Texas may ride you out of town on a rail

There's open rebellion brewing in Texas, again. Not against Santa Ana this time. Not on behalf of the Confederacy. This time it's a plot to install trains. Trains in the home state of Big Oil. It's got the makings of a great Hollywood thriller. Big ideas v. big money. Active conspirators in this would-be uprising can be found here. Their sponsor list is a bit old, but I couldn't find a single Texas-based oil or natural gas firm. Wonder why? The official name of this upstart transit revolution is Texas Triangle High Speed Rail. The crux of the plan: connect Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin. One commentator points out those three cities account for 7% of the entire US GDP. The rail proponents are hoping for federal money to help push ahead on the plan for 200 MPH rail connections between the three major metro areas. The Texas Department of Transportation put in for $90-million from the feds back in July.