Ever wonder why the Tea Party hates building green?

[Travis]

I had wondered why so many Tea Party types were torpedoing mass transit and other green infrastructure projects all over the USA.

My personal involvement with them concerns the California High Speed Rail project that I support more than just about anything I've ever supported before. And they have been annoying me greatly.

Anyways, it might be all about the United Nations.

It's a NY Times article that gets to the root of Tea Party opposition to new infrastructure projects.

 

[Lowpro]

Probably might have more to do with cost of building and maintenance, maybe compounded with the "why do we need this when we already have that" attitude.

 

[mhaze]

I had wondered why so many Tea Party types were torpedoing mass transit and other green infrastructure projects all over the USA.

My personal involvement with them concerns the California High Speed Rail project that I support more than just about anything I've ever supported before. And they have been annoying me greatly......

Maybe because "it's the spending, stupid"?

 

[DavidJames]

I had wondered why so many Tea Party types were torpedoing mass transit and other green infrastructure projects all over the USA.

My personal involvement with them concerns the California High Speed Rail project that I support more than just about anything I've ever supported before. And they have been annoying me greatly.

Anyways, it might be all about the United Nations.

It's a NY Times article that gets to the root of Tea Party opposition to new infrastructure projects.

Here is an example from a "Tea Party favorite"

At first, I thought, 'Gosh, public transportation, what's wrong with that, and what's wrong with people parking their cars and riding their bikes? And what's wrong with incentives for green cars?' But if you do your homework and research, you realize ICLEI is part of a greater strategy to rein in American cities under a United Nations treaty," Maes said.

Read more: Bike agenda spins cities toward U.N. control, Maes warns - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/election2010/ci_15673894#ixzz1m7qMcqJ6
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

Yes, it is stupid.

 

[mhaze]

Here is an example from a "Tea Party favorite"Yes, it is stupid.

Yepster. And that high speed rail project in Cal?

Yes it is stupid.

http://www.blogrunner.com/snapshot/...in_projected_cost_wont_be_ready_for_22_years/

 

[Grizzly Adams]

I had wondered why so many Tea Party types were torpedoing mass transit and other green infrastructure projects all over the USA.

How many is "so many"?

My personal involvement with them concerns the California High Speed Rail project that I support more than just about anything I've ever supported before.

Yes. We know. We know all about your fetish for high speed rail. And we know all about what you think about people who deny you your fetish.

Anyways, it might be all about the United Nations.

It's a NY Times article that gets to the root of Tea Party opposition to new infrastructure projects.[/QUOTE]
Correction: it's a NY Times article that SUGGESTS the root of "Tea Party" opposition is because of the UN, but falls far short of proving it in any meaningful way.

 

[mhaze]

How many is "so many"?


Yes. We know. We know all about your fetish for high speed rail. And we know all about what you think about people who deny you your fetish.

Anyways, it might be all about the United Nations.

It's a NY Times article that gets to the root of Tea Party opposition to new infrastructure projects.

Correction: it's a NY Times article that SUGGESTS the root of "Tea Party" opposition is because of the UN, but falls far short of proving it in any meaningful way.[/QUOTE]

I think Travis needs to justify why he is for the CA rail boondoggle, given that it has gone up 4x in price, and 13 years in completion time. Translated: It's the Big Dig of CA. Well, Travis, why isn't it the case that the Tea Party have this one right, and you've got it wrong?

 

[Sword_Of_Truth]

Maybe because "it's the spending, stupid"?

Can't be that.

Money is made from paper. Paper is made from trees. Ergo, money literally does grown on trees.

It's silly to suggest that there are limits to how much of it the government can print and spend.

 

[Peephole]

I had wondered why so many Tea Party types were torpedoing mass transit and other green infrastructure projects all over the USA.

My personal involvement with them concerns the California High Speed Rail project that I support more than just about anything I've ever supported before. And they have been annoying me greatly.

Anyways, it might be all about the United Nations.

It's a NY Times article that gets to the root of Tea Party opposition to new infrastructure projects.

They might justify it with crazy conspiracy theories. But in the end they're just puppets of the heavy polluters, that are opposed to everything green for the obvious reasons.

 

[Travis]

Yepster. And that high speed rail project in Cal?

Yes it is stupid.

http://www.blogrunner.com/snapshot/...in_projected_cost_wont_be_ready_for_22_years/

I think Travis needs to justify why he is for the CA rail boondoggle, given that it has gone up 4x in price, and 13 years in completion time. Translated: It's the Big Dig of CA. Well, Travis, why isn't it the case that the Tea Party have this one right, and you've got it wrong?

Yep, when all you believe are anti-rail nut lies you are going to think weird things.

I won't abide anyone opposing this HSR project. It is too important.

I'm a contributor of this blog where we set the record straight and excoriate anyone that speaks up against it. Check out today's topic on gas prices.

 

[mhaze]

Yep, when all you believe are anti-rail nut lies you are going to think weird things.

I won't abide anyone opposing this HSR project. It is too important.

I'm a contributor of this blog where we set the record straight and excoriate anyone that speaks up against it. Check out today's topic on gas prices.

