..Californians

Yup. It'd be one thing if they used the money for something that made sense but nah, they've just thrown it away.

And you'll recall my rants on the local "mass transit" mess and their "light rail"? I was reading an article in the local (very liberal) paper and as best I can tell they now don't have a clue as to when they'll have their first run (they missed their announced startup date of several months ago) and even with their projected ridership for the next five years which is, IMO, wildly optimistic, each ride will have cost $50 per RIDER per RIDE.

In the meantime the roads are in terrible shape.

They just hate cars. Killing mother earth ya know.

Read a Sunday paper article yesterday about the meltdown in California.  Kind of a history of the causes, going all the way back to the sixties and seventies.

It did mention the California boom.  And how they instituted all these "social" programs, building projects and the nation's best colleges. (Tuition free??)  They even threw in the phrase "direct democracy gone wild"...with regard to voters refusing to raise new taxes while demanding not only the same, but new State programs.

What amazed me was the overall gist of the story was that it was Jarvis and Regan that has destroyed California. The conservatives.  Proposition 13 and the Regan Revolution.  The refusal to raise the funds needed to pay for things.

It just amazed me that somebody could write, and publish, an article that shifts the blame from the folks who vote for a nanny state on one hand, but on the other vote not to pay for it.  (And also at the same time can't figure out why population, industry and business is leaving the state.)

Yeah, that's one insane project.

They'd be better off building another airport in the bay area. The one in S. SF is way too small and the one in Oakland is in the middle of nowhere.

Yeah, they yacked about that when it converted but from what I understand it's been developed into housing.

No way would those people allow an airport in their backyard. The worst bunch of NIMBYs I've ever experienced.

LOL!  I can go with that too!

Heck, the feds have picked up on it and think it's just fine and dandy. They CAN do everything better.

And all in-laws...(actually I like mine... just in case...(grin)).

Aww, when I read your post and clicked on the link I had an inkling of what it would be about.  It took a minute to load and while loading I was thinking about this place and then read the story.  What a terrible loss for that old fogey and I really feel for him.  He's got a lot of fortitude to have that attitude after such a loss.  

Wow. Great minds really do think alike...or at least read the same stories. ROFL  Just on my way here to post the link.

Not a very good story IMHO...more of a laundry list of things failing, but it never attempted to address "why". Sure, it mentioned housing collapse and such...but actually several of the writers comments did a better job, IMHO, of explaining "why" (and that it started a long time before any Hollywood actors became governor:

a. A good example of direct democracy vs a republic and

b. A good example of when the population wants everything but does want to pay for anything.

(Both of which should serve as a warning to the rest of the U.S.)

Don, I think your right about the entertainment value.  It makes no sense.