Originally Posted by
mtnroads
Of course Texans don't want to give up their "way of life", which last I observed included very large air-conditioned homes and use of an F350 to go everywhere. They will cling to their "way of life" as will many Americans, until it turns into a living hell of climate change - from mosquito born disease, floods, drought, super tornadoes, etc. Then they will of course expect disaster relief from the government. Nothing new here.. just don't challenge their right to "live free or die", lol.
As an ex-Texan I can say that there is a grain of truth in this. However, I suspect that a major problem with a Houston to Dallas high speed rail is the same that they faced in California: the numbers just won't add up to any benefit financially, economically or even external environmental costs. The number of daily riders for the break-even point (a complex calculation including economic stimulus and costs) was unrealistically high. I wouldn't be surprised if something similar was going on in Texas.
In a way, my intuition is that the calculations are short sighted. When people do these kinds of projections it's dead certain that they've missed something, and furthermore cascading effects are unpredictable. I'd love to see the rail implemented, win or lose, so that we'd have some real information on the economic impact under modern conditions.