Engineering360: "Is the hyperloop about to go mainstream?"

Any improvement to the countries transportation system would be wonderful. To bad it is good for the country, McConnell will not allow it to come to the senate floor for a vote.

The transportation bill is 2,309 pages long. There is probably a considerable amount of spending and rule-making that is unauthorized by the Constitution or at least wasteful. That said, it's very rare for Senator McConnell to oppose a transportation bill. Senator Paul is more sensitive to the debt being imposed on future taxpayers (the nation's children and grandchildren) without their consent, and to government waste, so he is likely to vote against it.

Any changes to the laws needed to let the Hyperloop go forward should be considered in a separate bill so they get due consideration rather than being buried in a mess of unrelated appropriations where most members are unlikely to see them without being specifically asked to look at them. Presently, Section 5306 is a bit over one page long (double-spaced), starting at page 902. Essentially it tells the Department of Transportation, "Here, figure out how to regulate this." One question not asked nor answered is whether Congress even has Constitutional authority to regulate the Hyperloop, or whether the developers have freedom to compose their own safety standards subject only to insurance and liability considerations.

"The government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."

Ronald Reagan
40th president of US (1911 - 2004)