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Reason.com Editor-in-Chief Nick Gillespie on California’s wasteful spending on new projects despite the state’s mounting deficit.
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California going further into debt all the while building -- students don't want to attend.
The train to nowhere joining me -- nick Gillespie editor in chief at least dot -- reason dot com TV good to see you again Dick you know let's start if we could.
Is -- my favorite things.
This expansion.
The State's public school system.
And this is the -- said branch of the University of California.
They have and I -- it's a great number they have an 80% acceptance rate.
While say the University of California Berkeley has a 25%.
Acceptance rate nobody wants to go there why they spend -- candidate 500 billion dollars building this thing.
-- you know and then one of the things keep a minus California's been broke for very long time in this campus opened in the mid 2000 so it's not even a new development I was on the planning -- for a long time.
It's crossed from democratic to Republican backed the democratic governorships -- center.
This you know California is always talked about as a Bellwether for what's gonna happen in the rest of the country.
And unfortunately the news coming out of California weather -- MA UC -- said.
Or the high speed rail boondoggle that's going to be unfolding there are at least until 2033.
If things are on schedule.
It's a it's a sign that the country has not realize that we are totally flat broke out of money and we have to change our wicked wicked ways.
Thirteen billion dollar deficit for the state of California alone 700 billion and unfunded pension liabilities.
It's at the unemployment rate -- ten point 9% much worse than the rest -- the nation.
And the answer from Jerry Brown who value of -- Jerry brown and in his first round -- governor of California followed Ronald Reagan he actually cut taxes and cut spending compared to Ronald Reagan back.
In the seventies I wish you would start smoking whatever he might have been smoking back then.
We are you -- California his budget under the best possible circumstances.
Is only gonna cover half of the State's deficit and we know that it's not gonna cover that much in the deficits going to be bigger.
And yet he insists on saying high speed rail is absolutely essential to the future of California.
It isn't it's it's you know and people Blair.
Are recognizing that the cost of the high speed rail program project has already doubled it is not -- -- -- come anywhere close well number of -- It was funny about that is that when they got criticized for the cost of this thing is that what's at a hundred billion -- oh no no we think it maybe seven day.
Like -- pulling numbers out of the air -- I wanna read GO isn't analysis from the California's legislative analyst's office report.
They say we find that the high speed rail authority has not provided sufficient retail -- justification to the legislature regarding its plan.
-- for the project remains highly speculative an important details have not been sorted out.
Wow do you think it's market go ahead with the -- Yet clearly you have because you know politicians are -- improvising and you know the outcomes are always better than what you think.
For visionary thinking on high speed rail of lace and I'm not saying everything else but you look to somebody like Rick Scott Florida.
Who turned down two billion dollars in government in federal government stimulus money for a high speed rail project.
Because he knew whatever free money you get from the feds it's you're gonna be on the hook for a lot more than that that's actually one of the things California did is they took the -- They're taking federal money and then they figure they can you know keep piggybacking on that they got the voters in 2008 to sign on for ten billion dollars in new debt.
Now a majority of Californians 60% don't want this to go any further and they shouldn't because all it is doing is digging holes in the ground it's not.
It's not gonna transport -- on the governor says that you're afraid of the future.
I you know what I'm afraid of the future of the -- that you know the State's local state and federal governments are spending.
We should all be very afraid of the future -- and at this case and here at this rate.
The best case scenarios the mine apocalypse in December 2012.
What -- spent a lot of time looking at federal spending and talking about the GSA and our report today that the National Institutes of Health.
Has spent millions.
On an HIV prevention web -- the critics are now calling -- porn what do you make of this.
-- well that I do the two things one is there's no question that the NIH wastes a lot of money you know the Defense Department along with the GSA.
It's the you know scandal.
Secret Service agents paying for are you for prostitutes the one thing you can say about Secret Service agents.
They were tried it to get the prostitutes to you know take less money that's a rarity and -- in government.
But you know Leon Panetta Leon Panetta is flying back to California every weekend as the as secretary -- -- Yeah yeah well he's -- he said he regrets -- but he's not gonna stop doing it.
You know the NIH wastes a lot of money the Defense Department -- a lot of money the GSA -- a lot of money.
We need to figure out a way of saying government is going to spend a certain amount of money per year -- And that we predetermined and that is it and when the -- is drew you know when that when the bank account has gone for a given year that's it we need to force.
You know some kind of serious.
You know budget constraints some people and we haven't been able to do that well -- -- -- the NIH stuff that it bothers me last in the sense that.
You know the Traditional Values Coalition that is really hot and bothered about the you know the gay porn site it's -- education side about HIV.
I don't think you know they're one of the things that's fascinating as.
The people who are defending the program don't even bother to say -- this actually works we've reduced HIV -- we've done this -- the other thing.
So it is it is wasteful spending but.
The traditional vote values coalition is going to be against certain types of spending but not -- other.
-- deadening -- absolutely -- also let me tell you that we have to cut spending you know it's our money.
It doesn't belong to these people and government it doesn't belong to these bureaucrats doesn't belong to these people that we put in Washington it's our -- and they should be more careful with that.
And we we need to you know sadly.
I thought that we were much further along in the national conversation of understanding.
It's not like we're going broker will be broken a couple years.
We are at the tail end of being broke we need to really get serious you know when you're looking at a you -- -- federal budget plans -- Barack Obama wants to increase spending in ten years the five point eight trillion dollars and the Republicans are supposedly cutting the but you wanna increase of four point nine trillion dollars.
Ten years.
We you know end and that the Eric Cantor -- House Minority Leader.
Or rather the majority of minority majority whip and congress has said there's no way we can balance the budget in ten years.
You've got to be kidding me we need that balance this budget ten years ago I doubt I -- doing it tomorrow well the -- have to leave it there thanks for coming -- tonight great.
