Posted on 10/16/2006 6:45:49 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Most of those trucks will take the TTC-35 corridor instead of I-35. The truck lanes on the TTC will be separate from passenger vehicle lanes improving safety and decreasing congestion. The 85 mph speed limit on the TTC along with lower congestion will allow truck operators to travel further per shift decreasing labor costs. The double tracked rail corridors will allow freight trains to operate at 85 mph across the whole state without slowing down, because there will be no grade level crossings. The improved performance of freight trains will encourage more companies to ship cargo by rail rather than truck.
While the SPP working groups on transportation is considering multimodal corridors, there is no real evidence that the TTC is part of a NAFTA superhighway that will be built through the midwest. And the Mexican customs office in Kansas City will only be handling shipments leaving the U.S. for Mexico.
Great. Now all we have to do is convince big business to stop outsourcing the work to other countries.
Horse hockey. If we made nothing, there wouldn't be a planned Mexican customs office for conspiracy buffs to moan and groan about.
129 billion? Was that the size of their budget in 2005 or the total amount of money unspent at that time?
Sarcasm belatedly noted.
Never mind; I re-read 1rudeboy's question and your reply.
Huh? The amount of manufactured goods a state exports has nothing to do with a states budget. Did you misread my post? Did I misread yours?
It sunk in after I replied. I thought you were one of those that actually believed it.
Yep, I misread your reply. Sorry about that. See my reply 147.
What work?
Texas' export shipments of merchandise in 2005 totaled $128.8 billion, the largest figure among the 50 states. Texas' exports rose $33.8 billion from 2001 to 2005, the largest dollar gain among the states. That is a 36 percent increase over the 2001 level of $95.0 billion. By comparison, the total US increase in merchandise exports over this period was 24 percent.But always, a caveat:Texas exported to 218 foreign destinations in 2005. The state's largest market in 2005, by far, was NAFTA member Mexico, which received exports of $50.1 billion (39 percent) of Texas' total merchandise export total. In fact, the value of Texas' trade with Mexico alone is larger than the world trade totals of every state but California and New York.
Caution: The [U.S. Census Bureau's] Origin of Movement series allocates exports to states based on transportation origin, i.e., the state from which goods began their journey to the port (or other point) of exit from the United States. The transportation origin of exports is not always the same as the location where the goods were produced. Consequently, conclusions about "export production" in a state should not be made solely on the basis of the Origin of Movement state export figures.
That is precisely why support the PPP for TTC over a pure public sector project.
And yes, a pure private sector arrangement would be better than a PPP. But a pure private project will never have the power to condemn and because of that, it can't be done.
It has been quite a few years and many will probably not recall Texas' attempts to implement high speed rail by the private sector. The entity that was awarded the franchise had the money and the capabilty and had they been able to acquire the land at prevailing market prices(or somewhat higher), that highspeed rail would have been built. But they didn't and it wasn't.
In the years since, there has been much work done federally and locally to set up the mechanisms and regulations to allow PPPs to be used. This is the future for Texas and the nation.
Telemarketing, garment industry, you name it. Haven't you noticed complaints of companies outsourcing? Levi Straus, for example. And many of the credit card companies, and Dell...on and on and on...
I believe the proper term in this case is "road geek."
How could I miss it?
Levi Straus, for example. And many of the credit card companies, and Dell...on and on and on...
You want to make it illegal for a company to hire foreigners?
Oh, cut it out...you are cracking me up!
TxDOT officials, who for two years have said they'll build toll roads in San Antonio whether local leaders want them or not, confirmed Thursday that work has stopped on $104 million worth of U.S. 281 projects, including three miles of toll lanes just north of Loop 1604 and an underpass at Borgfeld Road.
Peggy Hamric authored and filed HB 3545 on March 14, 2003 which allows conversion of state highways to toll roads. This bill was offered and accepted as an amendment to HB 3588 on May 9, 2003. HB 3588 was signed by Governor Perry on June 22, 2003. Peggy Hamric is a member of the House Transportation Committee which has jurisdiction over TxDOT and the Texas Transportation Commission.
Jon Lindsay authored SB 1463 on March 13, 2003 which allows conversion of state highways to toll roads. This bill was signed by Governor Perry on June 20, 2003.
Besides the fact that...
Congress passed a new Federal Aid to Roads Act in 1921, requiring states to have exclusive control in road design, construction, and maintenance.
And since you like to remind people that there are web archives out there for the truth, maybe you should visit a few of them. District Engineer David Casteel has admitted that the original 281 plan all the way to the Bexar County line was 100% paid for. It would have been complete right now if Perry...who appoints the Transportion Commission...and his cronies hadn't interfered.
I'm not making myself clear. Check your FReepmail;
Call me crazy, but I think when business says high production costs are the reason for outsourcing, their pricing should reflect savings to the consumer and not just to them. Without consumers, their products aren't worth anything, anyway.
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