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LETTER: Toll road battle continues
The Lufkin Daily News ^ | August 17, 2008 | Gary L. Smith, Sr.

Posted on 08/17/2008 2:10:14 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Lately I have heard from some of you, asking about the Corridor. Most folks believe it is over, dead, gone from our beautiful East Texas. I have been watching our government's actions on this subject.

Did you know that in TxDOT's cover letter to the federal government it states they will only use existing highways to build their corridor? Did you know that TxDOT also stated that it may need to build in non-existing paths also, some time in the future.

Citizens, I write you today to make sure you understand that the corridor issue in Trinity County has not left us alone. The plan by TxDOT being sent to Washington still includes us. If approved, the Environmental Impact Statement does not eliminate us from the plan. I keep searching the TxDOT plan and they have not changed it to remove us.

Did you know that even though the Feds have not approved the TTC-69 concept, that our state of Texas government through TxDOT has already awarded a contract to ZIA-ACS to build the Great Corridor?

Who is ZIA-ACS? A Spanish company linked with a Texas company to make it sound OK. Zachary is partnered with ZIA-ACS. You might remember them as Cintra-Zachary, also known as Bluebonnet Infrastructure. Cintra is Spanish-owned also. Cintra also has secured a $430 million loan from the U.S. government to start construction. Our money, loaned to a Spanish company, to build us a road that they will then toll.

On July 30, 2008, the Republican president of the U.S., George Bush, stated the privatization of all U.S. freeways is a good idea. That tolling these roads is the only way. The USDOT has identified I-10 and I-69 as cross-country toll roads. Companies planning on building these roads include Cintra and ACS, both of Spain, Macquarie and Transurban, both of Australia, and other non-U.S. companies. Their profit will come from tolls. In Central Texas, the projected toll rate on TTC-35 will be as high as 50 cents per mile, yes, per mile. That information comes directly from Cintra-Zachary.

Did you also know that after TTC-69 and TTC-35, TxDot's next toll road is TTC-45? If TxDOT is using existing roadways when it can, that means it will only cost you a mere $25 to travel from Huntsville to Houston, one way.

How long will it be before TxDOT wants a connecting road from TTC-69 to TTC-45? This is what Republican President Bush wants; this is what Republican Gov. Perry wants. This is what the Republican party in Texas wants, including Republicans Steve Ogden and Kevin Brady. Why is it that the supporters of the Corridor all happen to be Republicans? Why is it that our state government, which happens to be controlled by Republicans, is shoving this road down our throats?

It is a Republican issue and my enemy is now the Republicans. True, I am a Democrat. But citizens, this is a good example why.

So, who is against the Corridor? Let's start at the bottom: the majority of citizens in East Texas, including Democrat state Rep. Jim McReynolds. At times like these, I am proud Trinity County is Democratic. In November of this year we will get a chance to make our voices heard.

But consider your home and your friends. Will you support a Republican party that wishes to take our homes, steal our land, destroy our county and state, and dig up the graves of our loved ones? Or will you say no. I know many of you do not agree with some or a lot of the Democrat's ideas. But if you vote Republican this November you are saying you do not care about East Texas, our counties or our lives here.

This letter will most likely upset some folks, and some of those who I consider good people and friends. The Corridor is still coming; we all are still in its way. I, for one will not leave and vow to all of you to continue the fight. We in rural Texas have the right to exist; we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We have the right to the American dream. This is our land, not the politicians', not the foreign investors'. We are Texas. We will not go without a fight. I remain devoted to all of you in my county, my state and my nation remembering all those who have fought for our freedom. God bless you all.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: 2008; 2008elections; acs; bush; centraltexas; cintra; democrats; easttexas; eis; election2008; elections; georgewbush; gop; highways; houston; huntsville; i10; i69; i69ttc; ih10; ih69; infrastructure; interstate10; interstate69; jimmcreynolds; kevinbrady; lufkin; macquarie; november2008; presidentbush; privatization; republicans; rickperry; roads; steveogden; texas; tolling; tollroads; tolls; tollways; transporatation; transportation; transtexascorridor; transurban; trinitycounty; ttc; ttc35; ttc45; ttc69; tx; txdot; txgop; usdot; zachry; ziaacs

1 posted on 08/17/2008 2:10:15 PM PDT 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 08/17/2008 2:11:15 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Drill Here! Drill Now! Pay Less! Sign the petition at http://www.americansolutions.com/)
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To: All

Rest assured, I do not agree with this particular person about voting Democrat. It may stop the Corridor, but you had better bury your wallet deep in the ground if the Dems take over (an idea applicable to ALL states).


3 posted on 08/17/2008 2:39:11 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Drill Here! Drill Now! Pay Less! Sign the petition at http://www.americansolutions.com/)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

The idea of private toll roads is a demon we are going to have to face across the nation in the future. This is because of a chain of events that governments have allowed to happen:

1) Paving contractors are powerful, single issue lobbyists at all levels of government. They commit huge sums of money to insure that public roads are built and maintained at a low level of quality, so that they will continually have new maintenance contracts worth many billions of dollars.

2) The gasoline tax paid highway fund has been systematically looted for years, with only short term maintenance being funded on a “need” basis. This is why no politician will ever consider reducing the gasoline tax. The revenue from those taxes has already been spent on other things.

