WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:05.160 President Trump's promises and pledges to freeze various aspects of 2 00:00:05.160 --> 00:00:08.080 federal funding and to examine the California High Speed Rail 3 00:00:08.080 --> 00:00:17.320 project are hardly an academic enterprise. California's got a whole 4 00:00:17.399 --> 00:00:20.559 bunch of federal grant money that it's received that it 5 00:00:20.719 --> 00:00:27.480 hasn't spent yet, and so President Trump coming in to 6 00:00:27.600 --> 00:00:31.079 try and stop it could have a big time effect. 7 00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:34.359 Here's the story from the Fresno be written by Tim Sheehan. 8 00:00:36.920 --> 00:00:39.640 High speed rail development and construction in Fresno in the 9 00:00:39.640 --> 00:00:42.560 central Sanwaking Valley has consumed more than eleven point four 10 00:00:42.600 --> 00:00:45.719 billion dollars in state and federal funds, with about one 11 00:00:45.759 --> 00:00:47.880 point seven billion more budgeted through the end of the 12 00:00:47.880 --> 00:00:51.960 twenty twenty four to twenty twenty five fiscal year in June. 13 00:00:52.280 --> 00:00:55.280 So we have one point seven billion dollars still just 14 00:00:55.320 --> 00:00:58.840 for this fiscal year. This fiscal year wrapping up in 15 00:00:58.880 --> 00:01:02.359 about four months, still have one point seven billion to go. 16 00:01:04.439 --> 00:01:07.439 President Trump promised this month to investigate the California High 17 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:11.040 Speed Rail Authorities project because of cost overruns, delays, and 18 00:01:11.079 --> 00:01:17.200 a reduced scope for early operations. It seems completely legitimate 19 00:01:17.799 --> 00:01:19.799 the threat by a president who has been critical of 20 00:01:19.840 --> 00:01:22.319 the state's high speed rail project was already apparent a 21 00:01:22.359 --> 00:01:25.719 former California High Speedrail Authority CEO Brian Kelly, as he 22 00:01:25.799 --> 00:01:28.040 ended his six year tenure at the agency last summer. 23 00:01:28.359 --> 00:01:31.159 Not only would finishing the merceaid to Bakersfield be at risk, 24 00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:34.159 he suggested, but so could any helpe of future extensions 25 00:01:34.159 --> 00:01:36.799 beyond the Valley to San Jose, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. 26 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:41.319 I look at how we are doing with merced and 27 00:01:41.319 --> 00:01:44.120 Bakersfield with those extensions, and we've still got to get 28 00:01:44.120 --> 00:01:46.519 more federal money to get them done, Kelly told the 29 00:01:46.519 --> 00:01:49.200 President be in an August twenty twenty four interview. And 30 00:01:49.239 --> 00:01:52.120 the capital cost is so high to move beyond the valley, 31 00:01:52.519 --> 00:01:55.280 You've got to have a big investment. What's going to 32 00:01:55.280 --> 00:01:57.719 be needed for San Francisco to La to happen is 33 00:01:57.719 --> 00:01:59.879 we're still going to need the federal partner to say 34 00:02:00.239 --> 00:02:05.439 get that done. Kelly expected the outcome of the presidential 35 00:02:05.480 --> 00:02:08.360 election to be a huge pivot point. You're either going 36 00:02:08.360 --> 00:02:14.199 to have a federal partner or you're not. Well. Brian Kelly, 37 00:02:14.280 --> 00:02:17.479 former commissioner of the California High Speed Rail Authority, who 38 00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:20.680 has the same name, as my least favorite former Notre 39 00:02:20.759 --> 00:02:25.719 Dame football head coach, we don't have a federal partner 40 00:02:25.719 --> 00:02:29.319 on this. President Trump has his head screwed on right 41 00:02:29.400 --> 00:02:31.520 and is realizing, no, I am not going to commit 42 00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:33.960 this kind of federal investment. And this is one of 43 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:43.240 the many absurdities of both the original high speed rail 44 00:02:43.280 --> 00:02:51.400 project and twenty the very consequential twenty nineteen Gavin Newsome 45 00:02:51.439 --> 00:02:57.879 decision to keep going rather than cut your losses. Let 46 00:02:57.960 --> 00:03:05.080 me explain when high speed rail was introduced in the 47 00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:10.599 absolutely bonkers California election of two thousand and eight. Bonkers 48 00:03:10.599 --> 00:03:13.240 because we elected Barack Obama by a huge majority, and 49 00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:16.879 we passed Proposition eight to define marriages between one man 50 00:03:16.919 --> 00:03:19.719 and one woman, and we voted in favor of a 51 00:03:19.759 --> 00:03:23.159 high speed rail project. It was like all of the 52 00:03:23.240 --> 00:03:28.400 positives and negatives of democracy on full display in the 53 00:03:28.639 --> 00:03:35.759 two thousand and eight California elections. But it was clear 54 00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:39.719 even then because this was how it was messaged, that oh, 55 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:43.439 we'll get federal investment, and we'll get local investment, we'll 56 00:03:43.479 --> 00:03:47.159 get state investment, we'll get federal investment, we'll get private investment. 