Bureaucracy: The Real Engine Behind This Train
This isn’t just about a failed transit system. It’s about the broader addiction to government grandeur, the idea that massive spending equals progress, even when the results amount to a pile of gravel and invoices.
California’s rail saga should be taught in every high school civics class as a master class in government arrogance. The state formed committees to oversee subcommittees that evaluated contracts for lines that didn’t exist. Meanwhile, the actual train remains stuck in concept art and artist renderings. It’s easier to draw the train than to build it. //
The Private Sector Could've Built the Rails and Painted the Train Twice
Imagine if a private consortium had been handed $11 billion and told to build a rail line from L.A. to San Francisco. Given the right contractor, it would have been completed by now, including terminals, security, solar roofing, and possibly even a profit margin, potentially while under budget.