Posted on 04/07/2005 6:37:53 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952
GOP senators say keep Nelson's name off Texas 130 in their districts
By Ben Wear
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Willie Nelson Turnpike? Not so fast.
Legislation to name the Texas 130 turnpike from Georgetown to Creedmoor after the man who put Austin music on the map cleared its first committee Wednesday. But it lost more than 18 miles in the process, and there were signs that some Republicans might not be so comfortable honoring the well-known Democrat.
Even with a toll road.
Texas 130, under construction now and scheduled to open in 2007, will be 49 miles long. And state Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos' bill as filed would have named the entire length for Nelson.
But when Barrientos, an Austin Democrat, unveiled Senate Bill 802 to the Transportation and Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday, he said that Republican Sens. Steve Ogden and Jeff Wentworth told him they didn't want the parts of the road in their districts to carry Nelson's name.
That trimmed about 17 miles off the north end in Williamson County, represented by Ogden who hails from Bryan-College Station, and the southerly mile-and-a-half in the small piece of Travis County in San Antonian Wentworth's bailiwick.
Thus foreshortened, the bill cleared the committee on a 7-0 vote, with Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, present but not voting. Wentworth, who had to leave for another committee, tried to leave a "no" vote in writing, but that requires unanimous consent of the committee, and Barrientos torpedoed it.
Some senators indicated later that the bill might have trouble mustering the 21 votes — two-thirds of the Senate — needed to come up for passage.
The Senate has 19 Republicans and 12 Democrats.
Asked about their reservations about Nelson, Ogden said he doesn't favor naming roads after people who are still alive and declined further comment. Wentworth, meanwhile, made it clear he has several concerns.
"Let's be candid: This is a political deal," Wentworth said, Nelson "was out there having fund-raisers, raising money for (Democratic presidential hopeful) Dennis Kucinich against President Bush, and that was just last year."
Wentworth said he has a general leaning as well against naming roads for living people. He was in the Senate and Ogden in the House when the Legislature in 1995 and 1997 named roads for the first President Bush and former U.S. Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, both very much alive.
"To compare a former president of the United States with a country singer, surely that's self-explanatory," Wentworth said.
The Legislature, in that same 1995 bill honoring Bentsen, named a road in Brazoria County after Nolan Ryan, at that point only just retired from his baseball career.
Wentworth and Ogden both voted for that bill. Ryan, a Republican, has never served as president of the United States.
Of course, Nelson didn't strike out 5,714 major-league hitters. On the other hand, Ryan has no gold records or duets with Julio Iglesias.
But Ryan, unlike Nelson, also hasn't had any trouble with the Internal Revenue Service or brushes with the law over marijuana. To Wentworth, at least, Nelson's past matters.
"All of that figures into it, from my standpoint," Wentworth said. "He's not exactly a role model."
Nelson was in Ireland, according to Barrientos, and unable to comment on all of this.
But Barrientos said that he had talked with the singer about the possible renaming and that Nelson "was kind of shy, even a little bashful about it. He said it would be an honor.
Sen. Todd Staples, R-Palestine, chairman of the transportation committee, had a question about that conversation:
"Did you happen to mention to him that it was a toll road being named?"
I have been reflecting on this. It is actually fitting to have a toll road named after a pinko. Let's name the non-toll roads after conservatives.
Thanks for the history. I don't think anyone up here has ever heard of the Armadillo World Headquarters, although the artists are quite famous. A lot of these guys either grew up or OD'd. I guess Willie is lucky to be alive.
BTW Boston is the only other city than Nashville the Opry has performed in.
Name it after Kofi Annan.
"The Lost in America Spaceman" was always my favorite.
I have been reflecting on this. It is actually fitting to have a toll
road named after a pinko. Let's name the non-toll roads after
conservatives.Oh, yeah.
Then I retract my comment above.
Name it Ronnie Earle Turnpike. :)
But it was named that when Texas was a Dem state. They were southern "Killer Bee" type Dems, who the national party left, but they were still Dems.
Now if they call it the "ZZ Top Turnpike" then I'm on board.
I'd go for that. But maybe we could name the new road from the Valley after MSG. Benevidez, or at least Highway 151 in San Antonio. I doubt he would be happy with his name on something so close to Berkley on the Colorado.
Click on the poster to see pictures and a brief history of the now defunct Armadillo World Headquarters. BTW, Stevie Ray Vaughn was the guitarist for Paul Ray and the X Rated Cobras.
Click on this poster to see a bunch of Armadillo World Headquarters concert posters. The club was as well known for it's posters as the music. Some of them are quite valuable, now.
Good idea, but the RATs would never name a highway after a VETERAN.
I heard Willie is still doping it up. He lived about six miles from me as the crow flies.
I like Willie Nelson OK, but surely see no need to memorialize our highways with the names of well known useful idiots.
Willie got busted a few years ago passed out in his car outside Waco. Pot was on the dash. I don't think he's been completely sober for more than 1/2 hour since 1968.
***
Yes, but maybe that's what keeps him going. The guy's in his 70's now, still making music and still touring. :)
Believe me, toll roads are coming. I wonder if Willie will have to pay more for his tour bus on the toll roads?? That would suit me just fine.
Trust me. You don't want me to sing.:)
you forgot a smoker of illegal substances. He's been picked up for that.
Easy solution. Once 130 goes into a Republican district, name it "Stoner Highway".
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