57 00:03:47.800 --> 00:03:54.199 And that made sense in some sense anyway to think 58 00:03:54.240 --> 00:03:56.960 that that was happening in the political atmosphere of two 59 00:03:57.000 --> 00:04:02.240 thousand and eight, where George W. Bush was incredibly unpopular, 60 00:04:02.520 --> 00:04:05.280 quite likely that a Democrat was going to be elected president. 61 00:04:05.800 --> 00:04:10.120 We'd have, you know, at least four years of Democrat 62 00:04:11.199 --> 00:04:16.800 control in Washington, and Democrats like spending money, and so 63 00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:20.480 that seems like a reasonable expectation in two thousand and 64 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:23.480 eight that we'd have federal partnership for funding the high 65 00:04:23.519 --> 00:04:28.959 speed rail. And we had it. We had an amicable 66 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:41.040 Democrat federal governance for eight years of the presidency. But 67 00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:45.959 unfortunately Republicans took control. Unfortunately for this way of thinking anyway, 68 00:04:46.040 --> 00:04:52.279 Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in the 69 00:04:52.319 --> 00:04:56.519 twenty ten elections, and Democrats did not have the trifecta 70 00:04:56.600 --> 00:05:05.399 at any point subsequently, so they didn't get the federal investment. 71 00:05:06.879 --> 00:05:11.120 And especially over the course of the Obama years, when 72 00:05:11.160 --> 00:05:13.800 it became more and more obvious that the high speed 73 00:05:13.839 --> 00:05:20.480 rail project was just not going anywhere. The cost estimate, 74 00:05:20.600 --> 00:05:22.879 the cost estimates just kept going up up up up 75 00:05:22.920 --> 00:05:27.519 up up up up up. The logistical problems just got 76 00:05:27.600 --> 00:05:29.199 more and more and more and more and more difficult. 77 00:05:29.920 --> 00:05:33.079 The original team from France that had designed France's high 78 00:05:33.079 --> 00:05:37.879 speed rail authority socker Bleau. They gave us all this 79 00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:44.879 good advice and we just ignored them. Huh. Stage. My 80 00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:47.639 dad once convinced one of his colleagues at Valley Children's 81 00:05:47.680 --> 00:05:50.399 Hospital that he knew how to speak French and took 82 00:05:50.399 --> 00:05:52.720 a trip with him to Montreal for like a medical conference. 83 00:05:53.199 --> 00:05:56.199 Convinced his buddy, one of his partners, that he knew 84 00:05:56.199 --> 00:05:58.879 how to speak French because he like two or three 85 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:05.480 times said like corny French sayings like just orange around him, 86 00:06:05.519 --> 00:06:07.800 just like that, with just a ridiculous you know pepe 87 00:06:07.879 --> 00:06:10.560 La put cheesy French accent, and his partner actually believed 88 00:06:10.600 --> 00:06:13.079 him for a little bit and then realized he was 89 00:06:13.120 --> 00:06:18.560 just being an idiot. Now we ignored the advice of 90 00:06:18.639 --> 00:06:21.079 the guys who designed the French high speed rail system 91 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:25.439 that was really successful. All these political deals were made 92 00:06:25.600 --> 00:06:29.639 for having it route through the San Joaquin Valley, blah 93 00:06:29.639 --> 00:06:32.279 blah blah blah blah. The costs got higher and higher 94 00:06:32.279 --> 00:06:35.600 and higher, and nothing was accomplished. During all eight years 95 00:06:35.680 --> 00:06:39.720 of the Biden of the Obama administration, nothing got accomplished, 96 00:06:41.600 --> 00:06:46.480 and we then all of a sudden, twenty sixteen comes around. 