EVIL CLOWN FRIDAY IN THE MARBLE HELL HOLE

KRUSEE PASSES TXDOT TOLL EMPOWERMENT BILL

A new bill that gives the rogue agency TxDOT more authority, HB 2268, just passed out of the House and is now heading for the Senate.

Rep. Krusee will have others hold hold up this horrible bill and claim it is a solution citizens have been asking for, but it does just the opposite and gives TxDOT MORE power to steal our land and our roads! House Bill 2268 let's TxDOT acquire land before a toll or road project is approved, before environmental studies are completed, before public hearings take place, etc. In short, it lets TxDOT lock in a route in advance, and then pretend like all the public input and research might actually change their decision.

Contact ALL Senate Transportation Committee members and tell them, “Kill HB 2268 in committee. We do not want to give TxDOT more power."

Phone the capitol and ask for each Senator 512-463-4630 (John Carona, Kirk Watson, Kim Brimer, Rodney Ellis, Robert Nichols, Florence Shapiro, Eliot Shapleigh, Jeff Wentworth, Tommy Williams). To email: firstname.lastname@senate.state.tx.us (replace with each senator's first or last name, for example 'john.carona@senate.state.tx.us')

MR. 39% HAS "NO TOLL FREEZE" PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY

Rick "Mr. 39%" Perry will wave a 6 page letter at his press conference Friday from the Federal Highway Administration (to compete with a good letter Hutchison extracted from Secretary Peters) in order to justify vetoing the private toll moratorium bill, HB 1892

The “Take On Traffic” Con Men - More Lies for Toll Profits

Gary Farmer and John Langmore assist Sen. Kirk Watson in
the tolling freeways scam with Take on Traffic (TOT).

They call themselves a “coalition of concerned citizens”, but the profiteers from Take On Traffic (TOT) are far from your ordinary citizens, and they've spent gobs of money with a campaign intended with numerous glossy direct mail pieces to trick real citizens. They are special interest profiteers advocating for a toll plan that allow them to line their own pockets.

Who is the local toll lobby?

And, those who fund the exorbitant TOT campaign are unknown, as they hide behind loopholes in the law, so they don’t have to report where the money comes from. These charlatans are so desperate to profit off our families via the unaccountable tolls on roads we’ve already paid for - they can’t tell the truth about the numbers. Just like TxDOT, they have to fluff the numbers to sell tolls.

UPDATED: LYNDA RIFE CONTRACTS FOR TOT CAMPIAGN

TOT FUNNY NUMBERS

TOT throws out absolutely ridiculous numbers that are not anchored in any reality. TOT’s website, created by Mark Nathan (campaign manager for many freeway tollers such as Mayor Will Wynn), says “we need to find at least $12.7 Billion in funding” in the next 20 years. (that’s like $1.7 million a day!)

CAMPO once claimed $13.8 billion as the "funding gap" and then agreed $3.7 billion was a "math mistake". Then the auditor’s office chopped down the number further and said $4.9 billion isn't going to actually improve traffic.

TOT LIES IGNORE THE FACTS!

THE TOT LIE SAYS we’d have to raise our gas tax “between $1.20 and $1.77 a gallon” even after the Texas Transportation Institute report says just pennies of an indexed gas tax would be needed. The TTI report states tolls are NOT needed at all, that indexing the gas tax and placing the incremental revenue in the mobility fund to pay off bonds allows us to build the roads we need now.

Here’s just another example of the cooked up numbers from the profiteers. Actual State Comptroller’s fuel sales numbers:

730 million gallons gasoline annual in 2005
200 million gallons diesel annual in 2005

Compare the actual numbers above to TakeOnTraffic lies found at their website in a calculations link on a page called (get this) “How did we get our numbers” (I think they pulled these numbers out of their ass):

148 million gallons gasoline annual in 2006
345 million gallons gasoline annual in 2006

TakeOnTraffic significantly underestimates the revenue generation from the gas tax to scare citizens into thinking double tax tolls are needed. And they call the double tax a “user fee”, even though the tolls go directly into their pockets, and anything left over goes into slush funds. Who’s being used here?

