Lessons from the Highway of Death

"The 99 is emblematic of a state in psychological and material decline."

Victor Davis Hanson  "California State Route 99 is the north-south highway that cuts through the great Central Valley. And it has changed little since the mid-1960s. 

"A half-century ago, when the state population was about 18 million — not nearly 40 million as it is today — the 99 used to be a high-speed, four-lane marvel. It was a crown jewel in California’s cutting-edge freeway system. 

"Not now. 

"The 99 was recently ranked by ValuePenguin (a private consumer research organization) as the deadliest major highway in the nation. Locals who live along its 400-plus miles often go to bed after seeing lurid TV news reports of nocturnal multi-car accidents. Then they wake up to Central Valley radio accounts of morning carnage on the 99." . . .

. . . "The 99 also reminds the nation of California’s unique lessons about how to ruin a paradise: The more taxes are raised, the worse public service often becomes." . . .  Read more

Photos added by TD