97 00:06:46.480 --> 00:06:50.879 Oh it's Donald Trump and Republican complete control of the 98 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:55.720 House and Senate. Okay, well, no one, Republicans are absolutely 99 00:06:55.800 --> 00:07:01.279 not funding this. Then twenty eighteen comes along. Gavin Newsom 100 00:07:01.560 --> 00:07:05.560 is elected governor. He's replacing Jerry Brown. Jerry Brown has 101 00:07:05.639 --> 00:07:10.879 this pie in the sky idealistic you know, environmental vision 102 00:07:11.000 --> 00:07:13.519 that of course we're gonna get this high speed rail done, 103 00:07:13.720 --> 00:07:17.480 the environment needs it. And meanwhile, you know, twenty by 104 00:07:17.560 --> 00:07:21.199 twenty nineteen, like electric cars were really becoming a thing, 105 00:07:21.399 --> 00:07:23.920 and then the future possibilities of electric cars were becoming 106 00:07:23.959 --> 00:07:31.319 more and more obvious, which itself limits the necessity for 107 00:07:32.399 --> 00:07:34.240 a high speed rail project. I mean, one of the 108 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:36.839 big ideas of high speed rail was that it was 109 00:07:36.879 --> 00:07:42.680 an environmental thing to lessen the number of Californians driving 110 00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:50.199 cars on roads and having emissions. So here's Gavin Newsom. 111 00:07:50.480 --> 00:07:53.720 He just gets elected in twenty eighteen, it's early twenty nineteen. 112 00:07:53.800 --> 00:07:57.279 He's just come in as governor. He's signaling that he's 113 00:07:57.319 --> 00:08:00.519 going to abandon the high speed rail project, and it's like, our, well, 114 00:08:00.879 --> 00:08:02.480 is he really going to do this? And he's going 115 00:08:02.560 --> 00:08:04.360 to be the mature adult in the room and the 116 00:08:04.360 --> 00:08:07.199 way that Jerry Brown couldn't because Jerry Brown was too idealistic. 117 00:08:08.600 --> 00:08:14.519 What's he gonna No, Newsom decides to take this sort 118 00:08:14.519 --> 00:08:22.600 of half measure where he says, look, we're gonna get 119 00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:27.839 Bakersfield to Merced done. That was twenty nineteen January, early 120 00:08:27.839 --> 00:08:30.680 twenty nineteen. He was saying this, We're gonna get Bakersfield 121 00:08:30.680 --> 00:08:38.559 to Merced done. Here we are in twenty twenty five, 122 00:08:38.679 --> 00:08:45.799 six years later, Bakersfield to mersaid still isn't done. It 123 00:08:46.159 --> 00:08:50.360 still is still not even funded, still not one inch 124 00:08:50.519 --> 00:08:58.200 of operable track. It's not done. We still don't have 125 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:03.360 the money to finish it. We're still like not close, 126 00:09:04.200 --> 00:09:07.320 We're still not there. You've got the High Speed Rail 127 00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:15.080 Commissioner talking about how we still need federal investment. And 128 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:18.039 this is the ass There are so many aspects of 129 00:09:18.039 --> 00:09:24.480 the high speed rail project that are ludicrous, the wildly 130 00:09:25.240 --> 00:09:30.960 to the wildly over optimistic projections of how much this 131 00:09:31.000 --> 00:09:33.080 thing would cost. Back when it was introduced to the 132 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:35.320 voters in two thousand and eight, which you know what, 133 00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:38.679 I actually went back and I looked at the ballot 134 00:09:38.879 --> 00:09:42.720 descriptions that were in the California like the in the 135 00:09:42.879 --> 00:09:45.559 sample ballots that were mailed to all the to everyone 136 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:51.200 in California, and it has for that proposition, which I 137 00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:54.120 believe was Proposition one A in two thousand and eight. 138 00:09:54.559 --> 00:09:57.759 It has the pro and the con arguments for the 139 00:09:57.840 --> 00:10:00.240 high speed rail. And one of the guys who who 140 00:10:00.360 --> 00:10:03.039 joined in for the con arguments for high speed rail 141 00:10:03.200 --> 00:10:07.399 was a former state senator from the Fresno area, Chuck Pucigian. 142 00:10:08.159 --> 00:10:13.240 And basically all of the people opposed to the high 143 00:10:13.240 --> 00:10:16.039 speed rail project in two thousand and eight were right. 144 00:10:17.519 --> 00:10:20.679 They were all right. They all predicted everything that was 145 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:23.559 about to happen. The costs for this are going to 146 00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:27.360 be way higher than people think. The ability to get 147 00:10:27.360 --> 00:10:29.840 investments is going to be harder than people think. The 148 00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:32.440 logistical and engineering problems are going to be far more 149 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:36.480 difficult than people are talking about or realizing right now. No, 150 00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:41.519 this is a terrible idea, and they were all one correct. 