California is expensive. With state taxes as high as 13.3% for some earners and gas that’s more than $6 per gallon as of this writing, both are the most costly in the United States.

At least as stress-inducing is the derisively-nicknamed “high-speed train to nowhere.”

Originally funded in 2008, it was supposed to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles by 2020.

Eighteen years later, the cost has ballooned from an original $33-$45 billion estimate to $231 billion. And the length has been scaled back to 171 miles, connecting Merced and Bakersfield instead.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) estimated the project’s first phase won’t be finished until 2032 — under the current plan.

Senator Tony Strickland, vice chair of California’s Senate Transportation Committee, had some harsh words about the high-speed rail.

“This is a project that will never be built, and everybody in this building knows this project will never be built for the people of California and we keep wasting billions of dollars at a time where we have budget deficits,” Strickland said.

“I’ve been saying this for years now, but this is the most wasteful government project in probably world history.”

In this episode, Wes Moss debunks two of the biggest myths in the economy right now. First, Wes looks at the actual data behind youth unemployment. Despite the rise of AI, the numbers for college grads aged 22–27 remain remarkably stable. Wes explains why the labor market is far more dynamic than the "net new jobs" headlines suggest — and why there is plenty of reason for parents to be optimistic about their children's careers. Also, Wes addresses the "Death of the Dollar." From global trade invoices to commodity pricing, Wes breaks down why the U.S. Dollar remains the undisputed heavyweight of the global economy, despite the constant "De-dollarization" doom-talk in the news.

The Team Clark Consumer Action Center is a free helpline that can help you navigate your money questions. Call 636-492-5275. Visit clark.com/cac for more information.