OPINION:
California’s bridge to nowhere is a clear reminder of the high-speed rail boondoggle being pushed by liberals like President Biden. The California High-Speed Rail Authority recently announced the Fresno River Viaduct in Madera County was one of the “first completed high-speed rail structures.”
The authority posted on X, “At nearly 1,600 feet long, high-speed trains will travel over the riverbed and will run parallel with the BNSF Railroad.” The project cost about $11 billion and is part of a $100 billion project announced over a decade ago that was supposed to connect people in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Thankfully, taxpayers in Wisconsin skipped a bullet train when I killed the proposed high-speed rail line between Milwaukee and Madison. In general, mass transit must be faster or more affordable to be attractive to the masses. The ride on a rail line between Milwaukee and Madison would be neither, as it is much cheaper and quicker to make the trip in a car. For those who do not own an automobile, there is a bus line that is cheaper too.
Mr. Biden’s infrastructure bill set aside $102 billion for rail lines, an amazing $3.1 billion of which was awarded to California’s failed project, which is already $95 billion over budget and decades behind completion, according to state officials.
Even a state government columnist for the liberal Los Angeles Times acknowledged problems with the project when he wrote: “It would be politically impossible for California alone to finance the Los Angeles-to-San Francisco high-speed rail line that’s currently projected to cost a gargantuan $110 billion. And that estimate keeps growing. It’s now roughly three times what voters were told the line would cost when they approved a nearly $10-billion bond issue for the bullet train in 2008.”
When they first pitched the idea, proponents claimed it would cost just over $30 billion. They also claimed that about three-quarters of those costs would come from the federal government or private sources. Recently, the leader of the high-speed rail project told state lawmakers that the project will need $100 billion more. That is on top of what state and federal taxpayers have already been forced to pay for a project that is not even close to completion.
When California Gov. Gavin Newsom faced a recall election a few years ago, the state coffers were flush with cash from the federal government. They’ve been that and more. Now, the state faces a historic deficit of more than $70 billion. Instead of pouring $100 billion more into a failed program, state leaders should balance their budget.
In contrast, Wisconsin taxpayers are not on the hook for a similar boondoggle. The governor before me approved plans to use $810 million in federal funding largely to build a high-speed rail line between Milwaukee and Madison. I killed it.
One of my arguments against the idea was that it would not be as effective as driving a car, which was less expensive and time-consuming. The other was that there would be cost overruns that state taxpayers would be on the hook for in the future. Exhibit A of the validity of that argument is what we see (or don’t see) on the West Coast.
Why the liberal obsession with rail? I believe it is far more than an environmental issue. My theory is that liberals want people out of their vehicles and in government-subsidized mass transit where they are constantly dependent on more government spending.
Lately, I have a growing sense that the nearly 50-year high in apartment construction is part of a similar plan. Many local governments in large metropolitan areas provide rent control and other measures to force “affordable” housing options.
Historically, we know that people who own property are more vested in what happens in their communities, states and nations and are typically less dependent on the government.
In addition, massive spending by the federal government has significantly contributed to the rise in inflation — which drives up the cost of food, gas and housing. High interest rates have made it increasingly difficult for young adults to purchase homes.
My son and daughter-in-law are preparing to move into their first home this year. Sadly, their mortgage payment will be at least $1,000 more each month than it would have been when Donald Trump was president. That is real money.
Liberals keep pushing projects that don’t work. Their policies drive up costs, inflation and, eventually, prices. When will our fellow citizens learn and stop rewarding these reckless politicians? Despite the advantages of great weather, beaches and awe-inspiring mountains, America’s largest state lost enough residents to drop a congressional district this year. The Golden State is proof positive that left-wing ideas are bad.
• Scott Walker is president of Young America’s Foundation and served as the 45th governor of Wisconsin
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