Posted on 12/26/2005 5:32:20 AM PST by Theodore R.
I got it wrong. It was the first George Bush who supposedly reminded women of their "bumbling" first husbands, and it was "debonair" Michael Stanley Dukakis who was like their second husbands.
Texan's pay plenty of taxes for new roads and road maint, it's just not being used for same, the RINO's have moved it over to welfare.
Don't take my word for it but you will have to check the actual 600+ page appropriations bill because at the same time they started the transfer they changed the way the summary budget is categorized and effectively hid the shift.
But even if there wasn't available money privatization of new roadways would be fine by me but Perry cut a deal; he got support for his trans-Texas boondoggle by giving local transportation districts the ability to start charging tolls on roads that have already been built with our tax money.
Perhaps the problem is that many Texans should stop getting their information about "no road money" from the Chronicle, Morning News or the Statesman and start studying the actual legislative documents. They might just find that the Texas LSM is either lying (gasp, could it be!!!?) or they just parrot what they're told being too lazy to do a little homework to find the truth.
I concede that "TX governor" is a nice piece of resume eye candy.
A certain person with the initials G.W.B. used it quite productively ;-)
You do better in this than in arguing theology, but you're still off base in your defense of Perry.
No there isn't. Even when the sizable amount of gas tax money that is redirected away from transportation is added back in, it falls far short of what is needed for future projects. Plus even mild inflation has reduced the gas tax in relation to the cost of projects.
But even if there wasn't available money privatization of new roadways would be fine by me but Perry cut a deal; he got support for his trans-Texas boondoggle by giving local transportation districts the ability to start charging tolls on roads that have already been built with our tax money.
False. They can only toll new projects or EXPANSIONS of existing roads. So if there is an existing free road, it can have toll mainlanes added in the middle but there must be a continued parallel free portion. How about citing a specific example of where you think "an already paid for" road is going to be tolled? AFAIK, there was just one proposal for such, a bridge on the Loop 1 expansion south of Austin, but it was quickly shot down, Perry stepped in and specifically said that was not the intent, and the legislature added language this last session preventing such.
Perhaps the problem is that many Texans should stop getting their information about "no road money" from the Chronicle, Morning News or the Statesman and start studying the actual legislative documents. They might just find that the Texas LSM is either lying (gasp, could it be!!!?) or they just parrot what they're told being too lazy to do a little homework to find the truth.
I've actually researched the topic extensively, but nice try.
This is the conversion of existing state roads, paid for by all Texans, given to local "authorities" to convert to toll roads. It hasn't been shut down, the lege didn't add any language to do so and it's quid pro quo for the Trans-Texas boondoggle along with Perry throwing in bones for their precious mass transit projects. (You are new to Texas politics I see).
But hey, if you think this state spends it's money wisely and there's no other alternative but to build toll roads then by all means think that, it'd be a first for goobermint, but it ain't got no basis in reality; state road tax money, which has gone up in the last six years, has gone to H&HS rather than to roads.. Please show me the line items in the state budget that disputes that.
Every single one of those projects is a new road or an expansion. Not a single existing lane will be converted to tolls. So your statement is false, no 'bought and paid for roads' are being 'given' to local authorities to 'covert' to toll roads. Now some planned roads are having their mainlanes built as tollways instead of free lanes, but the reason is to speed up construction. The money wasn't there for completion as free roads, and thus those mainlanes wouldn't have been built in most cases for another 10-20 years. By turning to toll financing many of those projects will be finished in the next 1-5 years.
Sorry Dane, but I'm absolutely a social conservative and have voted for Perry every time he's run.
I won't make that mistake again.
The toll portion will be the highway that's under construction. The non-toll portion will be the existing frontage road.
But if you think that the state of Texas runs things so well and is still so short of funds that there's no other alternative other than to implement new taxes then by all means, you've reached a space that I haven't obtained yet.
Virtually all of those projects on your Austin map would not yet be underway (other than some frontage roads) if they had not been converted to toll financing. That didn't just happen yesterday. There wasn't enough funding for 130,45, the 183 bypasses, and the Loop 1 extensions (and I'm almost certain for 71, too), they only moved forward once they were converted to partial toll projects, because only then they could borrow against future toll revenues. Without tolls, the construction you see would not be taking place.
The corridor was put to the citizens in the form of a constitutional amendment and it passed overwhelmingly.
Transportation is our state's economic lifeblood. If we can't move people and goods quickly and efficiently, then we wiill lose our advantage as a state.
I'm all for the corridor and especially like that it's being paid for by user fees, and not my tax dollars. That is the true fiscally conservative way to go.
Perry got us 5 more Republicans in Congress because he stood up to the Democrats on redistricting.
Perry fought for and got the best package of tort reform in this country.
Perry worked to balance our state budget when TX was $10 billion in deficit with no tax increase. He cut spending more than in any other time in TX history.
He's used his veto pen and exercised mroe line-item vetos than any other governor.
He's probably the most socially conservative governor we've ever had.
I couldd go on and on.
He's without a doubt the most conservative governor in the country.
If there's one thing grandma's performance in office is shown is that she can't count. Has she ever gotten a revenue estimate right???? In 2003, she was off by 100%!!!!!!!!!! Now there are reports that there $3 billion in taxes she has failed to collect. Maybe if she would do her job and not spend so much time trying to do everyone else's she wouldn't have to be talking about raising taxes to fund her new entitlement programs.
Perry's not great, but he's got name recognition, and hasn't teed anyone off, lately. As to Willie Nelson having political clout, nah. He can't even get a candidate elected in Austin, where he's considered by the local media to be on a first name basis with God.
I agree with that, but politics is all "show biz" now, and she is trying to make people think she is special.
"The corridor was put to the citizens in the form of a constitutional amendment and it passed overwhelmingly. "
No.
Some aspects of the corridor plan were included in the last election, but no way has the whole concept been put before the electorate, and the Corridor itself wasn't even mentioned.
Texans in general simply do not know about the TTC, and those I've told are appalled. I guess that speaks badly of Texans' knowledge of what affects them.
The "overwhelming" margin you refer to was a majority of those who bothered to vote, most of whom voted because of the gay marriage amendment and just rubber-stamped the rest of the ballot.
Texans don't know what Perry has planned for them.
Concur
Kinky is entertaining, and I would love t get drunk in a bar and say outrageous things with him, but sure wouldn't want him running tax or any other policy.
Strayhorn, or whatever her name is this week, is actually more dangerous than Kinky, because she takes herself seriously
Perry's forcing toll roads down our throats is mostly why I don't want to vote for him. The cost will not be "shifted to private investors." Regular people who drive will be paying for the highways till the end of time. It's a big racket and a theft of what should be freely traveled highways that everyone owns, not some private firms who will suck blood out of us forever just to drive the stupid highways.
Great point -- what's going to happen on US281 here in San Antonio?
I'll tell ya!
We're getting a toll road! This "toll road" has already been paid for (as has the interchange the tolls will fund at Loop 1604 and 281). Thanks, Rick. How much money are we spending to deal with your administration's incompetence?
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