How many hundreds of thousands of homes have they polluted with these direct mail toller lies?

WHO IS TAKE ON TRAFFIC (TOT)?

The profiteers happen to include the same old snake salesman that tried to force Phase II freeway tolls on Central Texas from the start of 2004 (Toll Lobby). TOT is the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce and it looks like Capital Area Transportation Coalition (CATC) and RECA are there to support as well. TOT is working in conjunction with Sen. Kirk Watson and former leader of the Chamber, to usher in his plan B tolls/managed lanes (coming soon).

TAKE ON TRAFFIC (TOT) is made up of Road Engineering firms, Toll Road builders, Banks, Attorneys, Developers and others who profit off the freeway tolling scam:

John Langmore (TOT Spokesman, TOT Chair and Rep. Mike Krusee associate)
Gary Farmer
Bury + Partners
Carter & Burgess
Heritage Title
HNTB
Martin & Salinas Public Affairs, Inc.
Home Builders Association
JPMorganChase
Locke Liddell & Sapp
Pape-Dawson Engineers, Inc.
PBS&J
RECA
URS
Frost Bank
Jackson Walker LLP
Endeavor Real Estate Group
Temple-Inland, Inc.
Wells Fargo Bank

According to this news report John Langmore is the Chair of TOT.

Langmore played a principal role in formulating and drafting Krusee’s freeway toll bill, HB 3588. Langmore impersonates a Transportation Planning Expert to continue to rake in fat contracts, even though he has NO education in transportation planning, not even an online college course.

John Langmore was the campaign treasurer, campaign manager and PR contact for SafeRail PAC, a political action committee that had success in altering our Texas Constitution in 2005 which allows unlimited tax dollars (blank checks) and debt to be syphon for new corporate rail in the Trans Texas Corridor (TTC). State records show Zachry Construction (of Cintra Zachry), Herzog Construction, HNTB , PBS&J, Carter Burgess, Pate Engineer and TateAustin contributed to SafeRail PAC.

Will the Austin American-Statesman expose the funny numbers? You tell me. The Statesman is on the Chambers executive committee.

When will a reporter ask them where all that campaign money comes from? And, how many hundreds of thousands of dollars they have spent?

TRANSPORTATION CHAIR’S MISTRESS LANDS MULTI MILLION DOLLAR TOLL ROAD CONTRACTS.

THE MOST WANTED LOBBYIST IN THE STATE OF TEXAS HAS UNIQUE INFLUENCE WITH THE HOUSE TRANSPORTATION CHAIR MIKE KRUSEE.

For years, the married republican State Rep. Mike Krusee, the chair of the House Transportation committee, and lobbyist Melinda Wheatley’s have had an intimate relationship.

A reliable inside source confirms today that Krusee and Wheatley are still “an item” and that Wheatley is now lobbying at one of Austin's most influential lobby firms, HillCo Partners, under the guise of a “public relations specialist” (so she can try and side-step filing more legally required lobbyist reports).

According to reports, HillCo’s J. McCartt, a former aide to Gov. Perry, has paid for many of Krusee’s travel bills. McCartt’s clients included TTC contractor Fluor Corp., Texas toll road investor Goldman Sachs (who plays all angles of tolling and selling our freeways) and the scandalous PBS&J—an engineering firm that has worked on several Texas toll road projects. McCartt flew Krusee to Washington in 2005 to address a conference on public-private partnerships. McCartt also flew Krusee to Las Vegas to deliver the keynote address at a PBS&J toll summit a week after the 2005 regular session ended.

About ten (10) months ago, I filed a formal “sworn complaint” with the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) on Melinda Wheatley’s failure to file legally required lobbying reports for many months and years.

I fully expected Wheatley to pay off her chronically delinquent TEC fines soon after I filed the complaint. But she did not.

