Posted on 04/02/2007 10:48:34 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Warning: Unless you put up a roadblock this minute, soon Florida Republicans will "Dubai" all the state's assets.
Once again, Elephants in the Florida Legislature have sold their souls, assuming they ever had any. Routinely, they barter the public interest for a buck.
This time, in a scheme that only Halliburton could hail, House Republicans just passed H.B. 7033, giving private companies virtual monopoly ownership of most of Florida's toll roads. (Democratic state Reps. Susan Bucher and Keith Fitzgerald told me they were outraged.)
That's right! If the scheme becomes law, corporate interests will be able to make a profit by levying the fees you pay to drive on most current, and all future, toll roads. In addition, the state could use eminent domain to take private land for new toll-road construction, then turn it over to private companies. The bill even prohibits any local, non-toll roads from being built that would "compete" with those of for-profit companies.
It's a one-way street: Politicians pumping public dollars into private hands, but no guarantee that the state will ever make a penny. It's a dead end for democracy: Your elected officials selling the public interest in sweetheart deals that could last for 50 or 75 years, or longer.
According to the sponsors of 7033, the state doesn't have enough money to build the roads we need to keep up with the pace of development. So, it must look for "creative" and "innovative" financing measures -- buzzwords for profiteering.
What they don't want you to figure out is that they intentionally put us in the financial rut we're in, as part of their grand scam to stay in power, gut government, and foster corporate-socialism to pay back their crony campaign contributors.
(Excerpt) Read more at sun-sentinel.com ...
However, the rent-seeking (non-compete) provision in the bill irks me.
Hey, I'm all for private roads, I think they should all be private.
But not at the cost of stealing peoples property.
Good thing this is a balanced piece. You can tell from the neutral language:
Warning
roadblock
Dubai
Elephants
sold their souls
barter the public interest for a buck
scheme
Halliburton
giving private companies
monopoly
outraged
scheme
corporate interests
profit by levying the fees you pay
eminent domain to take private land
private companies
one-way street
pumping public dollars into private hands
no guarantee
dead end
selling the public interest
sweetheart deals
buzzwords for profiteering
financial rut
grand scam
stay in power
gut government
corporate-socialism
crony campaign contributors
"Florida Republicans"
"Dubai"
"Once Again, Elephants in the Florida Legislature have sold their souls, assuming they ever had any.
"Routinely, they barter the public interest for a buck."
"Halliburton"
Republicans"
virtual monopoly"
"corporate interests"
"make a profit"
All in the first FOUR paragraphs!!!
Really? PA had the first toll road...back in the late 1700's and it was privately owned. Indiana "sold" the Turnpike recently (actually, a 75 year lease), and did so with a Republican governor. The $4 billion brought in by the deal has already staved off one projected tax hike. The State also retains oversight on tolls.
It seems to me this guys has no clue what he's talking about. Check the FL arrangement and I'll bet you any amount of money that the State oversees the levying of tolls. Besides, if the company gets out of line with tolls, people will drive on the "free" highways. (Interesting: Something that costs $100,000/foot to build is called a freeway. My guess is that a liberal coined the term.)
Here is the complete bill. There seems to be a lot of things that need working out, but hey, the way my local DOT has boggled revenue spending, maybe a bonded private company would be forced to keep better track of revenue. We know how inept government 'crats are!
The Florida bill is openly fascist.
Another FL newspaper had an online graphic of the toll roads proposed for the future of the state.
The way it looks, south Floridians will be permanently indentured servants forced to tithe to whatever company owns their access routes, for perpetuity.
We can thank the Kelo decision for this partially, but the out and out whoring of the Fl Rep party to land developers is unmitigated in history.
Most disgusting that this bill passed.
The Indiana law is also openly fascist.
Giving a private corporation monopoly ownership of the publicly funded transportation system that provides medicine, food, fuel and marketable goods to urban centers is a dereliction of the duties of elected representatives. The fair exchange of currency, as a basis of value for labor, will be depreciated by the Transport surcharge imposed by the private corporation. The size of, and rate of the depreciation is only restrained by the lobbying savvy of the private road management company in the state halls of power.
There is no way to rationalize the up front cash through future value estimations since no government can be assumed to hold the upfront payment in any investment approaching optimal returns. The state will simply disappear the money through incompetence and increased bureaucracy.
This is the problem with this kind of thing. Where is the competition? I don't blame the private companies. They are in business to make money and it's perfectly reasonable to expect they would want to reduce the competition to protect their investment. If they can't get that protection, they won't buy in. This will have to be severely regulated, so we still have government in on it.
I'd also like to know who'll be policing these "private" roads. Will the companies pony up the cash for their own police, or will government-funded police be used? This whole thing reeks when you realize there's no real privatization going on at all. But, this idea will no doubt be picked up by other states as they try to squeeze the last drops of blood from the stone.
Oh, paaaleeeez...spare me the verbal BS.
"The fair exchange of currency, as a basis of value for labor, will be depreciated by the Transport surcharge imposed by the private corporation."
Please elucidate this statement. I'm not sure that I understand you.
Not sure what you mean: are you suggesting that the police should not respond to a shoplifting call at Wal-Mart because Wal-Mart owns or leases the property?
Oh woe is us. We won't be able to get our unemployable cousins jobs at toll booths for 80,000/yr as in NJ and we won't be able to to give our friends contracts for road building. Alas, those who use the roads will pay for them instead of taxpayers paying at the pump. It is the end of graft as we have known and loved it.
Just in Indiana, and just in the urban areas of Indiana that these transportation management groups control the toll road system, will have a surcharge included on all economic goods being brought into the area. Since most Indiana urban areas produce very little of their durable and non durable goods, almost all goods trucked into the urban metroplexes will be charged a surcharge that is the cost of the transportation management company's profit margin, it's a tax where collection is shifted onto the private sector, but where the private company can then go and lobby for unlimited increases of the tolls, at a rate that outpaces inflation and toll increases in other states.
Not sure what you mean either. Is Wal-Mart entitled to round-the-clock police protection?
Are there any provisions in the bill that would mandate the overall cost to the public to remain lower under private ownership as opposed to public ownership? If not, then I don't how this could be in the publics best interest unless other alternative public highways were relatively accessable.
Note particularly the 'graf about the "no-compete" clause (no new public roads near toll roads)......and the eminent-domain angle, and the "we gots no money for roads, we gotta bring in the rich kids!!" whine from the sponsors.
Sound familiar, Texans?
Lessee......who's the governor down there in Florida, anyway? Got a mind to give him a piece of something or other.....Bush? George? -- Oh, Jeb Bush, the brother! Well, whatta coincidence! Gosh, this is like an old family reunion! Wonder if the same companies and lobbyists are involved? Bet Jeb could invite 'em all in for ..... well, they've had their fill of barbecue, how about some nice fresh Florida seafood, prepared right there on the grounds of the Florida governor's mansion? It'd be a great reunion! Como se dice, "Damn good to see you again! How you been, boys?"
Somebody ping that Austin toll-road/NASCO bunch. I just pulled a few handles out of the air.
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