No. Leave aside the innuendo please. I'm NOT SAYING that high sped rail or light rail etc is good or bad. I'm saying HERE is a project 4x cost over run, 13 years lagging on schedule, expected fed help vanished. As a project, it looks like well, it's a sure loser. I'm asking why are you in favor of something with such a high cost over run?

 

[Trakar]

I had wondered why so many Tea Party types were torpedoing mass transit and other green infrastructure projects all over the USA.

My personal involvement with them concerns the California High Speed Rail project that I support more than just about anything I've ever supported before. And they have been annoying me greatly.

Anyways, it might be all about the United Nations.

It's a NY Times article that gets to the root of Tea Party opposition to new infrastructure projects.

I suspect a combination of factors, not sure about the order but I certainly wouldn't rule out measures of political expediency (infrastructure improvements tend to work quite well as investments that help expand and enhance the general economy), a peculiar perception of what collective, public (government) role is in modern society, and is generally afflicted with idea that the best way forward is through the mistakes of the past (conservatism).

 

[tyr_13]

Funny that economic conservatives need to be reminded what an investment is, especially one as safe a bet as infrastructure improvement.

 

[Ziggurat]

Funny that economic conservatives need to be reminded what an investment is, especially one as safe a bet as infrastructure improvement.

High-speed rail is a safe investment?

How on earth do you figure?

There's nothing magic about infrastructure investments. They aren't guaranteed to have positive returns. Especially on projects with massive cost overruns and delays, which we've already seen. And probably not the last of either if this continues to go forward.

Oh, and economic conservatives are quite well aware that it's possible to lose money on an investment. Have economic liberals figured out that truth yet?

 

[Ziggurat]

I won't abide anyone opposing this HSR project. It is too important.

Why, without HSR, children will starve, plagues will sweep the earth, and the Vampire Diaries will get cancelled.

I'm a contributor of this blog where we set the record straight and excoriate anyone that speaks up against it. Check out today's topic on gas prices.

Because nothing says "I'm rational and level-headed" than a promise of a dogmatic hostile response to criticism.

Are you doing OK, Travis? Because you seem especially... upset, as of late.

 

[Travis]

No. Leave aside the innuendo please. I'm NOT SAYING that high sped rail or light rail etc is good or bad. I'm saying HERE is a project 4x cost over run, 13 years lagging on schedule, expected fed help vanished. As a project, it looks like well, it's a sure loser. I'm asking why are you in favor of something with such a high cost over run?

It's only 4x's over cost in year of expenditure dollars and that assumes that they build the most expensive variant of the thing (which they are not).

It is behind schedule only because previous governors kept the department planning it underfunded. They only started hiring actual staff back in 2008.

Expected federal help vanished only because of idiots in Congress who decided they hate high speed trains for some reason. Otherwise Obama wanted to help.

As it is California is thankful we have a new plan to fund the thing with carbon cap & trade funds. That and the huge loan China wants to give us. Also a new congress in 2012 will hopefully not be so nuts about trains.


However this is really getting off track. That was only particular project designed to help the environment.

But loads of other projects are also being attacked mercilessly and that's what the article is mostly about.

 

[Travis]

Why, without HSR, children will starve, plagues will sweep the earth, and the Vampire Diaries will get cancelled.



Because nothing says "I'm rational and level-headed" than a promise of a dogmatic hostile response to criticism.

Are you doing OK, Travis? Because you seem especially... upset, as of late.

If the high speed train is canceled one of my few reasons to live will be gone. On so many days when depression just about took me I would open up one of the bulky EIR documents and console myself that at least the high speed train will get built and that will get me through this day.

 

[Ziggurat]

If the high speed train is canceled one of my few reasons to live will be gone. On so many days when depression just about took me I would open up one of the bulky EIR documents and console myself that at least the high speed train will get built and that will get me through this day.

I think you need counseling, because your emotional dependency on something so ultimately impersonal is not healthy at all.

 

[WildCat]

It's only 4x's over cost in year of expenditure dollars and that assumes that they build the most expensive variant of the thing (which they are not).

It is behind schedule only because previous governors kept the department planning it underfunded. They only started hiring actual staff back in 2008.

Expected federal help vanished only because of idiots in Congress who decided they hate high speed trains for some reason. Otherwise Obama wanted to help.

As it is California is thankful we have a new plan to fund the thing with carbon cap & trade funds. That and the huge loan China wants to give us. Also a new congress in 2012 will hopefully not be so nuts about trains.


However this is really getting off track. That was only particular project designed to help the environment.

But loads of other projects are also being attacked mercilessly and that's what the article is mostly about.

Uh-huh, and are you still expecting ridership rates more than twice that of any other HSR project on the planet?

 

[fuelair]

I had wondered why so many Tea Party types were torpedoing mass transit and other green infrastructure projects all over the USA.

My personal involvement with them concerns the California High Speed Rail project that I support more than just about anything I've ever supported before. And they have been annoying me greatly.

Anyways, it might be all about the United Nations.

It's a NY Times article that gets to the root of Tea Party opposition to new infrastructure projects.

Could be as simple as they are a bunch of anal orifices - or, maybe a cup of santorum. I can easily believe either........ OR both!!!