Posted on 08/21/2007 5:27:40 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
AUSTIN — The Texas Department of Transportation, which complains about chronic underfunding, has launched a multimillion-dollar campaign that promotes the divisive Trans-Texas Corridor plan and toll roads.
The campaign is anticipated to cost $7 million to $9 million, according to a memo titled "Keep Texas Moving: Tolling and Trans-Texas Corridor Outreach" sent to transportation officials by Coby Chase, director of the agency's government and public affairs division.
Such use of state highway-fund dollars is drawing questions, but the department says it's an important effort to educate and engage Texans.
"It's a waste of money," said Rep. Warren Chisum, chairman of the budget-writing House Appropriations Committee, "and they have no business out there trying to get public opinion to be in their favor."
The money would be better spent fixing roads, said Chisum, R-Pampa.
But Rep. Mike Krusee, House Transportation Committee chairman, said the campaign addresses lawmakers' concerns by explaining new financing methods.
"The Legislature has been beating TxDOT over the head for two years, telling them they need to explain what the Trans-Texas Corridor is and why it is necessary to the public. They've been telling TxDOT they are moving too fast — they are moving before the public and the Legislature has the chance to understand what they are doing and why," said Krusee, R-Round Rock.
If the outreach is effective, Krusee said, it could save money in the long run.
"Texas is losing money for roads by the hundreds of millions of dollars every year simply due to delay because the Legislature and the public don't understand the need to move to a new finance method. And so an expenditure of a few million dollars could literally save hundreds of millions of dollars per year," Krusee said.
The agency's budget is more than $7 billion for fiscal year 2007 and more than $8 billion for fiscal year 2008.
The Trans-Texas Corridor and toll roads have been championed by GOP Gov. Rick Perry and others as necessary in the face of congestion and gas-tax revenues that can't keep up with huge transportation needs.
But the initiative has drawn widespread criticism over the potential route and state proposals to partner with private companies to run toll roads. Lawmakers this year sought to rein in new private toll projects.
The new campaign, as outlined in the memo obtained by the Houston Chronicle, started June 1 with TV, radio, print, billboard and Internet advertising meant to push people to the Keep Texas Moving site (www.keeptexasmoving.com).
Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, who fought for a moratorium on privately run toll roads, said the initiative needs a hard look.
"TxDOT is consistently telling us we have no money to build highways, yet they seem to be spending a lot of money on internal audits and also ad campaigns. That's something that the Legislature needs to look at," she said. "I don't know that we would approve any other agency to do a $7 (million) to $9 million campaign on an initiative as controversial as the Trans-Texas Corridor and tolled roads."
She added that the cost "is a lot of money, and I would hope since it's taxpayer dollars they would approach it with a balanced approach to tell the pros and the cons of toll roads and the Trans-Texas Corridor."
TxDOT spokesman Chris Lippincott defended the campaign. "The clearest and most-often repeated criticism of the department during the legislative session was that we needed to do a better job of engaging the public," he said. "We heard that message loud and clear, and we're acting on it."
State conspiracy theorists look too far afield for flaws in Trans-Texas Corridor plan.
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
The implications are chilling. Whether it's the shadowy Bilderberg financial conference that took place in Turkey, or the triad of U.S., Canadian and Mexican chief executives convening this week in Quebec, the secretive master plan that is surely being implemented bodes ill — for Canada.
That's the fear of conspiracy theorists up north, who are convinced that Gov. Rick Perry's Trans-Texas Corridor plan, among other developments, is swirling into a tornado that one day will sweep away their national borders, fuse the governments of Mexico, Canada and the United States, and ultimately force everyone to buy groceries with fresh-minted "Ameros."
The Canadians can hardly be faulted for worrying about melding with the chaotic nation just to the south. If the Canadian conspiracists are anxious, their more numerous counterparts in the United States are in a complete froth. As Chronicle reporter R.G. Ratcliffe wrote in the Saturday Chronicle, conspiracy chatter here also has fixated on the Trans-Texas Corridor. A Google search featuring "Rick Perry" and "Trans-Texas Corridor" produces 13,400 Web page results. That's in addition to the escalating rhetoric on radio and the urgent warnings by groups such as the John Birch Society and Texas Eagle Forum.
"There is absolutely a connection with all of it" — the corridor plan, the Bilderberg meeting that Perry attended and the summit of North American leaders — Eagle President Cathie Adams told Ratcliffe. Not for her any chance that three friendly governments might plausibly discuss mutual interests such as security or economic growth.
Like a throbbing artery, the Trans-Texas Corridor has become the crucial connection between these theories in recent years. But anxieties about foreign infiltration and loss of national sovereignty have periodically flared in American culture for centuries. Current talk of a looming "North American Union" began in 1992- 92, when first a Republican and then a Democratic administration implemented the North American Free Trade Agreement. The tragedy of our Iraq adventure and the overheated campaign rhetoric about immigration — plus completely rational concerns about shrinking manufacturing here and lower wages for U.S. workers — are setting the NAU fears on boil.
Yet the Trans-Corridor Conspiracy crowd in Texas is looking too far abroad. There's no reason to try to smoke out secret international cabals in this deal. Spanish company CINTRA has already proudly prevailed in the 50-year, multibillion-dollar deal. Though foreign investment brings Texas needed economic juice, 50 years is too long a time to cede control and revenue from the very heart of the state.