KRUSEE'S MISTRESS WHEATLEY IS THE MOST WANTED LOBBYIST IN TEXAS TODAY!

Shockingly, after 10 months, the brazen Wheatley has NOT paid any of the past delinquent fines with the TEC. Not only that, but according to the TEC’s own website, she is the most wanted lobbyist in the state of Texas today! Maybe that should not be a surprise.

AG’S OFFICE SUED WHEATLEY. WHEATLEY REFUSES TO PAY DEFAULT JUDGMENT AFTER 7 YEARS.

In 1999, the Attorney General’s office sued Melinda Wheatley for failing to pay yet another TEC delinquent account from the 1990’s. The Bankruptcy and Collections division of the AG’s office won a Travis County Court judgment that includes attorney’s fees and court costs. Wheatley has refused to pay the default judgment as well as the 10% annual interest that continues to mount each year. The AG’s office tells me a personal lien is also in place but Wheatley has not reported any ownership of property in the past seven years.

The formal complaint I filed 10 months ago was finally presented to the TEC on April 13th, 2007. The complaint has yet to be resolved or dismissed and a TEC attorney says the hearing could take place soon.

HISTORY OF KRUSEE AND WHEATLEY

Melinda Wheatley and Rep. Mike Krusee began working together on education issues in the late 90’s. In 2003 Krusee became the Chair of the House Transportation Committee after former chair Joe Pickett refused to go along with the unaccountable transportation legislation Gov. Perry wanted pushed. That same year, records show Wheatley began to lobby on Transportation issues.

Over the years, the Wheatley (12/6/1967) has kept many of the details of who she works for, and how much she gets paid, a secret.

WHEATLEY’S UNIQUE INFLUENCE WITH KRUSEE EQUALS MULTI MILLION DOLLAR CONTRACTS FOR HER TOLL ROAD CLIENTS.

Limited state records show Wheatley earned between $70k and $150k in the first two months 2005. Wheatley listed TransCore, Texas Council of Engineering Companies, Outdoor Advertising Association of Texas and City of Austin as her transportation clients.

TransCore, one of Wheatley’s many transportation clients received a multimillion dollar contract with TxDOT in Sept. 2005. The contract for eGo Plus RFID tags, branded locally as TxTag, is for 2 million tags over two years.

Another transportation client of Wheatley, the Texas Council of Engineering Companies (TCEC) included URS, HNTB, PBS&J & Carter & Burgess, Inc. All of which have received numerous multimillion dollar toll contracts.

WHEATLEY GETS NO BID CONTRACT FROM TOLL AUTHORITY

Comptroller Strayhorn’s investigative report on the freeway tolling authority shows Wheatley’s Informative Efforts, LLC, now defunct, was given a NO BID contract (see app. #5) for freeway toll road work. It was Mike Krusee’s legislation that created the freeway tolling authority.

Wheatley ignored Texas law and additional conflicts of interests when she failed to list J.P. Morgan as one of her clients in 2004. The Comptroller’s Report states:

“Informative Efforts: The principals of this public relations firm are Cathy Howell and Melinda Wheatley, who are subcontractors for Nancy Ledbetter Associates, which in turn contracts with HNTB. Their relationship with the transportation industry may represent a potential conflict of interest. Informative Efforts had a consulting arrangement with JP Morgan Securities Inc., a CTRMA contractor, and was paid a retainer fee of $7,000 per month plus expenses. The Austin office of JP Morgan Securities indicated that Informative Efforts performed lobbying work and that it was a short-term contract terminated around March 2004. Melinda Wheatley was Informative Efforts’ primary contact with JP Morgan Securities. Wheatley was listed on the 2004 Texas Ethics Commission lobby list for only one client, TransCore, a sponsor of Team Texas. This company provides services and products that enable toll authorities to manage transactions using toll tags. As such, TransCore is a potential CTRMA contractor.”

How has J.P. Morgan been fairing in Krusee’s Toll Road Deals?

