My kind of paper!
Posted on 03/25/2005 4:42:07 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday called his plan for a multi-billion dollar transportation corridor the only solution to the growing transportation needs of Texas.
The Trans Texas Corridor proposal has been met with skepticism, and Perry addressed the issue before approximately 1,000 guests at a luncheon in the Sugar Land conference center on Thursday.
The Trans Texas Corridor would run throughout the state in largely rural areas, possibly including Fort Bend County along the proposed I-69 corridor. The Trans Texas Corridor would include rail lines, tolled highways and utility lines, running adjacent to each other. Some have expressed concern at the amount of land to be acquired for the project, as well as its cost and even its viability.
Perry calls it the future of transportation.
"We're here to do something about traffic in the state; it is killing quality of life as well as killing our citizens," said Perry.
Perry said a private consortium recently entered an agreement to build portions of the corridor over a period of five to seven years without any tax money.
Perry said the highways on the corridor would be tolled, and he acknowledged some may oppose that idea. He said, however, highways such as U.S. 59 will still exist and be free.
He added the toll roads could have speed limits of 85 miles-per-hour, a comment that drew unexpected, enthusiastic applause before Perry could finish his sentence.
Perry offered three approaches, aside from his corridor proposal, to fund transportation infrastructure. Perry said Texas could do nothing, it could "wait for our friends in Washington, D.C. to magically send money," or it could raise the gasoline sales tax by $1.
The final suggestion drew boos, and Perry made a pitch for the privately-funded, tolled Trans Texas Corridor.
"It is the way of the future," he said. "Americans are looking at us and they're seeing the way it's working."
Perry said he enjoys a good argument, and dismissed claims by corridor opponents as the same ones made by opponents of the farm to market road system as well as the interstate highway system.
"I think time has proven those arguments were wrong, and it will do so again," he said.
Existing corridors, added Perry, cannot be expanded fast enough to keep up with demand in Texas.
Perry also affirmed his commitment to lower property taxes and supported the idea of a cap on the yearly appraisal of properties.
"Texans deserve tax relief that stands the test of time," he said. "One way we can do that is to cap appraisals where you don't have runaway appraisals in districts."
Perry said he wants to implement a plan that "protects the growth of the Texas economy," but did not offer any specifics of his plan.
He did, however, ensure the audience he does not agree with a proposal from "our friends at the Houston Chronicle" to institute a state income tax.
"A personal income tax will stop development in its tracks in the state," he said.
Perry also called for the federal government to loosen its restrictions on Medicaid, saying the program could leave Texas bankrupt in the future.
Perry praised the Texas Legislature, saying he was pleased with the results of the previous session, where volatile issues such as U.S. congressional redistricting and tough budget cuts were hammered out.
"They made some tough decisions and they got criticized for it," he said. "The fact of the matter is, it's OK because they were right."
Trans-Texas Corridor PING!
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