151 00:10:42.960 --> 00:10:47.279 But here's the thing. So, granted, a gazillion aspects of 152 00:10:47.320 --> 00:10:52.559 this were bad, bad, silly, overly optimistic, rose tinted glasses whatever. 153 00:10:53.960 --> 00:10:57.919 I think. The aspect of it, though, that we are 154 00:10:57.960 --> 00:11:01.039 seeing is silliest right now with a news story like 155 00:11:01.080 --> 00:11:14.679 this relying on federal investment. Relying on federal investment. We've 156 00:11:14.720 --> 00:11:18.679 had like two or three different kinds of movements within 157 00:11:18.759 --> 00:11:24.279 the Republican Party since Proposition one A to tell you 158 00:11:24.840 --> 00:11:27.080 that Republicans are not going to want to fund this 159 00:11:29.320 --> 00:11:33.600 all right. We had certainly the nineteen ninety four era 160 00:11:33.799 --> 00:11:37.480 Republicans who wanted to cut spending, et cetera, were all, 161 00:11:38.120 --> 00:11:40.039 you know, we know that that's we knew in two 162 00:11:40.039 --> 00:11:41.919 thousand and eight that Strain was still in the Republican 163 00:11:41.919 --> 00:11:44.240 Party as much as Bush was a big spender and 164 00:11:44.639 --> 00:11:49.120 was you know, spending on left, right and center. But 165 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:51.279 basically immediately after two thousand and eight you had the 166 00:11:51.360 --> 00:11:53.480 rise of the Tea Party movement in the Republican Party. 167 00:11:53.519 --> 00:11:57.919 Then you had the rise of Donald Trump Freedom Caucus. 168 00:11:57.960 --> 00:12:00.399 You know, all these different kinds of movements within the 169 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:05.720 Republican Party, so many of which are premised around one 170 00:12:06.279 --> 00:12:10.399 kind of hating California and two not wanting to spend, 171 00:12:12.639 --> 00:12:18.320 not wanting to spend, not liking deficit spending. The idea 172 00:12:18.360 --> 00:12:21.759 that we were all just these doe eyed simpletons in 173 00:12:21.799 --> 00:12:24.399 two thousand and eight thinking well, we'll definitely get federal 174 00:12:24.519 --> 00:12:26.679 This is such a cool project. Of course we'll get 175 00:12:26.679 --> 00:12:34.120 federal investment. No, Republicans were never at the federal level, 176 00:12:34.399 --> 00:12:37.759 We're never going to want to fund something like this, 177 00:12:39.320 --> 00:12:46.679 and surprise, surprise, they haven't. California was able to get 178 00:12:47.600 --> 00:12:52.519 at a couple of points under Democrat administrations some federal 179 00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:57.840 funding for the high speed rail project. Not enough, not enough. 180 00:12:59.399 --> 00:13:02.720 They had they have had. You know, from two thousand 181 00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:10.120 and eight until today, Democrats have had complete control of 182 00:13:10.279 --> 00:13:13.240 White House, House and Senate for a grand total of 183 00:13:13.440 --> 00:13:16.720 four years, the first two years of the Obama administration 184 00:13:17.440 --> 00:13:21.960 and the first two years of the Biden administration. But 185 00:13:22.039 --> 00:13:27.360 that's it. And I think the idea in two thousand 186 00:13:27.360 --> 00:13:29.120 and eight that well, of course we'd have all this 187 00:13:29.279 --> 00:13:33.720 federal investment, Like what kind of idiocy. You knew in 188 00:13:33.759 --> 00:13:36.120 two thousand and eight Republicans wouldn't be hot on this deal, 189 00:13:36.519 --> 00:13:38.279 and you knew that this was going to be a big, 190 00:13:38.600 --> 00:13:42.799 long term project that was going to see politics shift 191 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:49.759 and change in Washington, d C. Presidential administrations come and go, 192 00:13:49.960 --> 00:13:51.759 and in the case of Donald Trump, they come back again. 193 00:13:55.759 --> 00:14:00.000 Politics changes, The executive branch changes hands from Republican today 194 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:06.559 Democrat every four years. Sometimes the idea that we had 195 00:14:06.559 --> 00:14:10.200 this like infallible confidence that just the strength of how 196 00:14:10.240 --> 00:14:13.399 wonderful California is, just the strength of how wonderful we 197 00:14:13.480 --> 00:14:22.240 all are, would be enough to somehow convince National Republicans 198 00:14:22.919 --> 00:14:28.840 to spend billions of dollars on this project and to continue. 