Craddick Plays Politics With Texas State Railroad

Few people use politics as a tool to punish their opponents better than Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick, and it looks like the Republican lawmaker is at it again.

He is now blocking funds necessary for the survival of one of Texas' historical treasures -- the Texas State Railroad, which runs between Rusk and Palestine in East Texas. A Craddick spokesman says there is trouble with the contract worked out with the private company that is going to run the railroad, but that is doubtful. The state legislature didn't see any problems when they approved it in the last session.

It is far more likely that Craddick is withholding the money as payback to an opponent and a warning to other legislators. The railroad just happens to lay mostly in the district of a vocal Craddick opponent -- Rep. Byron Cook.

Cook says, "This doesn't pass the fairness test. If this railroad was in Midland, they probably would have added another 100 miles of track right now. There is no question that is a subversion of the will of the House and Senate. There is no question that what is being done is not being done in the best interest of Texas."

I would have preferred that the railroad continue to be run by the state, but that is a moot point now. The legislature in the last session turned over it's operation to a private company, and promised that company $2 million dollars for repairs and improvements. Now Craddick has refused to release the $2 million.

It is bad enough that Craddick regularly uses his position to punish his political enemies, but now he is playing politics with a valuable piece of Texas history. His petty political manuever could endanger the future of the railroad and cause Texas to lose another peice of its history.

It is time for this power-hungry madman to go. It would be in the best interests of all Texans for legislators to remove him from his speakership in the next session.