Posted on 10/29/2003 7:43:59 PM PST by anymouse
NEWS ADVISORY
October 29, 2003 Contacts: David Rushing, Chairman, (713) 408-3606 Marc Levin, General Counsel, (713) 906-1833
YCT Endorses Sanchez for Houston Mayor; Opposes Houston Light Rail Boondoggle
Houston, TX- Today, the Young Conservatives of Texas announced its endorsement of Orlando Sanchez for Mayor of Houston and its opposition to the $8 billion dollar ballot measure to allow Houston METRO to construct a massive light rail boondoggle. The Houston area municipal election is on Tuesday, November 4 and early voting is underway.
YCT State Chairman David Rushing stated, "Although YCT does not generally endorse in local elections, we are united in strong support for Orlando Sanchez as the next Mayor of Houston. As a Houston City Councilman, Sanchez has supported limiting city spending, lowering taxes, rooting out waste in government programs, and eliminating racial quotas in city contracting. Sanchez is also the only major candidate for Mayor who opposes giving Houston METRO a blank check to carve up Houston's city streets with billions of dollars of light rail pipe dreams."
YCT General Counsel Marc Levin added, "After a decade of the Lanier-Brown political machine that has lined the pockets of downtown insiders with sweetheart contracts for their buddies while neglecting vital neighborhood public works projects, it is time to elect Orlando Sanchez and clean house at Houston City Hall. Houston cannot afford liberal Hillary Clinton supporter Bill White's perpetuation of the failed Lanier-Brown record of Tammany Hall-style tax-and-spend cronyism that has left the City with a budget deficit of $20 million. Similarly, Houston cannot afford the left-wing, big-government agenda Sylvester Turner has pushed in the Texas Legislature."
Levin concluded, "Having been a journalist and activist in Houston, I can attest to Orlando Sanchez's impeccable character and integrity. When Orlando Sanchez said he supported a property tax rollback, you could always count on him to vote that way. Sanchez is the only choice on the ballot for fiscal responsibility, tax restraint, and transportation sanity."
Today, YCT also announced its opposition to the light rail ballot measure. Rushing stated, "YCT urges Houston area voters to reject METRO's $8 billion dollar light rail boondoggle that will lead Houston off track into a descending spiral of cost overruns, deficits, and tax increases. Light rail projects in other cities inevitably suffer from huge cost overruns and Houston will be no exception."
Rushing continued, "METRO's light rail scheme will not relieve congestion, as METRO's own optimistic ridership estimates indicate that rail will represent only a 2% share of average daily trips in Harris County in 2025. METRO's Park and Ride system combined with HOV lanes costs many times less per mile and moves commuters at several times the speed of light rail. Houston voters should derail METRO's train-in-the-sky boondoggle and demand that roads be improved and expanded at a far lower cost."
Information on early voting and election day polling locations is available on the Harris Votes website.
The Young Conservatives of Texas, a non-partisan conservative youth organization, has been fighting for conservative values for more than two decades in the Lone Star State and publishes the most respected ratings of the Texas Legislature.
YCT has chapters at Texas A&M University, West Texas A&M, Baylor University, the University of Texas, Southern Methodist University, Hardin-Simmons University, Stephen F. Austin State University and the University of Houston.
IMPORTANT - If you live outside Houston but you are in the Metro service area you can vote on the Metro rail issue.
Early Voting Through October 31
As always, a FReep mail will get you on or off this Houston topics ping list.
Having looked at Metro's plan, I do believe Metro deserves the "flat earth society" appellation far more than their opponents.
Fact: Metro's plan does nothing for traffic, and can only make things worse since cars will be sharing roadway with trains.
Fact: For the increase in ridership under Metro's plan, Metro could just buy each new rider a new car, and a very nice one at that.
Fact: Metro doesn't have the money to fund their proposal and are counting on funds the federal tranportation authorities tell Metro they aren't going to get.
Fact: Metro is a $600 million concern run by a dishonest high school graduate who lied about her education (she was a few classes short of a degree, yet claimed the degree.) She also fired another employee for lying about her education.
Fact: Metro receives 45% of the federal transportation dollars for the Houston area and services 2% of the population.
If you are a Metro proponent, you are either stupid or dishonest. Metro is nothing but a real estate scam for Bill White's buddies.
You can say that again
http://www.houstonreview.com/1003/metromoney.htm
BTW, his mistress (possibly former) is in one of his tv commercials.
Sooner or later, people have to catch on to the fact that the mainstream press is nothing but an organ of the democratic party.
Oh, now there's an endorsement. Wonder if there's a group called "Commies for Bill White"?
I voted early and did the same way you did, Txslady. NO on Metro and Sanchez for Mayor.
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