199 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:31.279 I mean, you know, I guess kudo's to the High 200 00:14:31.320 --> 00:14:34.480 Speed Rail Authority Commissioner Brian Kelly, whose name I can't 201 00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:38.799 read without feelings of deep resentment towards again my least 202 00:14:38.840 --> 00:14:42.279 favorite Notre Dame football coach of all time. Brian Kelly, 203 00:14:42.279 --> 00:14:45.320 the High Speed Rail Authority commissioner, saying, well, the twenty 204 00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:48.399 twenty four election is going to be a big inflection point. Yeah, 205 00:14:48.440 --> 00:14:54.360 no kidding. Maybe don't start a project that cannot be 206 00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:59.639 done without federal money where one of the two sides 207 00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:08.320 actively despises the project. President Trump is never gonna give 208 00:15:08.399 --> 00:15:13.320 us money for this thing, never never ever ever ever 209 00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:16.200 ever ever ever ever ever. He's probably gonna try to 210 00:15:16.240 --> 00:15:19.399 find a way to try to stop giving us the 211 00:15:19.440 --> 00:15:25.399 money that has already been allocated, which itself isn't enough. 212 00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:33.519 So and again, this is one of there are so 213 00:15:33.679 --> 00:15:40.360 many problems with the high speed rail question. From top 214 00:15:40.399 --> 00:15:44.519 to bottom A to Z. But the idea that we 215 00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:51.960 set off on this incredibly difficult, elaborate, expensive journey knowing 216 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:56.639 that we couldn't do it without federal investment and that 217 00:15:56.720 --> 00:16:01.440 we would be at the mercy of the shifting winds 218 00:16:01.480 --> 00:16:07.799 of politics in Washington, d C. Federally is maybe one 219 00:16:07.840 --> 00:16:10.840 of the stupider aspects of the high speed rail that 220 00:16:11.159 --> 00:16:14.120 we were going to be totally reliant on who is president. 221 00:16:14.240 --> 00:16:18.159 We've had like three different massive shakeups within the Republican 222 00:16:18.200 --> 00:16:21.039 Party since that time, none of which are favorable to 223 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:26.799 building high speed rail projects in California. And that lack 224 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:29.440 of sort of foresight to realize, hey, Republicans are never 225 00:16:29.440 --> 00:16:32.000 going to want this, maybe we should, you know, temper 226 00:16:32.039 --> 00:16:37.440 our expectations about public funding is now really biting us 227 00:16:37.559 --> 00:16:45.279 in the rear end. When we return electric cars, did 228 00:16:45.320 --> 00:16:48.360 they render the whole high speed rail project moot? Next 229 00:16:48.360 --> 00:16:52.519 on the John Gerardy Show, big story about how, oh, 230 00:16:52.559 --> 00:16:56.440 there's all this money from the Trump administration that might 231 00:16:56.480 --> 00:17:00.720 not be coming for the high speed rail project. They've 232 00:17:00.759 --> 00:17:03.840 spent eleven point four billion state and federal funds for 233 00:17:03.919 --> 00:17:08.480 the construction of the San Joaquin Valley Branch of the 234 00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:11.279 high speed rail they need. They have one point seven 235 00:17:11.319 --> 00:17:14.839 billion more that's budgeted. There's four point three billion in 236 00:17:14.960 --> 00:17:22.960 unspent federal grants, and oh guess what. Sorry looks like 237 00:17:23.279 --> 00:17:27.680 the Trump administration is gonna maybe pump the brakes on 238 00:17:27.720 --> 00:17:31.279 all this. Well, there's a story about it from the 239 00:17:31.279 --> 00:17:34.240 President b While the first two point five billion dollars 240 00:17:34.279 --> 00:17:37.039 in federal grants awarded by the Obama administration in two 241 00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:39.440 thousand and nine under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 242 00:17:39.480 --> 00:17:41.960 has been fully spent, matched by an equal amount of 243 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:46.279 state money, almost four point three billion remains unspent as 244 00:17:46.279 --> 00:17:48.799 of November of twenty twenty four. Most of that was 245 00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:51.640 awarded by the Department of Transportation under the Biden administration. 246 00:17:51.880 --> 00:17:55.359 The unspent federal funds conceivably could be subject to cancelation 247 00:17:55.759 --> 00:18:03.799 by a hostile Trump administration. Now, so there's this again. 248 00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:07.000 We could talk at length about how really they managed 249 00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:09.759 to get that little federal investment during the Obama years. 