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Toll Road Giant Buys Newspapers to Silence Critics
theNewspaper.com ^ | January 26, 2007 | theNewspaper.com

Posted on 01/26/2007 1:51:46 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Critics charge that the Macquarie purchase of American Consolidated Media is designed to silence critics of a Texas toll road project.

Australian toll road giant Macquarie agreed Wednesday to purchase forty local newspapers, primarily in Texas and Oklahoma, for $80 million. Macquarie Bank is Australia's largest capital raising firm and has invested billions in purchasing roads in the US, Canada and UK. Most recently the company joined with Cintra Concesiones of Spain in a controversial 75-year lease of the 157-mile Indiana Toll Road.

Sal Costello, the leading opponent of toll road projects as head of the Texas Toll Party, says the move is directly related to a 4000-mile toll road project known as the Trans-Texas Corridor. It will cost between $145 and $183 billion to construct the road, expected to be up to 1200 feet wide, requiring the acquisition of 9000 square miles of land in the areas through which it will pass.

"The newspapers are the main communication tool for many of the rural Texan communities, with many citizens at risk of losing their homes and farms through eminent domain," Costello wrote.

Many of the small papers purchased, most have a circulation of 5000 or less, have been critical of the Trans-Texas Corridor. An article in the Bonham Journal for example, states, "The toll roads will be under control of foreign investors, which more than frustrates Texans."


TOPICS: Australia/New Zealand; Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: acm; australia; biasmeanslayoffs; cintra; cintrazachry; cuespookymusic; downunder; eminentdomain; foreignownership; kelo; kookmagnetthread; macquarie; macquariemediagroup; mergersacquisitions; mmg; newspapers; opposition; rollups; salcostello; statemedia; texas; texastollparty; tollroads; tollways; transtexascorridor; transtinfoilcorridor; trysellingthetruth; ttc; tx; zachry
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TTC will NOT take up 9000 square miles. It will take up nearly 1000.
1 posted on 01/26/2007 1:51:50 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
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To: TxDOT; 1066AD; 185JHP; Abcdefg; Adrastus; Alamo-Girl; antivenom; AprilfromTexas; B4Ranch; B-Chan; ..

Trans-Texas Corridor PING!


2 posted on 01/26/2007 1:52:40 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (“Don’t overestimate the decency of the human race.” —H. L. Mencken)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Let them try to buy the Internet. A tactic that might have worked in the past can only be stopped by the likes of McCain-Feingold now!


3 posted on 01/26/2007 1:57:16 PM PST by NonValueAdded (Pelosi, the call was for Comity, not Comedy. But thanks for the laughs. StarKisses, NVA.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

--TTC will NOT take up 9000 square miles. It will take up nearly 1000.--

The article did not say it would take up 9000 square miles. It said it would involve the purchase of 9000 square miles. They have to buy up right of ways and interchanges. Later they will sell the interchanges to hotels and McDonalds.


4 posted on 01/26/2007 2:00:37 PM PST by UpAllNight
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To: UpAllNight

They purchase it; it takes up; same difference. It will take up about 1000 square miles.


5 posted on 01/26/2007 2:06:15 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (“Don’t overestimate the decency of the human race.” —H. L. Mencken)
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To: UpAllNight
Later they will sell the interchanges to hotels and McDonalds.

You mean, lease, maybe?

6 posted on 01/26/2007 2:08:44 PM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: NonValueAdded
"Let them try to buy the Internet. A tactic that might have worked in the past can only be stopped by the likes of McCain-Feingold now!"

Not even McPain-Fineswine can stop Americans from exercising the First Amendment!

7 posted on 01/26/2007 2:14:58 PM PST by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias...)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
TTC will NOT take up 9000 square miles. It will take up nearly 1000.

Thanks for the ping -- and for keeeping things on a factual basis!

8 posted on 01/26/2007 2:17:10 PM PST by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias...)
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To: 1rudeboy

This is all the new norm of revenue generation...The state buys up as much land as possible gaining control over the rights of development and bingo leases out the land, existing facilities/utility services, right-of-ways, etc etc...

And boom, money in their hands to squander on other crap...

They'll make us feel like we are a part of the discussion and debate, and flim flam us from here to Christmas telling us this will be good for the economy, and commercial interests blah, blah, blah...

Still haven't seen one thing to support in any of this...


9 posted on 01/26/2007 2:18:18 PM PST by stevie_d_64 (Houston Area Texans (I've always been hated))
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To: stevie_d_64
This is all the new norm of revenue generation...The state buys up as much land as possible gaining control over the rights of development and bingo leases out the land, existing facilities/utility services, right-of-ways, etc etc...

I submit it's the old norm. Walk through an airport lately, or a port? Remember the DPW fiasco?

10 posted on 01/26/2007 2:21:30 PM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: stevie_d_64

How about the jobs created?


11 posted on 01/26/2007 2:23:34 PM PST by Kenny500c
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To: Kenny500c

You mean the jobs created in order to build new roads or the few low paying service type jobs at the hotels and fast food restaruants along the way?


12 posted on 01/26/2007 2:32:06 PM PST by B4Ranch (Press "1" for English, or Press "2" and you will be disconnected until you learn to speak English.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

BTTT


13 posted on 01/26/2007 2:34:18 PM PST by E.G.C.
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To: stevie_d_64

"Still haven't seen one thing to support in any of this..."


Me Either! I guess We're just not cut out to be Global Elitists.


14 posted on 01/26/2007 2:39:53 PM PST by wolfcreek (Please Lord, May I be, one who sees what's in front of me.)
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To: B4Ranch

More "lets get rich by killing America's sovereignty" bullcrap. Follow the money. States should have their act together enough to run roads and highways except for county roads. It's un American to have foreigners making a profit operating toll roads


15 posted on 01/26/2007 2:43:44 PM PST by dennisw (What one man can do another can do -- "The Edge")
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To: E.G.C.

bump.


16 posted on 01/26/2007 2:44:01 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (“Don’t overestimate the decency of the human race.” —H. L. Mencken)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

So, can they buy all the blogs too?


17 posted on 01/26/2007 2:46:48 PM PST by RobRoy (Islam is a greater threat to the world today than Nazism was in 1938.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Even at your figures, 1000 sq miles== 640,000 acres. This is NOT a small amount of space, and it is a direct affront to the people who live near the present highways.
Who is going to pay to relocate all these people?????


18 posted on 01/26/2007 2:46:50 PM PST by ridesthemiles
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Australian toll road giant Macquarie agreed Wednesday to purchase forty local newspapers

They sure must expect to suck a lot of money from those ignorant Texicans that let them build that thing.

And the purchase price of old media newspapers is going down fast in the face of internet competition, so they won't be getting their money back.

19 posted on 01/26/2007 2:57:28 PM PST by narby
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
They purchase it; it takes up; same difference. It will take up about 1000 square miles.

But it will "take up" private property at the point of imminent domain to sell to third parties at a profit. That's outright un-american.

No wonder they can afford to buy all those newspapers merely to get the deal done.

20 posted on 01/26/2007 3:02:07 PM PST by narby
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