In 2005 the CTRMA invested $284 million in a J.P. Morgan Money Market. J.P. Morgan Securities is also part of the Cintra Trans Texas Corridor Team.

Up to $1 billion dollars of TxDOT Fund 6 bonds is controlled by J.P. Morgan Securities, which acts as the senior manager for the initial issuance. Fund 6 revenue bonds are backed by state highway revenues and anticipated federal transportation appropriations.

By refusing to file lobbyist reports, what are Wheatley (and Krusee) hiding?

What kind of partnership does Melinda Wheatley have with Mike Krusee?

Should Mike Krusee and Melinda Wheatley be investigated by the District Attorney?

Should the press ignore the fact that the House Transportation Chair’s mistress, the most wanted lobbyist in the State of Texas, has landed multi-million dollar contracts?

UPDATE AS OF 5/16/07....

TOLL ROAD LOBBY THREATENS TEXAS BLOGGER WITH LAWSUIT

In a response to a Muckraker blog article I published on 5/9/07 (see below), Hillco Partners, one of the most powerful lobby firms in Texas sent a letter to threaten me with a lawsuit. I see this threat letter as a deliberate attempt to squelch my freedom of speech by HillCo, who are connected with Rep. Mike Krusee, Gov. Rick Perry and other toll road profiteers PBS&J, Goldman Sachs and Fluor.

HILLCO PARTNERS LAWSUIT THREAT LETTER
Download and read the threat letter by clicking orange headline.

The censorship letter refers to the blog article called “TRANSPORTATION CHAIR’S MISTRESS LANDS MULTI MILLION DOLLAR TOLL ROAD CONTRACTS” (see below). It’s about Melinda Wheatley, the most wanted lobbyist in the state of Texas and her unique influence with married State Rep. Mike Krusee.

Interestingly, the HillCo Partners letter targets only one paragraph of the blog article:

“A reliable inside source confirms today that Krusee and Wheatley are still “an item” and that Wheatley is now lobbying at one of Austin's most influential lobby firms, HillCo Partners, under the guise of a “public relations specialist” (so she can try and sidestep filing more legally required lobbyist reports).”

The HillCo letter, from Attorney J. Hapton Skelton of the Law offices of Skelton and Moody, says:

“This statement is false in every respect.”

After we exchanged emails, I now wonder if HillCo is suggesting that my reliable source didn’t give me such information. Or, perhaps HillCo thinks my contact of two years is just an imaginary friend?

Since I received the original threat letter, I spoke with my contact again to confirm. My inside source tells me that she was told first hand that Wheatley did “work for HillCo”. Perhaps that could mean HillCo Partners, or a sister company called HillCo Media. I don’t know.

I don’t know anything more about Wheatley working with or not working with either HillCo company. What I do know is that my source has proven to be reliable - time after time.

My source also told me that they would not be surprised if Krusee and/or Wheatley complained to HillCo Partners to do something to shut me up, perhaps send a letter from an attorney.

The lawsuit threat letter does NOT deny anything else in the article. It does not deny that HillCo Partner’s J. McCartt has paid for many of Krusee’s travel bills. Nor does the letter deny that McCartt’s clients included TTC contractor Fluor Corp., Texas toll road investor Goldman Sachs (who plays all angles of tolling and selling our freeways) and the scandalous PBS&J, an engineering firm that has worked on several Texas toll road projects.

MORE ABOUT HILLCO

Aside from the numerous connections I lay out in the original article (see below) HillCo’s J. McCartt was the treasurer of a the political action committee that pushed for an amendment to finance highway construction through the Gov. Perry’s Texas Mobility Fund in 2001. One of the first pieces of the puzzle to steal and toll our freeways.

A Texas Observer report says this of HillCo Partner’s power:

“...HillCo Partners stands apart. It has an influence and reach—stretching from the statehouse to the state Supreme Court—that almost gives it the status of a shadow government.”

THREAT LETTERS TO CENSOR BLOGGERS

Special interests have been known to send threat letters to bloggers to squelch our free speech.

