All Aboard!

  Whew!  It was a squeaker there for a while, but next week James Simpleton will be in town to sign over $345.4 million in "federal funds" to complete the newest choo-choo lines, which are expected to cost $557.4 million for a whopping 8.3 miles of new fixed-rail.  We can all breathe a sigh of relief.  And Neil Goldschmidt would be so proud.  How many miles of freeway lane could you build for that kind of money?  No telling, but it seems likely that it'd be a lot more than 8.3 miles - and a lot more useful.