Tuesday, July 24, 2012

COP: High Spend Rail Needs Big New Taxes

Lee DeCovnick


The CHSRA (California High-Speed Rail Authority) thinks it's never too early to use its greasy paws to remove an additional wad of cash from every taxpayer's wallet. You might think that the taxpayers of California would eventually learn that they fund the only free lunch in town; a wonderful buffet exclusively laid out for corrupt Democratic politicians and their union puppet masters. But sadly, that is not the case.


From the reliably liberal SFGATE website we read:
Now that Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation to allow the state to spend billions on high-speed rail, Bay Area residents had better brace for the real ride - a push for $650 million in toll hikes and new San Francisco taxes.
That's how much will be needed to help pay for a tunnel to connect the Transbay Terminal to the Caltrain station at Fourth and King streets.
As it turns out, none of the $2.5 billion in tunnel costs were included as part of the narrowly approved high-speed-rail deal.
It's up to the locals to make the tunnel happen. If they don't, the $68 billion high-speed-rail line from Los Angeles will dead-end several blocks from downtown proper.
Just for work to start on the 1.2-mile dig through the heart of the city, however, the Bay Area has to come up with its own $650 million. The current plan is to raise $300 million from higher bridge tolls and $350 million in San Francisco sales-tax dollars.
"That's a reasonable estimation," said spokesman Randy Rentschler of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
The date for when the Legislature and voters would be asked to approve another $1 toll hike to raise the $300 million in tunnel money is a bit more elusive. Although acknowledging that toll money would be needed for a San Francisco tunnel, Rentschler says there are no plans on the boards to seek an increase.
Even if all the money does come through and the tunnel gets dug, High-Speed Rail Authority boss Dan Richard says, the bullet train won't arrive in San Francisco until 2028 or so.
So the rubes...er, taxpayers, will start paying more taxes in 2013, after the November election, and may begin to receive service in downtown San Francisco in 2028.  That's one hell of fifteen-year lay-away plan.  And of course, the additional taxes will never go away even after the tunnel is completed.

High spend rail has quickly morphed into the taxpayers never-ending Christmas gift to the criminal syndicate that ties the Democrats in Sacramento to the unions that heavily support their re-election war chests. High spend rail means less after-tax dollars for food, gas, clothes, vacations, furniture, entertainment, cars, and utilities for every family. Local merchants will see their revenues drop, and local governments will see their sales tax dollars decrease. There is no free lunch California; everyone will soon be suffering from this ill- conceived boondoggle of government hubris and stupidity.

Page Printed from: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/07/high_spend_rail_needs_big_new_taxes.html at July 23, 2012 - 05:36:51 PM CDT

1 comment:

tyler said...

I was wondering if you were going to post this. Biggest waste of money ever. By the way if we dont pass a tax increase bill come november (hopefully the lesser of the evil options) school can expect to loose up to half what they were promised.