It’s happened to me twice in two years. State Rep. Dawnna Dukes (whose unpopular freeway toll vote came the morning after her sisters contract was signed with the tolling authority) and Everett Owen (a “No Bid” Contractor with the tolling authority) both threatened to sue as a way to shut me up. Both times, my attorney told me they were both full of shit, that they were trying to shut me up. I called their bluff, and no lawsuits were filed.

Stay tuned.

BREAKING NEWS: KRUSEE’S GOT SOME BIG BALLS!

SHOCKER:
KRUSEE WILL
RUN IN 2008!

After Rep. Mike Krusee won his last race with only 50% of the vote, most thought he'd scurry off for a fat lobbyist job.

A very reliable inside source says House Tranpportation Chair Rep. Mike Krusee is gearing up to run in 2008. Krusee has already hired a professional to help try and side step the many minefields of the 2008 primary and general election campaigns.

Krusee just barely won his 2006 general election with only 50% of the vote. Krusee’s narrow win against a Democrat in a Republican (Williamson County) district was a real shocker. Krusee's main opponent, Karen Felthauser, had virtually no money to produce a competitive campaign.

Paul Burka of Texas Monthly had this to say about the Felthauser v Krusee race in HD 52:

"One more race to mention: Mike Krusee got 50.1% (Make that 49.72%, EOW) of the vote. He is the author and biggest defender of the highway bill that authorized toll roads throughout Texas. His Round Rock district is in the heart of the Central Texas controversy over tolling. A well financed campaign that hammered him for his support of toll roads might have taken him out. And yet, Democrats completely ignored Karen Felthauser."

You can bet Krusee will have to deal with at least one well financed race, if not two. Other sharks always smell the blood in the water.

Krusee and John Langmore created Gov. Perry's HB 3588, the legislation that allows our freeways to be tolled and sold to private corporations. This double tax legislation also allows foreign companies such as Cintra to take our land (TTC). The road and land deals allow for fat profits, after taxpayer subsidize the roads and land deal schemes. Comprehensive Development Agreements (CDA’s), created by Krusee’s legislation allow the deals to be secret.

GET THIS...

In the spring of 2006, I figured we’d plant the seed and start telling the story of the “Krusee Corruption” by finding him an opponent, in hopes that a viable opponent (with money) would naturally surface to take him out in 2008.

Myself and a couple of pals in our PAC, got an unknown (with no money) to run in Krusee's 2006 Republican primary (CLICK HERE TO READ!). As a matter of fact, the opponent we found signed up just minutes before the WilCo deadline closed. On a shoestring budget we moved forward. I created her VoteBarbara.com website, flyer, ad (CLICK TO READ) and online bumperstickers hitting Krusee hard for his double tax of tolling roads we've already paid for. Our volunteers, led by Richard Reeves, delivered the flyers to thousands of District 52 homes.



With virtually no money, we got 36% of the vote! (we got 45% East of 130). I believe the work we did in the primary paid off early, with Krusee barely winning the general election by only 50%.

Proof of Krusee's growing unpopularity began in 2005. Propositions 1, 3, and 9, were all rejected by Williamson County voters. State Rep. Mike Krusee was a big proponent of all three!

The latest finacial reports shows Krusee sitting on over $360,000 of special interest dollars to fight for his seat. He’ll most probably collect another easy $200,000 and use those dollars to send direct mail, run TV, Radio and newspaper ads to lie to the voters.

Will our political action committee (People for Efficient Tranportation PAC) step up again to help take him out with volunteers work and money? Hell yes, and we get two bites at the apple! Donate today for the fight HERE.

QuorumReport.com Reports: MULTIPLE EFFORTS TO DELIVER TOLL ROAD MORATORIUM BILL TO GOVS OFFICE ARE UNSUCCESSFUL

by QuorumReport.com May 4, 2007 10:08 PM

Moratorium supporters checking to see if Governor for the Day, Senator Mario Gallegos can receive it on Saturday

Rep. Wayne Smith (R-Baytown) tells Quorum Report that multiple efforts to deliver HB1892, the private equity toll road moratorium bill to Governor Perry's office today were frustrated by an absent clerk. Multiple efforts to reach the clerk failed because he left early.

