Free Republic

Those persuasion skills were key to Ms. Kolkhorst marshaling support for a partial two-year moratorium on private toll roads. The bill could get lawmakers' final blessing today. The Brenham Republican has emerged as a central figure in the Legislature's efforts to slow down the privatization of Texas roads. She has persuaded nearly all of her 149 House colleagues to back the moratorium, which excludes most North Texas toll projects. Ms. Kolkhorst, 42, has parlayed a blend of persistence, fearlessness, smarts and country charm into a more visible role in Austin. In addition to leading the toll road freeze, she has...

Outlook far from promising By Philip Coggan Published: April 5 2002 16:55 | Last Updated: April 5 2002 16:59 The level of share prices is essentially a function of two things: the level of corporate profits and the rating investors are willing to award those profits.Market valuation is still a subject for intense debate, with some commentators such as Andrew Smithers of investment advisers Smithers & Co, arguing that US equities remain substantially overvalued.But it is hard to find a bull who believes shares are significantly undervalued; they tend to argue that valuations are fair and that share prices...