California Doing California Things

[Colonel Sanders]

EIGHTEEN years in, BILLIONS

Chicken feed, pablum for the overgrown babies of the vapid right.
At the current rate of accumulation, Trump will have stolen TRILLIONS in 18 years.

This isn't a Whatabout issue.

The issue is spending that much money to get nothing done. California's government can't argue in good faith that it's been obstructionist conservatives holding things up since 2008. It's a perfectly good reason to be outraged, especially when one considers that it was never likely going to be a successful project in the first place.

California's cities are too dense to make good use of high speed rail. There are already trains going from the Inland Empire to L.A./L.A. area and high speed rail is going to do nothing to improve that due to the number of stops that need to be made. Second, California already has extensive airport infrastructure. LAX is a fucking nightmare, but you can fly out of Orange County, Burbank, Santa Ana, Long Beach, and Ontario. Those are regional airports that already provide service from the southwest to the Pacific Northwest.

The high speed rail's purpose was to make travel easier from e.g. L.A. to S.F., but going to an airport is already going to take less time. The argument was that by the time you got to the airport and checked in, that it would take less time than flying, but even the most cursory examination of that notion is silly. Instead of an airport, you'd go to a train station. Just like at an airport you'd have to check in. Just like at an airport you'd have to wait for departure and arrival.

The whole thing was ill-conceived. I'd say it was poorly executed but we never got to the execution stage.

 

[Politesse]

And what should we do, to get the project back on track? Sue the state again?

Sunk costs are sunk. Don't sink more. Scrap it.

Okay. So, is Steve Hilton going to "scrap the project"? What will happen to the existing contracts? What about the infrastructure that is already built? Is his plan, or your plan, to pass all the bills, employment and legal problems of to the cities? Keep on letting it be a drain on state finances, just with no rail to show for it?

 

[Politesse]

I just really love how you frame democrats as multifaceted and nuanced, with a wide variety of views... but republicans are a single hive-mind that's unalloyed evil.

I said no such thing. It's not evil to be a dumbfuck, nor does one have to belong to a "hive mind" in order to be a moron. But you do have to be both to think that Trump has a coherent plan for the country, or the ability to carry one out if he had. Same goes for all his stooges, like Hilton.

 

[Politesse]

Your statement about republicans wanting an autocracy is just as accurate as a statement saying democrats want communism.

Everything in Washington goes through Trump these days. Every contract goes to one of his friends. Every political appointment requires his approval. The army takes his orders. The Department of Justice describes serving his will as their primary directive. Giant posters of his stupid face adorn every federal building, Mao-style. If you don't see all that, you are purposefully avoiding reality.

 

[Politesse]

Oh yeah, fuckin Malcolm X now. That famous hater of reparations and government accountability for slavery.

Do you ever look back on the nonsense you write and think "maybe I should dial back on the sedatives a bit"?

Are you even self-aware enough to notice that you're being an asshole without provocation?

Slavery denialism provokes me. So does invoking the ghosts of California's civil rights leaders as though they would support or reject completely different things in death than they did in life, to the point of giving their lives for. If you had any idea what Malcolm X actually asked for as just reparation for slavery, you would be fucking outraged. Hint: he wanted a hell of a lot more from the government than a check and a pat on the head. But he did want the check.

 

[Emily Lake]

And what should we do, to get the project back on track? Sue the state again?

Sunk costs are sunk. Don't sink more. Scrap it.

Okay. So, is Steve Hilton going to "scrap the project"? What will happen to the existing contracts? What about the infrastructure that is already built? Is his plan, or your plan, to pass all the bills, employment and legal problems of to the cities? Keep on letting it be a drain on state finances, just with no rail to show for it?

Cancel the project. Sunk costs are sunk - they can't be gotten back. But you can avoid spending more on something that is unlikely to come to fruition. I don't know what else to tell you. If you think money should continue being thrown into a pit indefinitely for no actual outcome, well, that's an opinion I guess.

