September 20, 2016 - SAcurrent.com - Steve Jansen -

Even if Greg Abbott thinks that bullet trains in Texas are a complete waste of dough, it might be wise, in the future, to not actually say that out loud. Because when has a large-scale transportation project in Texas ever turned a profit?

Last Thursday during a Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce gathering, Governor Abbott, as reported by the Texas Tribune, said proposed high-speed rail projects cannot be a “money-losing proposition.”

“Because of the price of oil, we’re dealing with a little bit tighter budget, and so we just need to be responsible budget-wise,” said Abbott, who added, “It is important to be able to invest in anything that works, but when you invest, you don’t want to lose money. You’ve got to proceed with caution.”

Well, yeah. If another large-scale public transportation project weren’t already hemorrhaging or about to bleed out a ton of money, this wouldn’t be Texas. Or America. Or Planet Earth. And the English language might not have the lovely word "boondoggle" in its lexicon.

Read more: http://www.sacurrent.com/current-events/archives/2016/09/20/does-governor-greg-abbott-even-have-a-clue-how-transportation-works