80 MPH is NOT High Speed

Quick, tell me which is faster: 80 mph or 200 mph? If you picked the latter choice, then congratulations are in order, because you seemed to have stumbled onto a truth that seems to be eluding many levels of our glorious government at the present time. 80 mph is not in any way, shape or form, a high speed- at least not where trains are concerned. Yet, we see in the news that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is telling new GOP Governors in Wisconsin and Ohio 'no trains, no money.' Because between the Ohio project ($400 million) and the Wisconsin project ($810 million) you would have thought that anyone willing to put so much money into something they insist on calling high speed rail would have checked to see just how fast the thing would actually go...

They obviously didn't. Don't get me wrong: I think it's ridiculous that a country that put a man on the moon can't seem to develop an efficient, fast and effective passenger rail service. I long for the day when one exists and will happily patronize it when it does. But in the meantime the fact remains that Amtrak spends more money than it makes and these sub-par, sorry excuses for high-speed rail projects will, if built, merely add to that yearly loss and become gigantic white elephants, all because the government can't seem to grasp the idea that a job worth doing is one doing right the first time.

So, to Governors Elect Kasich, Walker and Branstad, I'm asking: stand up for real high speed rail and tell the Feds to keep their money- and tell them when they're interested in building an actual, fast, efficient passenger rail system you'll be interested in hearing their proposals.