 

[Emily Lake]

I just really love how you frame democrats as multifaceted and nuanced, with a wide variety of views... but republicans are a single hive-mind that's unalloyed evil.

I said no such thing. It's not evil to be a dumbfuck, nor does one have to belong to a "hive mind" in order to be a moron. But you do have to be both to think that Trump has a coherent plan for the country, or the ability to carry one out if he had. Same goes for all his stooges, like Hilton.

Would you mind re-reading your own post?

You painted ALL republicans as being part of a personality cult with no plans of any sort, and all of them want an autocracy. You flatten republicans down to near one-dimensional. But when you talk about democrats, you pretty much always have some kind of hedge that allows for them to be mutli-dimensional.

Do you disagree that you flattened republicans in the post to which I was responding? If so, I welcome you elaborating on where the nuance and consideration for varying views among republicans is in there.

 

[Emily Lake]

Your statement about republicans wanting an autocracy is just as accurate as a statement saying democrats want communism.

Everything in Washington goes through Trump these days. Every contract goes to one of his friends. Every political appointment requires his approval. The army takes his orders. The Department of Justice describes serving his will as their primary directive. Giant posters of his stupid face adorn every federal building, Mao-style. If you don't see all that, you are purposefully avoiding reality.

Trump is a bombastic blowhard who loves attention. Duh. This isn't news, nor is it surprising.

As for the bolded bit... that's in the job description - that's how it's supposed to work. Appointments are just that - appointments. He is the commander in chief of all armed forces.

 

[Emily Lake]

Oh yeah, fuckin Malcolm X now. That famous hater of reparations and government accountability for slavery.

Do you ever look back on the nonsense you write and think "maybe I should dial back on the sedatives a bit"?

Are you even self-aware enough to notice that you're being an asshole without provocation?

Slavery denialism provokes me.

You're being provoked by your own imagination. You should talk to someone about that.

So does invoking the ghosts of California's civil rights leaders as though they would support or reject completely different things in death than they did in life, to the point of giving their lives for. If you had any idea what Malcolm X actually asked for as just reparation for slavery, you would be fucking outraged. Hint: he wanted a hell of a lot more from the government than a check and a pat on the head. But he did want the check.

Oh no! Malcolm X and I might disagree on some things, it's the end of the world! I can't possible be allowed to agree with him on anything else, that would be... wrong? I don't even know.

You're just determined to be outraged.

 

[ZiprHead]

Oh yeah, fuckin Malcolm X now. That famous hater of reparations and government accountability for slavery.

Do you ever look back on the nonsense you write and think "maybe I should dial back on the sedatives a bit"?

Are you even self-aware enough to notice that you're being an asshole without provocation?

Maybe you should dial it back a bit. This is a politics based forum. As has been said before, if you cannot take the heat get out of the kitchen.

 

[Politesse]

You painted ALL republicans as being part of a personality cult with no plans of any sort, and all of them want an autocracy. You flatten republicans down to near one-dimensional. But when you talk about democrats, you pretty much always have some kind of hedge that allows for them to be mutli-dimensional.

I really don't think that's true. I'm aware that, like, Steve Hilton probably has a dog he really likes. It's just not relevant to matters of state. You want to change my mind about him? Answer my question about his plans and policies, instead of whining about my tone or whatever. I am happy to discuss any issue under the sun, but the personal attacks are getting old.

And a politics based on being "nice" to the powerful whole while dismissing the concerns of their victims is judt never going to interest me. Barking up the wrong tree if that is what you're hoping for. Steve Hilton is a veteran of Btitish politics for fuck's sake, I think he can handle a mean word or two from the likes of me. Hell, he loves it when people like me call in to a show or whatever. So who's the victim here?

 

[Politesse]

You're just determined to be outraged.

Projection much? I'm not "outraged" by much. I tend to think "outrage" is a fat load of bullshit no matter who is expressing it. Certainly, not a strong indicator of rational thought as a rule.