"Governor Perry and his friends spent a great deal of time
researching ideas to create more revenue"
— Ric Williamson, Texas Transportation Commissioner,
appointed by Rick Perry to govern TxDOT
"in your lifetime most existing roads will have tolls."
— Ric Williamson, Texas Transportation Commissioner,
appointed by Rick Perry to govern TxDOT
"Since 1997, he has received more than $1 million from highway
interests, according to reports filed with the Texas ethics commission."
– TIME magazine, "The next wave in super highways
or a Big, Fat Texas Boondoggle?" 12/04
"Governor Rick Perry received $30,000 from California based
Fluor Corp...less than a week before the corporation signed a
$1.5 Billion state contract to build Texas 130 toll road."
– Houston Chronicle, 8/02
Rick Perry's "innovative financing solution" means taking existing highway projects that are fully funded, on the verge of completion, and turning them into toll roads at the last minute. This is the "Rick Perry double tax loophole", as he say's he won't toll "existing" highways. This loophole allows him to take hundreds of Millions of dollars worth of funded public freeways across Texas, and turn them into daily tax booths. It's a double tax.
And his unelected, unaccountable freeway tolling authorities set the toll rates for what we've already paid for!
Or, in the case of the Trans Texas Corridor, Perry is taking private land away from generations of farmers and giving secret 70 year deals to a foreign corporation to profit.
Perry is a tax, toll and spend Governor who is creating brand new taxes on Texas families while his special interest friends make record profits.
Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn has been fighting along side us Republicans, Democrats, Independents & Libertarians that make up Austin Toll Party and Texas Toll Party since Summer 2004. She is the only state official that has been taking a stand for Texas families (b, "texas families" - http://www.texastollparty.com/viewSignatures.php) to help stop Freeway Tolls and the Trans Texas Corridor.
"We will not sit quietly by and let this Governor
embark on the most historic land grab in history
and cram toll roads down our throats."
– Carole Keeton Strayhorn, Comptroller
More than just talk, Strayhorn has taken real action for the people of Texas!
Months ago she produced a scathing report on the folks that can now toll our freeways, the first Regional Mobility Authority in Texas. The investigation reveals how the new authorities are unelected and unaccountable, and since they use our tax dollars to create tolled freeways, it's true double taxation. Not surprisingly, Comptroller Strayhorn also found favoritism and self-enrichment as board members gave contracts (without bids) to their friends and their own companies!
Before Strayhorn took a stand, Rick Perry and his appointed commission that runs TxDOT used Texas Mobility Fund Dollars as a blackmailing tool. They pitted cities against each other, and threatened they would give those millions of tax dollars to one of the other "many" cities that wanted the freeway toll reward. As a board member of the Texas Bond Review Board, Carole Keeton Strayhorn fought hard for a unanimous vote that made it clear, "toll roads will NOT be a prerequisite to receive Texas Mobility Fund dollars". The people of Texas thank you Carole Keeton Strayhorn!