250 00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:14.599 They got relatively less than they needed during the Biden years. 251 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:17.000 And so this whole idea that we would start the 252 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:21.039 high speed rail project without having like real federal commitments 253 00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:28.119 secured a project that would need federal investment to actually 254 00:18:28.200 --> 00:18:31.599 be accomplished, when we did not have any real sense 255 00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:37.240 that we knew that that federal money was coming. And 256 00:18:37.319 --> 00:18:39.839 yet here we are. Now we're going to be trying 257 00:18:39.880 --> 00:18:41.799 to go hat in hand to Donald Trump to try 258 00:18:41.839 --> 00:18:45.279 to see if we can get all of our money please. Meanwhile, 259 00:18:45.279 --> 00:18:49.559 Donald Trump's trying to pause federal spending on everything and 260 00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:53.200 is wanting to actually investigate the high speed rail authority, 261 00:18:53.240 --> 00:18:56.799 not fund it. This is the other thing, though, that 262 00:18:56.920 --> 00:19:01.799 I've been thinking about. Two thousand and eight, we didn't 263 00:19:01.799 --> 00:19:06.839 really have too many electric cars. We had hybrids that 264 00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:10.880 a lot of people hated because Toyota priases look like crap, 265 00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:14.759 and all of a sudden, the people who drive them 266 00:19:14.759 --> 00:19:18.720 got a reputation for being, you know, snooty, annoying, you know, 267 00:19:18.880 --> 00:19:21.000 nose in the air, I'm better than you kind of people. 268 00:19:22.680 --> 00:19:27.200 And in two thousand and eight, one of the big 269 00:19:27.839 --> 00:19:34.279 reasons for promoting the high speed rail was the environment. 270 00:19:36.319 --> 00:19:42.519 The basic premise from Democrats who supported the project was, 271 00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:46.759 we have too many people driving up and down I 272 00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:51.119 five and ninety nine, too many people driving We want 273 00:19:51.160 --> 00:19:55.160 to make our cities better with public transportation. And we 274 00:19:55.200 --> 00:19:58.599 want to have a method of transportation that is zero 275 00:19:58.640 --> 00:20:03.720 emissions and allows people to go up and down the 276 00:20:03.720 --> 00:20:08.319 state without air, without resorting to air travel, without resorting 277 00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:14.079 to driving. Also, it's like, why are cars so much 278 00:20:14.119 --> 00:20:17.640 worse than air travel for some? I mean, one airplane 279 00:20:17.680 --> 00:20:23.119 ride is using way more, way more emissions than you know, 280 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:30.400 however many rides in a car. But anyway, set that aside. 281 00:20:30.880 --> 00:20:32.279 But the thing was, in two thousand and eight, the 282 00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:35.599 idea of I mean, there were no tesla was not 283 00:20:35.640 --> 00:20:42.119 a thing. In two thousand and eight, electric cars were 284 00:20:42.200 --> 00:20:44.799 still a couple of years away. I remember the first 285 00:20:44.839 --> 00:20:50.200 electric car I drove was when my wife's Dodged Durrango 286 00:20:50.759 --> 00:20:53.599 for you know, shuttling our family around. And my wife's 287 00:20:53.640 --> 00:20:57.200 Dodge Durrango was in the shop and the dealer gave 288 00:20:57.279 --> 00:21:03.680 us a loaner car. It was a Fiat, an electric 289 00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:08.000 powered Fiat, and it only had a range. It said 290 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:10.559 it had a range of eighty one miles per charge. 291 00:21:11.559 --> 00:21:16.480 I drove it, I think twelve miles and it said 292 00:21:16.480 --> 00:21:18.640 that I had used you know, six miles to work, 293 00:21:18.680 --> 00:21:21.799 six miles back home from one of my day's commutes. 294 00:21:22.200 --> 00:21:24.119 And it told me that thirty three percent of its 295 00:21:24.119 --> 00:21:26.359 battery had been taken up, So yeah, I'm pretty sure 296 00:21:26.400 --> 00:21:28.559 it did not have an effective range of eighty one miles. 