75 MPH Speed Limit Passes: Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines

The Texas Senate has sent to the governor's desk a bill allowing 75 mph speed limits in semi-deserted parts of Texas. Assuming that the Tea Party is not against, Rick Perry is expected to sign it.

So get ready to put the pedal to the metal, Texas, and try to imagine what it must have been like in the benighted days of the Gerald Ford administration, when you were expected to travel through the desert expanse of West Texas on I-20 or I-10 at no more than 55 mph. The only good thing that came out of that was a Sammy Hagar song.

The bill allows the Texas Transportation Commission to set 75 mph limits on major highways outside of urban areas, and eliminates the difference between night and day speed limits.

Currently, you can't go faster than 70 mph in Texas, except for some very limited stretches of No Man's Land where you can hit 80 mph and still think you're going nowhere.

Now, if the speed limit's 75 mph, most people are going to go at least 80. So 80 mph will be the starting point for the inevitable rise that comes from not paying attention. How many people are going to look down in their Escalade and suddenly notice they're going 100?

Not to mention their gas gauge will be dropping almost in direct proportion to their speedometer needle rising.

But who cares? 75 mph, people!!!