Last week, Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) rejected $2.4 billion in federal funding for a proposed high-speed rail line from Tampa to Orlando. The governor’s decision was based upon the likelihood of an up to $3 billion cost overrun, the likelihood of operating subsidies, and the requirement that the federal …
Elected officials in Washington finally seem to get it that something must be done to reduce federal spending. Last week, House Republicans unveiled a plan to cut $74 billion from President Obama’s budget request for this year, and members of the Republican Study Committee have proposed an even more ambitious …
President Obama’s proposed $53-billion more for “high-speed rail” (on top of a previous $10-billion) is a testimony to the power of adjectives. If it were labeled “plain old rail travel” it would lack the pizazz but would be far more accurate. Understating costs, overstating benefits, and lots of supersonic rhetoric …
Obama Replaces Costly High-Speed Rail Plan With High-Speed Bus Plan Last month, after the governor-elects of Ohio and Wisconsin (John Kasich and Scott Walker respectively) each declined to waste any more taxpayer money on high-speed rail boondoggles, the Obama administration quickly announced they would take federal transportation dollars away from …
Obama Replaces Costly High-Speed Rail Plan With High-Speed Bus Plan Yesterday, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood rescinded nearly $1.2 billion in stimulus funds from Wisconsin and Ohio after the states’ respective newly-elected governors, Scott Walker and John Kasich respectively, said they would follow through on their campaign promise not to waste …
The Obama administration is still in denial about the message the American people sent Washington last Tuesday. In letters to Ohio Governor-elect John Kasich and Wisconsin Governor-elect Scott Walker, obtained by Reuters, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood threatened to take away stimulus money from the states unless they used it for …
President Barack Obama famously believes that all of his policies are supported by “facts and science,” while opposition to his policies comes only from “fear and frustration.” As The Washington Post documented twice last weekend, that is just plain false. First Charles Lane reports: The Obama Energy Department has suggested …
The failures of President Barack Obama’s $862 billion stimulus are legend, but the $8 billion the Obama administration will waste on high-speed rail is particularly galling. The New York Times reports today: The drive from Orlando to Tampa takes only 90 minutes or so. Despite the short distance, the Obama …
The USA Today hypes the left’s dreams for high-speed rail today with a story headed “$8 Billion Could Help Revive Travel by Train.” From the article: The Department of Transportation is to distribute the money to embryonic high-speed rail projects around the country and to Amtrak, the national passenger rail …
