Obama leaves unfunded transportation mandate under pillow…

…in the hopes of finding $556,000,000,000 under it the next day.

No, it’s a legitimate analogy.  The National Journal has looked over the President’s proposed transportation bill (public link), and noted this (subscription only):

Obama wants $53 billion over six years for a high-speed rail program, $8 billion in fiscal year 2012, and he wants $50 billion this year to jump-start large infrastructure projects. The administration is proposing $336 billion over six years for roads and bridges, a 48 percent increase from the previous authorization. It wants $30 billion for an “infrastructure bank” to select and fund large projects on a competitive basis.

Where does the money come from? [Transportation Secretary Ray] LaHood deflected that query. “We’ll work with Congress on this, on the pay-for,” he said.

In other words, they don’t know where the money will come from. Continue reading Obama leaves unfunded transportation mandate under pillow…

SecTrans Ray LaHood hates your cell phone.

So.  It’s a few years from now.  You’re driving in your car (with a passenger); it’s night, and it’s snowing. You’re out in the middle of nowhere.  One of your tires blows out: fortunately, you’re able to stop before you flip the car, but you’re still out in the middle of nowhere at night in the snow with a flat tire.  But that’s why you have Triple A… so you get out of your car and move far enough away to get a signal on your cell phone, then spend roughly the next hour or so slowly freezing solid as you navigate the tow truck in.

Why?

Because Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood is a complete moron who wants to jam your cell phone, that’s why. Continue reading SecTrans Ray LaHood hates your cell phone.

LaHood: bikes good, freight transport bad.

Ah, there’s no insularity like urban insularity.

(Via AoSHQ Headlines) Elections have consequences.  Here, have some.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced a “major policy revision” that aims to give bicycling and walking the same policy and economic consideration as driving.

“Today I want to announce a sea change,” he wrote on his blog last week. “This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of nonmotorized.”

(Original italics restored) Well, it’s not like cities needed cheap fresh produce anyway*… oh.  Wait.  The entire history of civilization has been geared towards providing precisely that.  A pity that nobody explained to this administration how the food gets into supermarkets in the first place, yes?

Moe Lane

*I can’t wait to see what a pedal-operated eighteen-wheeler looks like.

No, really.  I can’t wait.