This post originally appeared on Orphan Road.
Several bloggers are noting the opening of the 18-lane Katy Freeway in Texas, which will feature tolls, HOV lanes, and probably enough poured concrete to blot out the sun, but no fixed rail transit.
According to Rep. John Culberson, that’s a feature, not a bug. Hilarious contradictions ensue:
Culberson said the job was completed in five years and four months, compared to a likely 10 years or more with conventional funding.
“And without a single federal earmark,” he added.
…
But Culberson, whose ability to get federal dollars was crucial to the widening project, pledged not to give up a single freeway lane for Metro rail.
Apparently earmarks are a bad thing, but having a congressmen set aside money from the federal budget to build an infrastructure project in his home district is a good thing. The difference between the two eludes me. But then, that’s why they pay Culbertson the big bucks.