High-speed train not a Mickey Mouse line

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal used a moment in the national spotlight to claim the stimulus bill was “larded with wasteful spending,” including money for what sounded like a theme-park ride.

“It includes $300 million to buy new cars for the government, $8 billion for high-speed rail projects, such as a ‘magnetic levitation’ line from Las Vegas to Disneyland, and $140 million for something called ‘volcano monitoring,'” Jindal said of the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, responding on national television to President Obama’s first speech to Congress on Feb. 24, 2009.

Numerous critics questioned the premise that any of these was a waste of money, and some, including a few

news


organizations

, suggested the high-speed rail claim was a well-worn lie.

We took a look at Jindal’s claim and found the truth was in the middle. You can read our findings

in this item.