Bridges, highways, and now trains --- what is it with pork and transportation? Are we running a government, or a John Candy movie?

Liz Mair is on the case:

A few months back, I wrote a couple of posts about DM&E Railroad-- the utterly loss-making venture that seems to get bailout after bailout from the government, and a pet project (quite literally) of Sen. John Thune, who has past business connections to the company.

Thanks to Thune, who is up for the Citizens Against Government Waste "Porker of the Year" Award, it looks like DM&E has now been deemed to have done all it needs to in order to get a $2.3 billion subsidized, and unsecured, loan out of the government. Even though it only brings in $200 million per year, and its existing debt is frankly unmanageable-- meaning that we, the taxpayers, aren't "lending" DM&E anything, we're gifting them a whopping great load of cash. Which DM&E will the use to expand their operations, quite probably with damaging environmental consequences.

As John Hawkins puts it: "So we have a poorly run railroad going to their former lobbyist, John Thune, and getting him to use taxpayer money to give them a loan that no one in private industry would ever make."

Some folks who don't think highly of the idea have put up a petition (and in fact, an entire website). So head over there, do your homework, and if you agree with the boondoggly nature of the choo-choo, sign the petition!