297 00:21:28.559 --> 00:21:31.279 Probably had a range of thirty six miles, and trying 298 00:21:31.279 --> 00:21:33.519 to get it onto I would take the one sixty 299 00:21:33.559 --> 00:21:37.960 eight to go to and from work. Getting onto the 300 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:41.000 one sixty eight was like, oh, there's not a lot 301 00:21:41.039 --> 00:21:43.519 of gidea up in this thing, like trying to rev 302 00:21:43.559 --> 00:21:48.079 the engine on a golf cart. Anyway, Tesla's were not 303 00:21:48.119 --> 00:21:52.119 around in two thousand and eight, and the sort of 304 00:21:52.279 --> 00:21:54.799 commitments from the state of California that you know, by 305 00:21:54.839 --> 00:21:58.319 twenty thirty five, one hundred percent of new vehicle sales 306 00:21:58.319 --> 00:22:00.599 are going to be electric in California. Now, I think 307 00:22:00.680 --> 00:22:05.079 that's a ridiculous pie in the sky, almost certainly unattainable goal, 308 00:22:05.160 --> 00:22:08.680 but that is the stated goal, and undoubtedly we're going 309 00:22:08.759 --> 00:22:10.759 to see more electric cars though in the future that 310 00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:13.279 is that is true, whether you know one hundred percent of 311 00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:18.599 new cars, it seems ridiculous. Given that that's true, it 312 00:22:18.680 --> 00:22:20.880 takes away one of the big justifications for the high 313 00:22:20.880 --> 00:22:25.359 speed rail project. Again, the big justification for high speed 314 00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:31.759 rail was fewer people driving, fewer emissions. If everyone's going 315 00:22:31.799 --> 00:22:35.640 to drive an electric vehicle, then what are we talking about? 316 00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:41.680 And that's the thing I've wondered throughout is who is 317 00:22:41.720 --> 00:22:43.759 going to ride this? Even if you take away the 318 00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:46.880 electric vehicle thing. Am I going to go to a 319 00:22:46.920 --> 00:22:51.559 train station downtown? You know, an hour in advance, you know, 320 00:22:51.599 --> 00:22:54.599 forty five minutes in advance of my train leaving, Get 321 00:22:54.640 --> 00:22:59.400 on the train, take the train to Bakersfield, say get 322 00:22:59.440 --> 00:23:03.440 off the train. All the logistics of that rather than 323 00:23:03.960 --> 00:23:06.160 get in my car, drive to two hours and I'm 324 00:23:06.359 --> 00:23:08.759 drive for two hours and I'm in Bakersfield. I don't 325 00:23:08.759 --> 00:23:12.359 think you're gonna save any time. And it's actually logistically 326 00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:14.559 more difficult to do the train because then you get 327 00:23:14.599 --> 00:23:16.720 to Bakersfield, what do you do? Well? I guess now 328 00:23:16.880 --> 00:23:18.559 I gotta call an uber, I gotta get a cab, 329 00:23:18.599 --> 00:23:22.359 I gotta rent a car. It's not like you can 330 00:23:22.440 --> 00:23:30.839 walk Bakersfield. So anyway, top to bottom, high speed rail 331 00:23:30.920 --> 00:23:34.200 is an idiotic thing. Now the Trump administration is investing it, 332 00:23:34.359 --> 00:23:37.960 investigating it, possibly going to try to cut off whatever 333 00:23:37.960 --> 00:23:41.039 funding has already been allocated to high speed rail, and 334 00:23:42.319 --> 00:23:46.279 the whole thing is becoming more and more disastery every 335 00:23:46.279 --> 00:23:50.720 week when we return my next little writing project, I think, 336 00:23:51.720 --> 00:23:56.559 how USAID probably funded every movement in Latin America legalized abortion. 337 00:23:56.640 --> 00:24:02.240 Next on the John Jardi Show. The cool things about 338 00:24:02.920 --> 00:24:06.039 the doge guys and their investigation into us AID that 339 00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:10.279 I've noticed is no sooner do I think a thing 340 00:24:11.759 --> 00:24:16.880 than it immediately gets revealed to have been true. I 341 00:24:16.920 --> 00:24:22.160 thought to myself, huh, what kind of thing seems like 342 00:24:22.200 --> 00:24:24.400 it would be funded by USAID, all these sort of 343 00:24:24.440 --> 00:24:30.200 international programs of the sort of the intersection between liberal 344 00:24:31.200 --> 00:24:34.680 folks in government and liberal folks in sort of the 345 00:24:34.680 --> 00:24:39.319 big picture nonprofit world. I was like, oh, man, I'd 346 00:24:39.480 --> 00:24:43.079 bet money USAID was probably funding the Clinton Foundation, and 347 00:24:43.200 --> 00:24:46.599 of course it was. I bet USAID was probably funding 348 00:24:46.640 --> 00:24:50.440 this thing, and of course it was. It's like, how 349 00:24:50.559 --> 00:24:55.160 is there like this big push for like liberal pro 350 00:24:55.240 --> 00:24:59.920 abortion stuff in Poland? For example? You know the recent 351 00:25:00.160 --> 00:25:05.559 Polish elections, the more conservative party lost, and sure enough 352 00:25:05.599 --> 00:25:08.240 it's revealed, Oh, all the left wing media in Hungary, 353 00:25:08.400 --> 00:25:10.960 in Poland and all these countries that have more conservative governments, 354 00:25:11.000 --> 00:25:17.319 it's all funded by USAID. One of the things I 355 00:25:17.599 --> 00:25:22.319 have noticed over the last ten years or so is 356 00:25:22.359 --> 00:25:27.200 a number of different movements in Latin America to legalize abortion. 