The urgency in delivering the bill is because the clock starts running on a gubernatorial veto when the bill is time stamped as having been received. Once the governor vetoes the bill as expected, it will be a test of legislative will to see if 2/3s actually holds to over ride the veto.

Sources in the governor's office dismiss any conspiratorial explanations and say they will receive the bill on Monday, plenty of time for both the veto and the possible over ride. Nevertheless, the delay gives the Governor and his allies an additional three days to round up votes to block the over ride.

However, an unusual wrinkle popped up this evening. Sources tell us that supporters of the bill are looking into delivering it to Senator Mario Gallegos (D-Houston) tomorrow, while he is Governor for the Day. The spot is generally considered honorary for one senator each session. It requires both the Governor and the Lt. Governor to be outside the state.

The question is whether or not Gallegos' office can receive the bill and time stamp it, therefore starting the clock running.

139-1: KRUSEE STANDS ALONE - MORATORIUM PASSES! -

BREAKING NEWS:

Bill restricting private toll roads heads to Perry

House Bill 1892, which would restrict private toll road contracts in a variety of ways, heads to Gov. Perry's desk after passing on a 139-1 vote. The lone nay vote was State Sen. Mike Krusee, R-Williamson. While Perry may veto the bill, the Legislature would have enough time before it adjourns May 28th to override such an action.

(As reported by Austin Statesman)

"Many House lawmakers applauded when the
bill was passed. The only dissenting vote
was cast by Rep. Mike Krusee."
– More from AP/Houston Chronicle.

Sen. Nichols: "Today the Legislature sent a clear
message: We will not sell our transportation
system at bargain-basement prices."
– More from Dallas News.

Mike Krusee and his Special-Interest Travel Agents

Rep. Mike Krusee is one of the top legislative recipients of private travel gifts, according to Texans for Public Justice (TPJ): The report called "Making Connections: State Officials and their Special-Interest Travel Agents" gives some in-depth details on how Krusee lives large on toller cash.

Governor Rick “Mr. 39%” Perry was the top recipient of private travel gifts, receiving $205,460 worth. The report states this about Mike Krusee:

House Transportation Committee Chair Mike Krusee (R-Round Rock) was another lobby favorite—especially for highway-contractor lobbyists. One lobbyist who paid Krusee’s travel bills is HillCo’s J. McCartt. His clients included Trans-Texas Corridor contractor Fluor Corp. and PBS&J—an engineering firm that has worked on several Texas toll road projects. McCartt flew Krusee to Washington in October 2005 to address a conference on public-private transportation ventures held by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. Krusee stayed at the Marriott’s Renaissance Hotel.

McCartt also flew Krusee to Las Vegas to deliver the keynote address at a PBS&J toll summit a week after the 2005 regular session ended. The following year federal prosecutors charged PBS&J’s former chief financial officer with running an embezzlement scheme to disguise the source of thousands of dollars in political contributions to U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-Florida). Around this time the Texas Department of Transportation blacklisted the firm for suspected overcharges stemming from the scandal. Yet the North Texas Tollway Authority awarded PBS&J a five-year contract to work on a joint project with TxDOT just three months later.

Representing the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA), Locke Liddell lobbyist Brian Cassidy sent Krusee to New York City in December 2005 to attend an awards ceremony held by the Bond Buyer newspaper. The Bond Buyer gave CTRMA the Southwest region’s “Deal-of-the-Year” award for debt-financing a 12-mile stretch of toll road with $238 million in bonds. Krusee authored the 2003 legislation that authorized CTRMA to issue such bonds.

Researchers found Texas’ poor system for disclosing official travel is both overly complex and inadequate. “Sorting out who paid whom to fly where is like flying in the dark,” said Texans for Public Justice Director Craig McDonald. “Despite murky disclosure, it’s clear that some corporate-jet owners operate frequent-flier programs for our state officials.”

