8/22/2008

Sober Mike Krusee warms up for career as toll road lobbyist?


Most people don't oppose toll roads as they have been created in the US with toll roads supplementing our public highways.

What Rep. Mike Krusee has ushered in, in Texas is a scheme that diverts tax dollars intended for freeways into double tax freeways. Even worse, Krusee's new transportation scheme creates monopolistic tollways where freeways should be — as already taxpayer funded right of way (that were always promised as a public expressways) get converted into an unaccountable daily double tax (Says the Texas Comptroller's report) for drivers.

Krusee is a con artist with no college degree, and the yearly shifting source of income he states within public records is highly questionable. See my formal complaint to the Texas Ethics Commission about Krusee's source of income.

Read Texas Lawmaker Talks Toll Roads with Utah Legislature.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope Utah realizes what a load of crap he's dumping in their back yard. If this was such a great thing for Texas, surely he'd be a hero at home basking in his glory instead of peddling his wares elsewhere...

Anonymous said...

One rotten apple can spoil the entire barrel and Kruse continues to show that he is such a scalawag!

Anonymous said...

Just left this on the site with the article:

Do the Lawmakers in Utah disregard their constituents as bad as our representatives in Texas do? Did "good ol' boy" Krusee tell anyone in Utah why he did not seek reelection? Did he mention he chose to sell his snake oil to Utah the same day his DWI case was in front of a judge setting a date for him to be judged by his peers?

The following sentence from the Salt Lake Tribune piece regarding "Ring Master" Krusee is TOTALLY FALSE:"Texas built a $3 billion tollway around Austin four years ago, Krusee said, and within six months sold as many transmitters for it as there are residents in the county."

Fact: The "tollway around Austin" was only completed in December 2007. The first segment (project was opened in three segments) was opened in Nov. 2006. http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/09/16/16tollopen.html

Fact: At EIGTH months (July 2007) after SH 130 was opened (Nov. 2006), the number of toll tags sold was 250,000. These tags were also able to be used on the other three toll roads in the Austin area. http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/07/20/0720toll.html

Fact: There is not a tollway around Austin. There is a toll connection to connect SH 130 with I-35, but it will not be completed until early 2009.

Fact: SH 130 passes through Williamson & Travis Counties and is more like an I-35 bypass around the east side of Austin rather than a loop. This is not my definition of a loop. Austin Texas has NO "loop" which makes a circle around the City. reference: look at a map

Fact: The population of Travis County is MORE than the number of TxTags sold to date. Travis Co. in 2000 had a population of 812,280. The 2006 estimate is 921,006.http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/48/48453.html

As of 7/31/08, 525,259 TxTag's have been sold in TEXAS.http://www.txtag.org/index.php

Maybe Krusee was only looking at Williamson County. Williamson Co. in 2000 had 249,967. The 2006 estimate was 353,830.http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/48/48491.html

What Krusee failed to note is that TxTag's can be purchased by anyone anywhere in the state (i.e. - cities who also have tolls: Houston & Dallas) to used in those regions also. Some people are doing this because the tolling authority in central Texas does not charge as much as the other tolling authorities for their tag.

Fact: Project cost $3.224 Billion, but what is $224,000,000 between politicians. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ppp/sh130.htm

Fact: Krusee is a liar. Reference: Ask any citizen in Central Texas.

Fact: Krusee has sold off Texas roads to the highest bidder and taxpayers in Texas are being double taxed by our politicians.

Citizens of Utah: DO NOT LET YOUR POLITICIANS BUY IN TO TOLLS! If it is too good to be true, then, it is too go to be true. To fund tolls in Texas, the regional mobility authorities and private sector companies fund these risky fixes with low interest Fed & State loans. Who's money is that, the taxpayer. Who is left holding the bag if a toll fails, the taxpayer. Who is not stepping up to the plate and making the hard decisions today instead of selling off our roads on credit for our children and grand-children will still be repsonsible for, our politicians.

READ about the problems the citizens of Texas have with our Govenor's crazy plan to sell of State assets, our politicians not serving their constituents, and TxDOT not serving the public and playing politics.