1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:06,960 Speaker 1: So listen, here's the story. Glorious sounding projects that will 2 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:11,000 Speaker 1: only cost x and we only need to borrow a 3 00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:14,200 Speaker 1: few billion, and the private enterprise will get on board, 4 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:16,160 Speaker 1: and the federal government WI help us out, and yeah, 5 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:20,200 Speaker 1: this will work out great. That is the modern sirens 6 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:25,239 Speaker 1: song of the Kynesian maniac, the person who just wants 7 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:27,200 Speaker 1: the government to spend and spend and spend. They think 8 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:30,360 Speaker 1: that's good public policy. And uh and and how these 9 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:32,720 Speaker 1: things catch on and then how impossible they are to 10 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:36,159 Speaker 1: kill All wrapped up in the story of the California 11 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: bullspit Train, also known as the Crony Express, and we 12 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:42,240 Speaker 1: hear at the Armstrong and getting show have been trying 13 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:43,960 Speaker 1: as hard as we can to drive a stake into 14 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 1: the heart of this vampire for a very long time, 15 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:50,640 Speaker 1: as has California Assemblyman Jim Patterson, who represents the twenty 16 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 1: third Assembly District of Carreptafornia, and joins us. Now, Jim, 17 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 1: how are you, sir? Good Joe, thank you appreciate being 18 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 1: with you. Oh yeah, it's it's always good to talk. Listen, 19 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: we understand the federal government made a move yanking away 20 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 1: some of the federal money um that was going towards 21 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:09,959 Speaker 1: this debacle. How much money and what does that mean? Well, 22 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:14,319 Speaker 1: right now about a billion dollars. But also they have 23 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: they're making a claim on about two point five billion, 24 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 1: maybe three billion of uh federal taxpayer money that went 25 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 1: to the project early on the State of California high 26 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 1: Speed Rail Authority grossly misspent and misused. Uh. Look, California 27 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 1: high Speed Rail has done this to themselves. I'm a 28 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:39,640 Speaker 1: little little tired of, you know, Gavin Newsom and the 29 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 1: Democrats in charge of this stay basically saying this is 30 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:47,000 Speaker 1: this is just Donald Trump attack in California. Now, look, 31 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 1: here's the truth. The truth is that high Speed Rail 32 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 1: entered into an agreement. The Federal Rail Authority approved it. 33 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:56,640 Speaker 1: You had to do certain things, you had to do 34 00:01:56,640 --> 00:01:59,560 Speaker 1: it on time, and you had to conform with the 35 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: with the plans that the federal government said will help 36 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: you pay for, including that there has to be a 37 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 1: fair amount of private investment, and there is virtually none. 38 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:13,480 Speaker 1: And it's it's even worse than that. I mean, it 39 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:16,680 Speaker 1: was supposed to go two D and fifty it's now 40 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 1: slow slow speed. It was supposed to go between l 41 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:22,400 Speaker 1: A and San Francisco. Now it's going between Bakersfield and 42 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:27,399 Speaker 1: and Madera, the initial operating system in central California, where 43 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:30,800 Speaker 1: I represent and live in Fresno. We've got billions of 44 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:33,120 Speaker 1: dollars of concrete in the air, and what are they 45 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:38,079 Speaker 1: going to put on top of that concrete? Regular slow rail? Not. 46 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:45,919 Speaker 1: So they basically took billions of federal taxpayer dollars, said 47 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:50,079 Speaker 1: they would do one thing and have done something entirely different, 48 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 1: and now they want to blame the federal administration for 49 00:02:53,760 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 1: pulling back funds. California did this to themselves, and the 50 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 1: administration and the Federal Reil Authority has every right to 51 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:09,240 Speaker 1: claw back billions of dollars. It is done often. This 52 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: is how the federal government keeps the states honest with 53 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 1: the kind of money that they that they send. So 54 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:17,960 Speaker 1: I think this up is going to be more than 55 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:20,799 Speaker 1: a billion dollars. I think there's a high probability that 56 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:25,239 Speaker 1: we're gonna have to send back a couple of billion 57 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:27,959 Speaker 1: to the Feds. And here's how they clawed that back. 58 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:30,399 Speaker 1: Maybe next year or the year after, they're gonna send 59 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 1: us what ten billion dollars for highways and streets, and 60 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 1: they'll they'll send us eight billions. Wait a minute, that'll work. Yeah, 61 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:42,640 Speaker 1: I'm sure there will be many court cases that they're 62 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: gonna Look, they're gonna they're gonna lose the court cases. 63 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:50,240 Speaker 1: This is the oversight responsibility of federal funds. These kinds 64 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 1: of agreements are typical. I was mayor Fresno for eight years. 