B+ investment somehow.

Come on, folks. Who in their right mind is going to sit on a train for 4 hours and pay 2x or more than what it would cost you to fly in one hour unless they have lots of time and money to waste? Would you rather be sitting on the dock at Fisherman’s Wharf eating warm buttered sourdough bread and sipping on a beer with the money you saved or riding on a train with screaming kids all around you? Duh.

The reason this society is so screwed up is because politicians never ask these practical or common sense questions and never concern themselves with outcomes. All they care about is keeping daddy sugar happy and arranging for their next meal ticket.

Your political system is totally broken.

Move on with Jerry Brown, for he is moderate in budgeting and policy making and you know it. It could be a lot worse when eyeing those bench reserves waiting their turn to lead California.