Posted on 08/27/2011 12:10:12 PM PDT by el_texicano
Looks Tough Firing Blanks
If you're a Tea Party member, or you have significant sympathies with them, I'd caution you against climbing aboard Rick Perry's TransTexasCatastrophe. The Media is doing everything possible to paint this guy as a bronc-busting, cattle-roping, Texan, but in truth, there are more than a few things you ought to know about him. He's no friend to individual rights, except in an election season, and he's not really the trend-setter he'd have you believe. His record on jobs isn't actually so swift as he'd have you believe, and he's got less in common with the average Texan than he does with the Wall Street types with whom he prefers to consort. He's no friend of Main Street, and he's certainly no friend to real entrepreneurs, and for all his posturing as one of us, he isn't, and it's been quite plain. Those of you from outside Texas can be forgiven for mistaking Perry for a conservative. It's assumed because he's a Republican, and he's from Texas, he must be. Let me now explain a bit of why this isn't the case.
Friday I heard the increasingly estimable Mark Davis claim that you shouldn't mind that Perry converted from the Democrat Party to the Republican Party because, as he points out, Ronald Reagan was once a Democrat too. Of course, this is a lie by omission, because what Davis doesn't mention is that it was a long stretch of years between Reagan's conversion and his arrival in California electoral politics. This isn't the case with Rick Perry. He was Al Gore's Texas Campaign Manager in 1988, and following the loss, immediately reversed course and ran as a Republican. I don't know about you, but despite Davis' rather disingenuous interpretation of Reagan's conversion, painting it as just alike, I'm inclined to believe he left some details out intentionally.
Rick Perry has been a regular guest on Davis' show on WBAP in the D/FW area for years, and to consider Davis anything like an objective or unbiased voice in this stretches all credulity. Frankly, I hope Limbaugh finds somebody else to be a regular fill in, because Davis is clearly in the tank for Perry, and it runs against Limbaugh's general premise that he will take no position in a Republican primary, except in general terms on behalf of conservatism.
You may have heard some of Perry's more recent statements about conditions along the Texas border with Mexico, and you might be inclined to believe Mr. Perry thinks more should be done. He even tried to repair his credibility on the issue by being broadcast on a live feed from a base of operations near the border for an interview on Greta Van Susteren's show. If you believe that stage-managed bit of theater, I'm inclined to let you know right now that he's relatively no more conservative in real terms than George Bush, which is to say on the matter of his statist, globalist reflexes, he's no conservative at all. I'd hate it if anybody else broke the news to you, because I believe bad news is best delivered by a friend. Check out the following video for where Rick Perry really stands on issues of the border:
watch?v=UwD84nKA5y0
I realize there's a tendency to overstate things in the name of supporting one's position, but it's really no exaggeration to suggest that Perry isn't really very close in his thinking to Tea Party Members, not when measured against what he's been saying since October 2010, but in what he has said all along throughout his career. He's taken money and support from La Raza, ACORN, and other groups that advocate spending tax-payer dollars for dubious programs and projects.
He's also a crony-capitalist. If you're like me, that's simply something you can't abide. I love the free market, but Governor Perry's revolving door between his staff and corporate boardrooms is a well-established phenomenon, and frankly, if you buy into his nonsense, he's going to wind up exploiting your good intentions too. Companies like Merck and Cintra are more his style, and his staff has reflected this over the years of his gubernatorial reign.
You've undoubtedly heard about the Gardasil flap, and likely been willing to dismiss it as a fluke. That would be a serious and potentially tragic mistake. The most ridiculously egregious thing he may have done in his tenure as Governor of Texas was the proposed TransTexas Corridor. You may have heard of it, but may not have any details, so let me expound on that for a moment or two. This was the project that first enlightened me to Perry's big government answers to all things. The upshot is this: It was to be a vast network of toll roads, but more, it would have included some form of light and heavy rail, pipelines, and all manner of things. On the surface, this might sound attractive, but as with any such project, the devil lies in the details.
The plan included 4400 linear miles of a toll road network, running parallel in many cases to existing Highways and Interstates already in existence. The corridor's right of way was to be a full 1/4 mile wide. Simple math tells you that even ignoring junctions and interchanges, this would have consumed 1100 square miles of Texas' territory. You might argue that while it's a lot of land, Texas is a big state. That's all well and good if the state already owns the land, but since it doesn't, it was going to acquire it by use of eminent domain. Again, you might argue that building roads is one function for which eminent domain out to apply, but once you look at the rules to be applied to this project, you might well conclude otherwise. Rather than basing their offers to property owners on free market value, they instead intended to limit it to "fair market value" as determined by a panel of cronies they would gin up for the chore.
This project actually proposed bisecting county and farm roads, and even property, dead-ending what are fairly important thoroughfares for the communities they serve. More, it would have bisected school districts and even towns along its path. Again, you might think that impossible until you understand that this was to be a closed system with few exits or on-ramps, only permitting access at major Highway and Interstate junctions. This threatened to destroy many rural communities, and they rose up against it. Once the details became clear to the public, it was quickly sent back for re-work, and eventually dumped.
Here were the things they didn't advertise, but you need to know. It was supposed to be operate by a concessionaire, Cintra, for a period of 50 years. It was going to employ tolls of roughly $0.26 per mile. A geographical understanding of the scale of Texas immediately prompts the question: "Who on Earth would voluntarily pay to enter a closed-system roadway at that cost over the huge distances in Texas, when a free parallel alternative is just a few miles away in the form of an Interstate, or Highway?" Good question, and the answer is: Almost nobody. So how did they intend to make this work? In 2004,TxDOT applied to the USDOT for a waiver so that they could charge a toll on the existing I-35. The first leg of the proposed TTC system was called TTC-35, the leg that would run from Laredo to an undetermined point on the Oklahoma border. In other words, it was a corridor to nowhere, but in order to get you to use it, they were going to toll the free Interstate and let it fall into disrepair.