357 00:25:27.559 --> 00:25:31.279 And obviously this is sort of within my baliwick as 358 00:25:32.039 --> 00:25:35.200 mister right to life. But I noticed a couple of 359 00:25:35.200 --> 00:25:39.559 things about it. First, the way in which it came 360 00:25:39.640 --> 00:25:41.599 to be that the pro abortion movement came to be 361 00:25:41.720 --> 00:25:49.400 sort of pushed in Latin American media. How legal and 362 00:25:49.559 --> 00:25:54.759 political and judicial developments for the abortion issue immediately got 363 00:25:54.880 --> 00:26:01.799 aired and blasted into American media. It seems perfectly synchronous. 364 00:26:01.880 --> 00:26:04.279 You know, we don't hear about all kinds of other 365 00:26:04.279 --> 00:26:10.640 developments in law and politics within Latin American countries. This 366 00:26:10.720 --> 00:26:14.599 stuff got boo blasted all over CNN. When the Supreme 367 00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:18.039 Court in Mexico changes something, all the stories look exactly 368 00:26:18.079 --> 00:26:23.160 the same. And how obviously well funded these things are 369 00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:27.960 for movements that are allegedly these little grassroots movements. It 370 00:26:28.039 --> 00:26:33.640 seems hmmm, oh, everyone in this large crowd of people 371 00:26:33.839 --> 00:26:40.640 that are celebrating legalized abortion in you know, Columbia, Argentina, 372 00:26:41.440 --> 00:26:45.599 massive you know, historically Catholic countries that have had restrictions 373 00:26:45.599 --> 00:26:48.119 on abortion. Every single person there is wearing a color 374 00:26:48.200 --> 00:26:56.960 coordinated green scarf. HM. Who paid for those? And I thought, well, 375 00:26:57.240 --> 00:27:00.039 this must be USAID lo and behold my buddy. I 376 00:27:00.119 --> 00:27:02.640 think Keller sends me this. USAID and the global pro 377 00:27:02.680 --> 00:27:10.039 abortion agenda. A dark money scandal exposed. So yes, USAID 378 00:27:10.240 --> 00:27:13.160 has in fact been funding a lot of this stuff. 379 00:27:14.319 --> 00:27:17.880 The development raises significant ethical and legal questions about the 380 00:27:17.920 --> 00:27:22.079 agency's adherence to federal laws, such as the Helm's Amendment, 381 00:27:22.440 --> 00:27:25.200 which prohibits the use of US funds for abortions as 382 00:27:25.200 --> 00:27:27.720 a method of family planning. So the trojan horse of 383 00:27:27.799 --> 00:27:33.319 USAID funding abortion through loopholes. Now reports indicate that, in 384 00:27:33.319 --> 00:27:37.960 spite of the Helm's Amendment, USAID has been channeling funds 385 00:27:38.000 --> 00:27:42.079 into reproductive health programs that indirectly support organizations advocating for 386 00:27:42.119 --> 00:27:45.960 abortion legalization abroad. A twenty twenty two report by the GAO, 387 00:27:46.079 --> 00:27:49.640 the Government Accountability Office, highlighted that from twenty seventeen to 388 00:27:49.640 --> 00:27:53.839 twenty twenty one, i e. The First Bush for the 389 00:27:53.880 --> 00:27:58.400 first Trump administration, USAID faced challenges ensuring that foreign non 390 00:27:58.440 --> 00:28:02.000 governmental organizations did not perform or promote abortion as a 391 00:28:02.039 --> 00:28:05.880 condition of receiving US funds. The Mexico City Policy, which 392 00:28:05.920 --> 00:28:08.839 blocks USAD from going to organizations that provide abortion counciling 393 00:28:08.920 --> 00:28:14.839 referrals has been alternately reinstated and rescinded by successive administrations. 394 00:28:14.920 --> 00:28:18.039 Its fluctuating nature has allowed USAID to fund groups that 395 00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:23.440 will not directly performing abortions actively lobby for abortion's rights. 396 00:28:26.079 --> 00:28:30.079 The recent legalization of abortion in countries like Argentina, Columbia, 397 00:28:30.119 --> 00:28:33.519 and Mexico has often been portrayed as the result of 398 00:28:33.599 --> 00:28:39.079 domestic advocacy. However, evidence suggests that international organizations, some receiving 399 00:28:39.160 --> 00:28:43.200 USAID support, have played a significant role in these movements. 400 00:28:43.240 --> 00:28:49.799 For instance, USAID's partnership with Mexico has advanced family planning initiatives, 401 00:28:50.160 --> 00:28:54.079