The report concludes that Texas’ crazy-quilt system for reporting official travel paid for by private interests is at once too lenient and too complex. It recommends reforms to provide greater transparency and better protect the public interest.

Spanish corporation buys toll collection company with ties to Central Texas Tollers

Abengoa SA's IT unit Telvent GIT SA said its US arm Telvent Traffic North America Inc has agreed on the acquisition for an undisclosed sum of Texas-based Caseta Technologies which develops road toll charging technology.

Caseta Technologies is a privately held company established in 1995 by Founder, Glenn Deitiker. Glenn Deitiker is currently President & CTO of Caseta. Sources say that Deitiker has close ties with Mayor Will Wynn, who voted to toll roads we've already paid for in Austin. County records show that Glenn Deitiker resides in the same building as Mayor Wynn, the Austin City Lofts (800 W. 5th St.), just 5 floors away from Mayor Will Wynn's front door.

Caseta was selected for CTRMA's 183A toll system and the Caseta website list these Customers:

Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA), Austin, TX
TransCore
MTA Bridges & Tunnels (MTA B&T), New York, NY
New York State Bridge Authority (NYSBA), Highland, New York

TransCore, one of Melinda Wheatley’s transportation clients received a multimillion dollar contract with TxDOT in Sept. 2005. The contract allows for the initial release of 500,000 eGo Plus RFID tags, branded locally as TxTag, with a total of 2 million tags over two years. Wheatley has landed multimillion dollar transportation contracts while keeping an intimate relationship with the House Transportation Chair, State Representative Mike Krusee.

NEW SEN. CARONA Bureaucratic BILL CREATES 24 MINI-TXDOTS

Sen. John Carona unveiled his bureaucratic transportation bill today in the Senate Transportation Committee. The Carona bill was created behind closed doors with Mike Krusee and other tollers. Sidestepping the main problem of the existence of the TTC and double tax freeway tolls - Carona promises more power to local government.

Senate Bill 1929 includes the limited moratorium on secret CDA deals as well as lot’s of new bureaucratic smoke and mirrors that alllow the toll scams to move forward.

Many Senators expressed concern this morning with how SB 1929 "creates 24 mini-TxDOT's" as 24 metropolitan planning organizations would get more power to control secret corporate welfare toll contracts (CDA's) and set toll rates. Carona's bureaucratic bill also creates more CPOs (corridor planning organizations to approve the route of the Trans-Texas Corridor segments) and RPOs (rural planning organizations to give rural low-population areas “representation”).

WHO VOTED TO DOUBLE TAX MOPAC DRIVERS?

Tollers claim the planned managed lanes (tolls) on MoPAC will lessen traffic congestion. How is this done? By charging up to $1.00 a mile, and pricing people out of their cars - like the managed lanes in California (Hwy 91) see the photo above. Note how managed lanes create traffic congestion.

Under the guise of “managed lanes”, the plan to toll Austin's Mopac (Loop 1) Expressway is underway. What makes these tolls unique, as well as most new Texas tollways, is that the toll you pay does not pay for the road you are driving on. The new toll lanes are already paid for.

The construction for new Mopac toll lanes are 100% tax funded and the right of way is 100% tax funded. These new lanes could and should be open as free lanes.

So who voted to toll these MoPAC lanes we’ve already paid for? WHO VOTED FOR THE MOPAC DOUBLE TAX? According to CAMPO, the vote took place in January of 2004:

Brewster "Double Tax" McCracken, Austin Council Member
(ALERT: Brewster will run for Mayor next year!)
Mike Krusee, State Representative
Mark Strama, State Representative
Bob Daigh, TxDOT District Engineer
Dawnna Dukes, State Representative
Dan Gattis, State Representative
Gerald Daugherty, County Commisioner
Will Wynn, Austin Mayor
and others.

These double taxers keep voting to toll roads we’ve already paid for and they star in this online movie.