Opponents at the time argued that the existing I-35 corridor could be widened, and this was met with a dismissive rejection by Perry's Transportation Commission. They said it couldn't be done in a cost-efficient way. Your confusion at this statement matches that of the average Texan who realizes that this couldn't possibly be true. How hard is it to add a few lanes here and there? Yes, you'll have some eminent domain issues, but nothing on the scale of what the TTC proposed.
They also promised it would promote economic development, but what they kept concealed for a while, until they no longer could do so under the law, was that because it was a closed system, Cintra, the corporation from Spain that would build and operate it, would also have exclusive rights to all concessions along its length. More, due to the limitations on exits and on-ramps, it could never be shown how this colossal highway system would provide any sort of economic boon to anybody, because you wouldn't be able to access most smaller towns from along its length. I'm sure you'll agree with me that the fact that one of Perry's top staffers was a former Cintra VP, and the fact that one of his own staffers had gone on to work for Cintra had absolutely nothing to do with Perry's TTC plans. Right?
Ladies and gentlemen, if you've fallen prey to the hype about Perry, you may be forgiven, particularly if you're not from Texas. You're not aware, as so many here, that Perry isn't the fellow he's now being portrayed to be. He's not a friend to the Tea Party, despite his seeming 2010 conversion, because much like his conversion in 1989, this conversion also seems to be one of convenience. I will assure you, this is most definitely the case.
Perry likes to put on an act about his conservative credentials, and his sympathies with the Tea Party, but if the truth is told, he's no more one of us than the man in the Moon. You might want to let your fellow conservatives and Tea Party patriots know it too: We're being hustled again.
“Again, please show me the piece of legislation by which Congress enacted the TTC. Go ahead. Show it or drop it...”
__________
Ever heard of the NAFTA Bill that Bill Clinton signed into law that included the Trans National Super Corridor, dumbass? That is being built as we speak?
And YES, we asked USDOT to make it into a toll road to cover the expense of the maintenance of the expansion. We sure did. Yep, we did.
___________________
Actually, NO, the Gardasil ExO was NOT stopped by the Texas Legislature. They don’t have the power to do that. That ExO was still in effect until February of 2011 when Perry himself revolked it. That ExO did exactly what Perry meant it to do. Get it for the many many Texans who WANTED IT, and yet give the parents the final say on whether their kids got it. Do you have any idea why he revoked it four years after the RINOs and the democraps opened up our education statues and krapped all over them with mindnumbing dumbass gobblygook???? If you want to know, let me know and I’ll tell ya. But YOUR democratic propaganda and bucket of horse manure you’re toting for them is certainly not going to tell you.
______________________________
So you’re a leaning libertarian. I should’ve known. That certainly takes away from your conservative credibility a LOT!
No negatives? You must be joking.
Perry’s groupie girls.
Well, I realize that is your opinion and that’s about what it’s worth. But sadly for you, only the few Paulbot idiots agree with you.
Bohemian Grove choice NOT mine.......
>> “Texas National Honor Society” <<
.
LOL!
Can any of them read?
Name one.
You’re a dangerous liar.
Nothing you have posted today is true. - Nothing!
They’ve thrown everything, that they possibly could, at her. What’s left for them to do? Where was the merit in their criticism of her? What negatives? We demand proof!
NO, he’s not for Aztlan. He’s a Texan, born and bred. But he does realize that he represents ALL the citizens in his state, including the members of La Raza that live here. Just like he represents the Jews and speaks to Jewish organizations in Texas. Just like he comes and speaks to our German organizations, and celebrates heartily our German traditions.
La Raza had started a demonstration attacking one of our Town Hall meetings. Perry simply went to talk to them to tell them what his stance is to show them that demonstrating and raising hell is not going to do them any good.
Well, they whopped your state’s readers all over the place...looks like you’re kinda OUT OF LUCK, now aren’t ya?
Hell! He shoulda sent-in the Texas Rangers!
Sure it is. Not one of you can prove me wrong.
She quit on the people of Alsaka.
>> “It’s curious that you post hit jobs on the candidate you DON’T like but don’t have the guts to stand up for who you DO like.” <<
.
Read much?
He clearly stated the same position as the official position of this website: That Palin is our only choice.
That’s what our previous governor (the Terminator) would have done. That’s right, he’d have talked them to death. He, too, was a “republican” governor!
That isn’t a negative; its a strong positive, affirming her character, and good judgement.
You must be a PDSer troll.
I was not supporting anybody. I was wondering where you guys have hidden your consciences because nothing rick perry has ever done seems to concern you at all. That you would wish him on the rest of the country boggles my mind. Or is it that you are so anxious to be rid of him you would wish him on the rest of us? We don’t have enough mosques in the US yet? The Chinese haven’t stolen enough of our technology yet? The big builders don’t have enough illegals doing construction yet? I mean what is it about you guys exactly that you want us to accept this on a national scale?
Keeping your record intact I see.
Another obvious falsehood.
Texans simply cannot read above the 4th grade level.
For me personally, I have all my eggs in one basket...and her name is Sarah.
I haven't taken a battleaxe to anyone else in the Repub race....I just didn't know anything about Perry and things are now coming out about him.
I love Bachman, but I don't think she has the fire in the belly.
This election I want someone whom I would crawl over broken glass, kick some ACORN a$$ to get in to vote for! 2 black men w/ sticks don't scare me. I'd take them both on....win or lose (cowards run in packs. I am not a coward) The 3 of us either go down, or 2 of them do and I go vote.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.