Enough gobbly gook. How about giving some specific solution to our highway probem? Assumming that you agree that we need more highway capacity here in Texas; how do you suuggest they be built, and how do you suggest they be paid for? How about we focus on this if you want to have an intelligent discussion.
“How about giving some specific solution to our highway probem? Assumming that you agree that we need more highway capacity here in Texas; how do you suuggest they be built, and how do you suggest they be paid for? How about we focus on this if you want to have an intelligent discussion.”
First suggestion: how about we cut the entire non-roadbuilding budget from TxDOT and use it on roads? That’s about $2.1 billion right there that is either being diverted to other agencies (like DPS) or spent on non-road crap like public transit.
Second suggestion: instead of low-bidding everything, set an amount we will pay for major projects and make builders bid for the NUMBER OF YEARS THEY WILL MAINTAIN THE ROAD AFTER THEY BUILD IT. That’s the German way. That’s how you end up with long-lasting, solid roads. And if you’re worried about bidders skipping on maintenance, make them have to bond for the whole amount you’ll pay out before you bid. Then we save maintenance money in the long run as well as know our transport schematic in advance based upon the money we have to spend, not upon what we are guessing the low bidder will come up with (not counting various cost overruns).
Third suggestion: cut funds for THECB in its entirety and sell stock in each of the the state university system campuses, i.e., privatize four-year education in Texas, and use the money for roads. If universities in Texas are so worthy and Texas is such a conservative state, people will buy in like crazy. The U of Phoenix is the biggest ed provider in the country. Why can’t a conservative state take its higher education private again? That IPO would generate a fortune. What Texan wouldn’t buy stock in UT, A&M, or Texas Tech?
Fourth suggestion: Offer vouchers to all public school students at the elementary, secondary, and community college level for 3/4 of the cost of their current yearly enrollment outlays, on the condition that they instead attend a private school, of course. This would likely save that entire 1/4 in salaries, postpone new fixed costs for education in new public school buildings, and should have been done a long time ago in a conservative state. That 1/4 of the current education outlay could all be spent instead on roads.
I’ll eagerly await your intelligent discussion.