On a happier note: Maglevs be Yarrr and woo...

[Dinner]

OC is an important Republican base and unlike the other Republican counties (nearly all of which are rural) OC actually has campaign donors with money thus Arnie's love of visiting OC. San Diego also has money and is 50-50 Rep-Dem, thus Arnie comes here a lot, though the population trend over the last decade has converted it from a solid Repubican outpost to a highly competitive one. They voted down Arnie's propositions but supported the recall of Davis. The city council is 50-50 though the major is red. Then there is the issue that the previous major was also red but was forced to resign after just one year for corruption & mismanagement.

A year ago Donna Fry was a write in candidate who came with in 100 votes of winning and there were law suites because 500 voters wrote her name in but didn't also checck the write in box (which is needed for the vote to be counted). This results in both parties spending big to try to win this area since it is one of the few areas of the state which either party can win and it has the second most votes in the state (after LA).

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Cyclotron
Stealing water? That's old hat to us Californians. How much do you want?

Hey, this is my water!?!

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Oerdin

Is that why the bonds have already been passed?

My comment on topic was facetious, but it's a long running historical fact that OC gets shorted by the state because it is a perma-minority (ie Republican) area. They've even built their own highways after seeing their projects refused for decades.

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by Sikander
Hey, this is my water!?!

Yeah, keep laughing, Colorado - we Californians have been laughing all the way to the bank. Or should I say reservoir?

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Sikander

Now all you need is a weaker country nearby to steal the water from. Hmmm, I wonder how tough Mexico is?

Mexico has water??

[Dinner]

Orange County's biggest problem is that they refuse to tax themselves. BART and other big projects (LA's subway system, San Diego's trolley system, etc...) have mostly been paid for with local funds though the state and feds throw the odd peanut. The toll roads you refer to were private for profit ventures since the state's policy over the last few years is not to build new freeways (it sunk billions and billions into that without reducing traffic or conjestion) so it has pretty much stopped building freeways. The state now backs other types of large scale infastructure projects or upgrades existing infastructure instead. This has very little to do with OC being Republican and a whole lot to do with current state wide policy reguarding new highway construction on open spaces or public lands.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Zkribbler


Mexico has water??

Doesn't the mighty Colorado river flow through Mexico?

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Oerdin
Orange County's biggest problem is that they refuse to tax themselves. BART and other big projects (LA's subway system, San Diego's trolley system, etc...) have mostly been paid for with local funds though the state and feds throw the odd peanut. The toll roads you refer to were private for profit ventures since the state's policy over the last few years is not to build new freeways (it sunk billions and billions into that without reducing traffic or conjestion) so it has pretty much stopped building freeways. The state now backs other types of large scale infastructure projects or upgrades existing infastructure instead. This has very little to do with OC being Republican and a whole lot to do with current state wide policy reguarding new highway construction on open spaces or public lands.

I'm talking about highway projects that were refused for 20 years or so, when many miles of highways were built in other parts of the state. My dad's lived in OC since the late 1970s (and we lived there for a year when I was a kid in the 1960s), and he always talks about the California legislature blocking this or that road in order to put the money into "friendly" areas.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Sikander
... it is a perma-minority (ie Republican) area.

It's not as red as all that. For example.
Sen. Joe Dunn (D-Santa Ana), the state's next Controller.
Laura Sanchez.

[:) Smiley]

Originally posted by Sikander


Doesn't the mighty Colorado river flow through Mexico?

It used to, now it only flows to Mexico, but not through it.

[Ted Striker]

.

[Dinner]

Legally, the US always gives Mexico more water and better quality water then it is required to by treaty. It's the Mexicans who then divert every drop of water to cities and farms.