File this one under a bit of a laugh. Small potatoes California US Rep. Mary Bono Mack was alarmed at how $8 billion in high-speed rail could actually hurt California’s economy and speed vacationers on their way to debauchery. From the Riverside Press-Enterprise:

WASHINGTON – A last-minute provision added to President Barack Obama’s $787 billion stimulus plan could literally steer revenue away from Inland Southern California — and directly to Sin City, Rep. Mary Bono Mack said.

…

But Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, said Reid — a longtime proponent of a Southern California-to-Las Vegas rail line — stands to gain from the provision at her district’s expense. With a fast train in place to take people from Los Angeles to the Vegas Strip, the Inland area would likely lose out on tourist revenue, particularly at the region’s Indian casinos, she said.

The Republicans made a huge huff about “pork” this last election cycle. Isn’t being against a proposal that could help the rest of your state (and country) just in order to protect a few casinos in your area basically pork in reverse? No mention at all is made of the California High-Speed Rail Project, which, in addition to benefiting from that $8 billion allocation, would be a boon to Southern California. The article makes it seem as if all of that money is going straight to the LA-Vegas Maglev.