Elon’s Expensive, Boring Hole in the Ground

(Chuck Muth) – There’s been lots of hype and publicity over Elon Musk’s efforts to dig car tunnels under Las Vegas. But Aaron Gordon at VICE.com is having none of it.

Mr. Gordon writes about a recent CNBC story on the Boring Company’s project.  Some highlights (lowlights would be more accurate) from his column…

• “It is…one of the most bizarre and embarrassing transportation projects in American history.”
• “This project avoided all the expensive parts of a mass transportation tunnelling project. The station is a big hole in the ground with a flat parking lot and doesn’t have pedestrian entrances, walkways, platforms, mezzanines, etc.”
• “The Boring Company avoided the most complex and costly aspects of transportation projects, shrunk it in both scale and the number of people it will supposedly serve, then bragged about how little it cost to build.”
• “You can watch the rest of the (CNBC) clip for yourself, featuring Teslas moving comically slowly through a small tunnel and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Steve Hill saying some truly bizarre shit about the Teslas being like Ubers but better…”
• “I am embarrassed for Steve Hill, who has to go on TV to justify his authority spending $50 million on this bad joke of a transportation project that ought to be a point of ridicule for his authority and his city for decades to come.”
• “I am embarrassed for anyone who tries to defend this project either out of deference to Elon Musk’s cult of personality or having some financial stake in this or future Boring Company projects.”
• “Despite how embarrassing this all is, I’m glad this (CNBC) clip exists. This is the last time I have to spend a single ounce of energy pointing out how stupid this tunnel is, because in the future I can simply link to this clip.”

For the record, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman was the only “no” against this project.

She’s also the lone elected official to speak openly and loudly against the Sisolak Shutdown a year ago.

If only SHE was our governor right now!

Election ’22 Update

* Some questions have been raised about North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee’s switch from Dem to GOP and rumors he may be noodling a run for guv in 2022 vs. Emperor von Sisolak.  So a little historical perspective…

When I was Clark County GOP chair back in 1995, Mr. Lee was a registered Republican who wanted to run for the state Assembly.  But caucus leaders at the time thumbed their nose and played the gender card.  Said they wanted a woman to run for the seat.

So Mr. Lee switched parties and ran as a conservative Democrat.  And beat the woman GOP candidate in the general election.  He went on to serve as a fairly conservative pro-life, pro-gun Democrat.

He also saved North Las Vegas from almost certain financial ruin as the city’s chief executive and has spearheaded a landmark school choice program during the Sisolak Shutdown.  The GOP could do, and has done, worse (think Brian Sandoval).

* SB237 expands the definition of “disadvantaged business” to include the LGBLT crowd.  Only one Republican state senator – the Susan Collins of Nevada – voted with the Democrats and gave the bill “bipartisan” cover: Heidi Gansert.

Remember that – and the fact that she also voted for the so-called “Equal Rights Amendment” to allow boys in girls’ sports – when she announces her run for statewide office, probably lieutenant governor, later this year.

There better be a credible primary opponent.

ConservaCruise News

Carnival has again extended its hoped-for date to restart cruises on the Panorama to July.  Keeping an eye on it.  Will let you know when we can consider rescheduling Citizen Outreach’s annual Cruise to Mexico.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

“There’s no reason in this country to be broke.  You can start an empire with a rag and some elbow grease and some balls.” – Dan Kennedy

“I don’t understand much about politics…” – Blubber-blogger Jon Ralston, 1/2/20

Mr. Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, publisher of Nevada News & Views and blogs at MuthsTruths.com