LA to seek New Orleans-Baton Rouge passenger rail from stimulus that Jindal called wasteful

[funkybutt]

Source: Times Picayune, New Orleans

BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's transportation department plans to request federal dollars for a New Orleans to Baton Rouge passenger rail service from the same pot of railroad money in the president's economic stimulus package that Gov. Bobby Jindal criticized as unnecessary pork on national television Tuesday night.

The high-speed rail line, a topic of discussion for years, would require $110 million to upgrade existing freight lines and terminals to handle a passenger train operation, said Mark Lambert, spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

Jindal on Tuesday delivered the official Republican Party response to President Barack Obama's address to Congress. He criticized the stimulus package passed by the Democratic-majority in Congress and the president and noted examples of projects that he found objectionable.

"While some of the projects in the bill make sense, their legislation is larded with wasteful spending," Jindal said. "It includes ... $8 billion for high-speed rail projects, such as a 'magnetic levitation' line from Las Vegas to Disneyland."

Read more: http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/louisiana_to_seek_new_orleansb.html

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*on edit* title was too long

[blueclown]

1. As Schumer said, this is not an a la carte menu.

Either take it all or leave it all, assholes.

[dipsydoodle]

2. Yes - I do like your

butt. :rofl:

[Kajsa]

3. Strange isn't it?

Some Repub Governors insist this is "wasteful spending",
yet their states will benefit from this "pork'.

High speed rail travel is needed, and we are light years behind
other countries when it comes to mass transit.

They need to grow up.

[Warren Stupidity]

4. All the trains will be equipped with high tech rowboats in case of floods.

They are called 'Jindal Skiffs', and are voice activated. You yell at them and they instantly deploy and row themselves to flooded rooftops and rescue drowning sheriffs.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. It makes me mad that Jindal is hurting the people of LA

by refusing part of the stimulus package. It could very well jeopardize the chance of high speed rail in NO. I'm hoping that, when he's booted out of office in 2011, the Big Easy is able to get the funds to do this (if the Democrats in the LA Congressional delegation aren't able to pull it off sooner).

[Downwinder]

6. Think they will leave Jindal's name off the plaque? n/t

[SpiralHawk]

7. Republicons are truly the Latter Day Pharisees

Hypocricy unbounded.

[pschoeb]

8. A train to Sin city, I thought Repubs hated those things

nt

[MasonJar]

9. Jindal and the other guvs who are refusing stimulus money are sealing

their own fates IMHO. Their constituents are getting pretty upset that these so-called leaders are refusing to allow the federal government to help their citizens in need, whose jobs have been lost due to the GOPer 8 years. I really find the situation amazing; these guvs may think the recalcitrant approach will help their presidential aspirations, but it might just ruin them in their home states. (HURRAH) The people of this entire country realize that our economy is in a disastrous state and these funds will "stimulate" it. The greatest irony is of course that South Carolina and Louisiana are truly desperate. These governors are essentially screwing their own citizens for some ostensible political gain.

[damntexdem]

10. Jindal's Baton average declines even further.

And then he went to Disney World rather than Disneyland, so couldn't even ride his fantasy train to Vegas, although I'm sure he spent all his time in Fantasyland.

[NM Independent]

11. That's funny! n/t

[KamaAina]

12. There has been a bus service in place since shortly after the Federal Flood

when many displaced New Orleanians were living in "Red Stick" -- many coming in on weekends to work on their houses, quite a few others actually commuting! (it's only about 75 miles, or about the distance of the Metro-North line from NYC to New Haven)

http://www.laswift.com

A train is the next logical step. Besides, it's been a while since Janis could actually have sung "Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin' for a train..."!