Peter Samuel, the father of traditional toll road privatization and the biggest supporter of tolls you can find, speaks out about Texas Tollers lack of studies and principles, and says Texas Tollers like Gov. Perry, TxDOT and Rep. Krusee are inept and arrogant over tolling public highways in his newsletter this past Thursday.
The Defeat of Texas Prop 9 spurred Samuel to comment, "the vote is a political blow to tolling since it suggests a lack of public confidence in the way tolling is being handled in the state." Samuel is the editor of the worlds premier pro-toll newsletter called TollRoadsNews.com.
Thursday's article includes the following quotes about shifting tax funded public highway projects to toll roads:
"Political support in TX has also been sapped by a bewilderingly unprincipled and unexplained intermixing of funding of projects by TxDOT.
"In Texas the tollers are behaving arrogantly and with extraordinary political ineptitude"
"There's something sleazy too in that term "regional mobility authority". It's a toll authority. Why run away from that? Only people without the courage of their convictions or who are too tongue tied to explain themselves resort to silly euphemisms. Does it fool anyone anyway?"
"TxDOT's promiscuous approach to raising funds and their promotion of projects without even a semblance of study has been the anti-toll groups' major recruiter."
Samuel has also stated recently in his newsletter,
"It has no coherent explanation for its project selection, or for the way tax and toll monies are mixed. It has been cavalier in proposing tolls on highways already funded - breaching a long-established piece of political wisdom about tolling."Click on the envelope below to automaticly send this article's link to others (INCLUDING YOUR ELECTED LOOTING REPRESENTATIVES).
"TxDOT produces precious little analysis of costs and benefits, yet it is pressing ahead with a huge array of toll projects."
3 comments:
----
Email to Perry:
v. Rick Perry, TT Commission, Texas House, and Senate,
You have failed to address the unintended consequences of toll roads in
Texas. People have choice, they will avoid the toll roads shifting
traffic to other areas, such as neighborhoods. Additionally, businesses
will avoid the area, stiffling commercial growth. Let me translate that
into the only thing you care about. Less Money will be collected in
the form of Taxes from businesses. The additional strain on the family
budget will mean people will spend less money retail. I'll also
translate that for you...Less Money in the form of Sales Taxes. This in turn
will reduce jobs... Additional Reduction in Money in the form of Sales
Taxes. By stiffling economic growth, you are reducing total tax
income, which will offset any money you intend to make on tolls. Very Short
Sighted. If we wanted to pay tolls every where we turned, we'd have
moved to Taxachusetts whith your liberal buddy Ted Kennedy.
R. Plouch
San Antonio, TX
Another good one...
Gov. Rick Perry, TT Commission, Texas House, and Senate,
Get back on the side of citizens or get out of Texas
R. Snider
Dallas TX
another...
Gov. Rick Perry, TT Commission, Texas House, and Senate,
"Looters/Tollers" is strong language and it is appropriate language for
outrageous abuse of public trust. I am adamantly opposed to any action
that advances and and supports the Privatization and Tolling of Texas
Freeways. This is only one of many outrageous abuses that have occurred
by a many, way too many Republican officials over the last four years.
If you are a career politician, Democrat or Republican, your career may
be ending soon unless you act decisively to end the corruption and
abuse of public office. I am not voting for a party of political spineless
wusses or a party of corruption enablers. Enough!!! -NR
R. Reynolds
Austin, TX
Post a Comment