Foreign Control of U.S. Interstates Encouraged By Feds

American Chronicle ^ | June 29, 2006 | Diane M. Grassi

[A. Pole]

In exchange for its upfront payment, Cintra-Macquarie will collect and keep all money from tolls from the Skyway and will be able to raise tolls as incorporated under the terms of the agreement. The company is modernizing toll collection with an electronic transponder system. Until the technology is fully operable, toll collectors have been newly but temporarily recruited. But instead of earning an average hourly wage of $20.00 as their predecessors did, they are paid a $10.00 to $12.00 hourly wage. And as contracted, the Skyway offers the buyer an asset without having to deal with improvements or debt.

Low wage bump

[taxed2death]

How kewl is it to have a transponder in everyones car?

Not.

[butternut_squash_bisque]

This is nuts. And it goes right along with the NAFTA, CAFTA crap and the globalism path CFR has nudged us into. The NAFTA Superhighway will be one more rust hole in the armor. Soon enough, when Canada, the US and mexico are *one* (think EU), our national soverignty will be a distant memory, as will The US Constitution.

(((sigh)))

[Legallyhere1]

I hope the British don't get control of the highways here! Everytime I go back for a visit, the roads get worse and worse and more crowded. The Highways Authority (a sort of governing body) just acts like the proverbial ostrich and sticks its head in sand hoping problems will go away. Perhaps the germans should run them - that way we can all drive at 100mph like they do over there!

[Alberta's Child]

In your attempt to illustrate the problems with these foreign interests owning U.S. highways, you actually managed to highlight the one point (the elimination of overpaid toll collectors) that most people would actually consider a benefit of this kind of arrangement.

[cripplecreek]

We don't have any toll roads here in Michigan (yet) but I know I'll oppose them every step of the way.

[Sarajevo]

I am in total agreement with you. We are fighting the TTC here in Texas. I wonder where all the Bushbots are when crap like this rears it's head.

[Paladin2]

Free Parking and Freeways are what made America great.

[taxcontrol]

I could never understand why there was a need for 5 or 6 toll workers at every toll station. A credit card / cash machine could handle the majority of the traffic. One toll worker to handle the odd payments.

[jpl]

Is there any part of America that's not for sale to the highest bidder these days?

[LIConFem]

"I wonder where all the Bushbots are when crap like this rears it's head."

[muawiyah]

It's just a highway, and the funny little foreign people are not going to turn it on and off to screw with you.

The Indiana Toll Road has been rented out for a lot of money. Lest people forget, this very highway was a source of scandal from the very beginning which is BEFORE the Interstate Highway System was reported out of committee in Congress.

[cripplecreek]

Part of the problem is the fantasy wages that people often believe. When I tell people that I used to be in the UAW they assume that I made at least $20 an hour. I didn't, I made just over $12 an hour.

[muawiyah]

The reason Michigan doesn't have any toll roads is there's no where to go ~ Indiana, just to the South, provides a vital link between Chicago and New York/Pennsylvania.

A toll road makes sense. A freeway, paid for by Indiana folks, which would primarily serve interests in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Michigan would be crazy doncha' think!?

[Tokra]

I was just going to post the same thing.

Here's a solution for the rest of the country - Don't have toll roads! We don't have them in Michigan and get by just fine without them.

[nitzy]

I wonder if the idea to call it "homeland" security instead of "national" security was to down play the idea of nation status. From what I understand they would like to eliminate our northern and southern borders and have a continental homeland.

[Tokra]

Eisenhower was prompted to persuade the nation’s people to build the interstate highway system, as a matter of national securitybeing convinced to do so by General Motors.

"What's good for General Motors is good for the USA."

[cripplecreek]

Actually a lot of truck drivers avoid stretches of toll road by using Michigan freeways en route to northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, and southern Ontario. Many times a longer route is a cheaper route.

[cripplecreek]

Our main highways aren't great and are constantly under repair but that has more to do with poor design than anything.