California is a state that always promises to give us something to write about. I swear, it's like it wakes up some mornings and thinks, "You know, the folks at Townhall have mouths to feed. Let's give them something to do."
Today, the state gifted us with a celebration of a boondoggle more than a decade in the making.
It seems California wanted to celebrate the progress on its high-speed rail project, an effort that has been much criticized for its cost overruns and the fact that there are probably kids driving in California who don't remember a time before this boondoggle was a thing – and yeah, "boondoggle" is the only word for it.
But hey, progress.
So, CA High-Speed Rail posted a video on X.
California High-Speed Rail: Real Progress, Real Jobs, Real Results 🚄
— CA High-Speed Rail 🚄💨 (@CaHSRA) May 6, 2025
✔50+ major structures complete
✔15,000+ good-paying jobs created
✔The largest clean energy transportation project in the nation
California is proving that we can still build big things in America. #BuildCA pic.twitter.com/rsnKG0wQRj
Notice something missing from all of those pictures?
That's right. There are no trains, no rails, nothing except a big, long patch of flat dirt and some bridges. Nothing at all that we'd normally associate with trains. Not even gravel or railroad ties were in place. Absolutely nothing at all that looks like a rail line.
I'm also pretty sure they reused a couple of those photos, but I don't want to break it down frame by frame to prove it.
Honestly, if this is California boasting about its wins, just imagine how embarrassing its losses have to be.
This is a program that's been in the works for over a decade, and the state didn't think anyone would notice there's not an inch of track laid anywhere? I mean, some of those pictures look like they could have been taken after new roads were graded or something. They're nothing to write home about.
Why hasn't a single track been laid? Why aren't they at least providing rail service to some points while they work on the rest?
As it stands, this whole "project" is looking to cost the taxpayers $106 billion, which is three times the original cost estimate, and it was first kicked off in 2008.
And this is what they're bragging about? Dirt?
I know there are steps to be taken and all of that, but if you want to alleviate concerns, this isn't how you do it, especially if some of those pictures are similar enough to others that they look reused.
The least California could do is show some rail going down, maybe a train running, or literally anything but what it's showing us.
In fact, this is so ridiculous it's a wonder anyone actually takes high-speed rail in California seriously.
Of course, I'm wondering how anyone who doesn't live in California takes anything from that state seriously. Those stuck there kind of have to because the stupid impacts their lives, including having to pay for this ridiculous project that should never have taken as long or cost as much as what we're seeing here.