3) At the State level, gasoline taxes do fund low quality road repair. But the price of that repair rises to the estimated gas tax revenues, so they likely also have no surplus funds. But this only works as long as there is consistent purchase of gasoline. If the public uses less gas, then road maintenance is no longer fully funded. This is why States are now considering mileage taxes on top of gas taxes.

4) Local and State governments are now radically increasing the fines associated with vehicle use, as a revenue stream indifferent to safety. Such fines are becoming ad hoc taxes, and with some excuse may become randomly issued taxes. Every 25th vehicle receiving a fine for an imaginary “violation”.

Politicians at all levels of government see a way out of this mess with the creation of private toll roads. Such roads can be built to higher quality than paving contractors will allow. They are built and maintained by a foreign company, subsidized by the US, and the toll road can be purchased by the government if it proves to be profitable.

It also is a good excuse to weasel out of the hundreds of billions of dollars that should have been spent on the highway system, but was used for other things.

But the bottom line is that it is using one scam to escape from several other scams. As such, the odds are high that it will blow up and cost the public a fortune. But the scoundrels involved could care less.


4 posted on 08/17/2008 3:05:12 PM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Dear Gary,
Don't let your guard down.

EL Gordo (also known as the Globalizim) still lurks in the shadows.

5 posted on 08/17/2008 5:29:15 PM PDT by wolfcreek (I see miles and miles of Texas....let's keep it that way.)
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy

“But the scoundrels involved could care less.”

Truer words never.......


6 posted on 08/17/2008 5:31:20 PM PDT by wolfcreek (I see miles and miles of Texas....let's keep it that way.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
They're moving ahead with I-69 in Indiana.

Did you ever realize that the preliminary "route plans" for Interstate highways are displayed on maps with a 3/16 wide felt tip pen?

I think that makes the "route" about 1/4 mile wide on a typical Texas 5'X5' map. On the Indiana map the planning route is relatively narrower, coming in about 1/16 of a mile in width.

Jere are some Texas vs. Indiana maps to give you the idea:

 


7 posted on 08/17/2008 7:25:57 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: muawiyah

The TTC right of way is only planned to be 1200 feet ( a little less than a quarter of a mile) wide. Room for 10 vehicle lanes, 6 rail lines!, pipelines, electric utility lines, etc.

There aren’t many places in the US with 6 parallel rail lines, but they want that much land in rural Texas.


8 posted on 08/17/2008 8:36:58 PM PDT by PAR35
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To: PAR35
"There aren’t many places in the US with 6 parallel rail lines, but they want that much land in rural Texas.

Oh, there's lenty of room in other places too. They just have to condemn the land first. Remember "Kelo"?

9 posted on 08/17/2008 8:47:39 PM PDT by oldfart (The most dangerous man is the one who has nothing left to lose.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

BTTT


10 posted on 08/18/2008 2:55:54 AM PDT by E.G.C. (To read a freeper's FR postings, click on his or her screen name and then "In Forum".)
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To: PAR35
6 parallel rail-lines are common in railyards. I grew up between the Brightwood and Beech Grove yards in Indianapolis.

They had many more than 6 lines and were not as much as 1/4 mile wide.

Went to sleep at night to the sound of cars being smacked into as trains were formed up.

Thank goodness they relocated those yards to RURAL INDIANA.

Might be a good reason for putting the 6 lane rails out in RURAL TEXAS too. You certainly don't want that stuff in town!

11 posted on 08/18/2008 6:07:38 AM PDT by muawiyah
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Well, we know for a fact that Gov. Goodhair has sneakily tried to push this thing through. I don’t recall hearing Pres. Bush praise it, but there’s a lot I don’t recall these days. Hubby and I own property in Trinity County. It’s a beautiful area that doesn’t deserve the TTC I-69 fiasco. This Republican is against it!


12 posted on 08/18/2008 6:38:26 AM PDT by girlscout
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To: girlscout
Texas, as it turns out in this situation, is just a piece of land in between Indiana and Mexico's West coast.

This right of way, with its associated freight lines, will literally turn Indianapolis into the point of break of bulk for half the country.

This, BTW, will alleviate the need for additional "ports" on the East Coast so all the beautiful land not yet put to that use can be preserved in its pristine beauty for the enjoyment of a heck of a lot more folks than Texas will ever have.

Fire up those dozers, there's work to be done!

13 posted on 08/18/2008 10:02:49 AM PDT by muawiyah
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

“Rest assured, I do not agree with this particular person about voting Democrat.”

A conservative Republican friend who is active in the anti-TTC movement told me that these toll road plans can be described with one word: fascism.

Big corporations are not conservative, and neither are they pro- just about any issue traditional conservatives, Christians and constitutionalists care about. In fact, many of them seem to thrive on big government, corporate welfare and bank bailouts (ie. private profits, socialized losses).

Claiming that private toll roads are “Republican” or “conservative” is ridiculously self-serving. Big government and big corporations benefit from each other. Democrats who generally favor big government, legal and moral relativism (lawlessness) are just as responsible as Republicans for the current state of the Republic.


14 posted on 08/18/2008 2:58:17 PM PDT by SecAmndmt (Arm yourselves!)
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