65 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:58,480 Speaker 1: We had housing and urban development funds. When I got elected, 66 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 1: I inherited a mess uh And Hudd was basically saying, 67 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 1: if you don't fix it, uh, we're gonna you're gonna 68 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 1: get you know, maybe million next year. We're gonna claw 69 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 1: back thirty million of it because you've spent it incorrectly. 70 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:17,359 Speaker 1: This is done all the time. So look, California, you 71 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,680 Speaker 1: did it to yourself. This is a project that is 72 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:24,599 Speaker 1: absolutely uh, disintegrating in front of our very eyes. And 73 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: what really bugs a day like about of me Joe, 74 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:30,560 Speaker 1: is that central California was promised all of this great stuff. 75 00:04:30,839 --> 00:04:32,480 Speaker 1: What are we going to get out of this? A 76 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:39,239 Speaker 1: rump railroad slow speed from Bakersfield to what Madera said, 77 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: we already have that. It's called Amtrak. Well, right, and 78 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:44,919 Speaker 1: you know what, Jim, it's funny you should mention that 79 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:47,279 Speaker 1: I happen to be on one of the most popular 80 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 1: Amtrak lines in California recently at rush hour, and it 81 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:56,719 Speaker 1: was maybe half full when we started. Then people obviously 82 00:04:56,720 --> 00:04:59,440 Speaker 1: got off the train, but I mean half full at 83 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:03,520 Speaker 1: rush were in a major metropolitan area, And now they're 84 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:05,240 Speaker 1: going to build, at the cost of many billions of 85 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 1: dollars regular speed in the middle of the Central Valley 86 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 1: between a couple of towns, which are absolutely lovely towns 87 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:12,640 Speaker 1: in great places to live and work. But you don't 88 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:17,120 Speaker 1: need a freaking train line. And if the federal government 89 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:20,240 Speaker 1: did not hold California accountable this way, they would have 90 00:05:20,279 --> 00:05:24,279 Speaker 1: to go apologize to Georgia, apologized to Florida. This has 91 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:27,000 Speaker 1: been done in the past for rail projects that were 92 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:30,279 Speaker 1: screwed up by states. I think Florida had to to 93 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:33,320 Speaker 1: to get like a billion dollars clawed back. I think there. 94 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:34,960 Speaker 1: I think Georgia is in the middle of a of 95 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:37,960 Speaker 1: a of a bit of a dispute over this. I 96 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: think Michigan might have been. So Look, the storyline we're 97 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:47,160 Speaker 1: getting from the governor and the Democrats is this is 98 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:52,240 Speaker 1: all Trump's fault. No, it isn't, Governor, this is your fault. 99 00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:55,040 Speaker 1: This is the fault of the state of California. You 100 00:05:55,240 --> 00:06:01,120 Speaker 1: have spent billions, ripped up thousands of acres of prime agriculture, 101 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:06,360 Speaker 1: taken people's businesses and their homes in central California, ripped 102 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 1: up streets in Fresno from one side of the city 103 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:12,359 Speaker 1: to the other. And what are you leaving behind for 104 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:17,960 Speaker 1: those billions of dollars, including a bunch of federal tax dollars. 105 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:23,080 Speaker 1: A rump railroad, slow speed to ride. It's just this, 106 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: h Joe, I'm gonna I'm gonna go one step further. 107 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:31,440 Speaker 1: Something is going on inside the High Speed Rail Authority 108 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:37,359 Speaker 1: that smells like conflict and corruption. I think you can't 109 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: just explain what we see today as nothing more than incompetence. 110 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:45,440 Speaker 1: If you'll recall, the l A Times did a really 111 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:48,760 Speaker 1: good investigative story about how the High Speed Rail Authority 112 00:06:48,839 --> 00:06:53,280 Speaker 1: was captured by the consultants and the companies that are 113 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:57,320 Speaker 1: getting the billions of dollars to build this. There's only 114 00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 1: one interest group that us at the core a conflict 115 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:07,159 Speaker 1: and maybe even a corrupt intent to keep the cash 116 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:12,520 Speaker 1: flowing even though it's building. Uh, you know, this rump railroad, 117 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:19,000 Speaker 1: and that's the big time contractors who uh, benefit from it. 118 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 1: And by the way, they're the same group of contractors 119 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 1: who put up hundreds of thousands of dollars so they 120 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:31,160 Speaker 1: bought that vote for a train line no one wants 121 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:34,640 Speaker 1: that will never be finished. And then as the price 122 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:38,400 Speaker 1: quadruples quintuples, they're the ones that profit and they're cash 123 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:40,400 Speaker 1: on the check. Well, as you dig into that gym, 124 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:42,880 Speaker 1: please do keep us in the loop and we will 125 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:47,360 Speaker 1: absolutely gladly be your mouthpiece. California Assemblyman Jim Patterson, Yeah, 126 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:50,280 Speaker 1: there are still some good people in politics. Who represents 127 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:53,360 Speaker 1: the assembly district in corrupt Affnia gym? Thanks a million 128 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:55,000 Speaker 1: thanks at you got it.