Nor are Mexico and Canada the first beneficiaries of Perry's plan. Those would be the contractors — including three of Perry's top campaign donors.
Poorly thought-out trade deals at the federal level certainly can hurt us. But there's little chance that easing the drive from Laredo to Kansas will by itself spawn one-continent government.
All too real, on the other hand, are the effects the corridor itself will have on Texas. Bisected communities, carved-up farmland and devastated wildlife habitats are some of the provable results the corridor will leave in its wake. These threats are considerably more real than the possibility of continental government, and it doesn't take a conspiracy theorist to worry about them.
Trans-Texas Corridor PING!
these articles are cover-ups for perry’s crooked deals.
there’s no conspiracy.
the u.s. congress approved the concept in the 1990s,
and the perry admin and drove it.
do you want cintra running your tolls? yes or no?
i say no. cintra has a track record that you can look at on the internet.
They don't need a "new" finance method, unless it completely replaces the "old" finance method. Otherwise, the result is a duplication, and a foot in the door for bureaucrats to get funding one way when they can't, and don't deserve it, via another way.
Since it makes no sense to make 100% of the public roads leading up to your driveway toll roads, then none of them should be toll roads.
A prelude to the North American Union $uperhighway?
What the HELL is going on in Texas these days?????
Perry the RINO.
One thing that is going on is that this native Texan is getting out as soon I can sell my property. Unfortunately, the only people who think the properties have any value is the County Tax Assessor.
there’s a long, long history of this.
ask tolerance sucks.
i joined these threads circa 2003 or 04.
unknown to many americans, because tv drives the popular imagination, the u.s. congress approved the concept of a new, nation-wide system of tolls and separate rails and separate truck roads.
there was an american investor group that wanted to augment la-long beach harbor with another harbor and rail in northern mexico.
but carlos slim, now the world’s richest man, a lebanese mexican, revolted. he got other american investors to join him in a southern mexican harbor initiative. a rail system would go over the mexican mountains and into texas. makes sense if you look at a globe.
meanwhile, gov. perry and his buds at zachry of san anton and cintra, a spanish investment co, wanted to control the tolls.
cintra is a bad co. you can look up the history of cintra on the internet. they are in canada. they controlled several miles of the 91 toll in la-riverside until commuters railed against the $2.90 per mile charge, and the state of ca bought cintra out.
i’m for the new roads and rails and separate truck roads. but i’m against perry’s zachary/cintra consortium.
it needs public discussion.
the concept reveals that california is over built. you cannot get another freeway built into the la-long beach harbor; indeed, the truck traffic runs at night, not to interfere with commuters.
california is anti-growth. and given to an elite international, professional culture.
kansas city is ideal for a new blue collar inland port.
Hmmm, let’s see, I remember a couple of more statewide campaigns that were meant to educate us Texans.
1. Change the Texas constitution so folks could borrow against the equity in their houses. Yup, that was a good one.
2. The Texas lottery and how it would go for the schools. Yep, another one put over on us by a former governor.
Any others?
Here’s one. The Texas Constitution sets out five rules for the assessment of property taxes one of which is that taxation must be equal and uniform. All property must be valued and taxed equally and uniformly. What a crock of horse dookey! I don’t think there are two Texans in the 254 counies of the State who are paying the same tax rate.
We need to do a better job of “engaging” the public? Gobbledegook!
What they need to do is to build toll-free roads with taxpayer money but only the ones that the people of Texas want built.
Every ad agency has a politician’s crony or son-in-law on its payroll but not just for kicks.
Exercising it new motto. "Screw The Tax payer",
You sound just like the financial industry that spent tens of millions in publicity to get the voters to pass the referendum.
And could this be a contributing factor to the record foreclosures in Texas?
Oops, me bad.
"TxDOT is consistently telling us we have no money to build highways, yet they seem to be spending a lot of money on internal audits and also ad campaigns. That's something that the Legislature needs to look at," she said. "I don't know that we would approve any other agency to do a $7 (million) to $9 million campaign on an initiative as controversial as the Trans-Texas Corridor and tolled roads."
Yup. No money to build roads, but plenty for propaganda.
Nor are Mexico and Canada the first beneficiaries of Perry's plan. Those would be the contractors — including three of Perry's top campaign donors.
We need look no further than this to see why Perrt supports this boondoggle.
BTTT
“Texas taxpayers forced to pay for roads they don’t want.”
I have dedicated many months of my time to prepare a report of sorts on the DRP. What I have discovered is that the entire fate of Texas is connected to the Surcharge Program. This is because the money from the Unconstitutional program is earmarked for the Tran-Texas Corridor, which is a strategic segment of what is to become a Super Corridor that spans the entire North American Continent.
The state is suspending people’s license over not paying an excessive surcharge fee that is in addition to what you agree to in court. What’s more is the money is going to pay for the Corridor projects, without consent or knowledge or the People or Congress! I believe that spreading the word would enable individuals to better deal with the negative effects that the TX DRP has had on their lives, as well as have a say in their own future.
TX DRP Surcharge Petition
http://www.petitiononline.com/TXDRP07/petition.html
Please SIGN and help spread the word!
Many Thanks~
Tamara Shippy
tamarashippy@hotmail.com
Have you heard of this yet??
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/images2/nasco.jpg
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