The managed lanes create more gridlock as people try to cross over 3 lanes to enter and cross over 3 lanes to exit the center managed/toll lanes!

WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?

Based on the recent Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) report, indexing the gas tax and placing the incremental revenue in the mobility fund to pay off bonds allows us to build the roads we need now, without more toll roads.

Send this article to others you know by
clicking on the envelope icon below.

Watson & Krusee Seek to Create Toll Tax District!

A toll taxer marriage -
made in heaven

Sen. Kirk Watson and Rep. Mike Krusee, have submitted companion bills, HB 3719 (Krusee) and SB 1688 (Watson), that would create a tax to subsidize a toll road, for people that live near toll road 130. Watson and Krusee have figured out a new way to make folks pay for toll roads - if you live near the toll road, and you don’t drive on it, you'll still pay!

The Watson and Krusee companion bills create a new taxing district that allows the City of Austin to charge sales and property taxes to people living within five miles of the 130 tollway, and regulate all development in the area, all while NOT PROVIDING ANY CITY SERVICES. In essence, these people will pay for the high cost of living in the city, and get none of the benefits (fire, police, EMS).

And get this--the governing board will consist entirely of city council members (all of them, for three years terms) and four appointees of the city council, only two of whom will have to be residents of the area. But the residents of the area won't get to vote for the residents on the board.

Taxation? YES. Regulation? YES. Electing Representatives? NO.

Even for Krusee and Watson, this brings screwing the taxpayers for their toll tax roads and managed lanes - to a whole new level. Watson and Krusee also continue to push for tolls on roads we’ve already paid for, such as toll lanes on Mopac.

Kirk Watson’s is scheduled for a floor vote in the Senate TODAY. Mike Krusee’s House Committee action is scheduled for tomorrow.

Indexing Gas Tax Costs 30 Times Less Than Tolls

Compare what the US pays for a gas tax compared to the rest of the world (graph is Canadian cents per liter).

Now ask yourself this question - Should we spend our limited tax dollars (and right of way) intended for free roads, on toll roads? The answer is simple when you compare the costs.

Assuming your vehicle gets 20 miles per gallon, and the increase in indexed gas tax was 10 cents a gallon, you would spend less than .5 cent a mile for an indexed gas tax. Compare that to the 15 cent a mile toll road that would cost 30 times the indexed gas tax per mile. A 20 cents a mile toll would cost 40 times the indexed gas tax, and so on.

Nearly everything we purchase has an indexed tax - a fair form of taxation.

Some folks refuse the indexed gas tax as well as tolls. In my opinion, if you don't recognize the political fight is the toll tax or indexed gas tax you are not being realistic or reasonable. If you don't have a politically viable solution to fight for, you are wasting your time - spinning your wheels - and destined to fail.

Based on the recent Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) report, indexing the gas tax and placing the incremental revenue in the mobility fund to pay off bonds allows us to build the roads we need now, without more toll roads.

TEXAS OBSERVER: Toll Road Roller Coaster

Toll Road Roller Coaster
by Eileen Welsome, The Texas Observer
March 23rd, 2007

Anti-tollers have got to be feeling bruised and abused these days. After a boisterous hearing at the Lege a couple of weeks ago; a rousing demonstration at the Capitol; a massive letter-writing campaign, and round-the-clock blogging, roughly 125 members in the House and Senate signed onto a bill that would halt private toll-road development for two years.

Then, on Wednesday, John Carona, the Dallas Republican who chairs the Senate’s Transportation and Homeland Security Committee did a flip-flop, saying he’s not going to bring the measure up for a vote. Wassup with that? Did the guys who make cement get to him?

Pressed by anti-tollers, Carona issued a lame explanation, saying that the moratorium wouldn’t solve the toll road problems. True enough, but the purpose of the two-year breather was to allow legislators time to fix the problemos before the entire state was covered with toll lanes and video cameras.

Ironically, the anti-tollers may be getting a little help from Darth Vader himself — state Rep. Mike Krusee — who several years ago pushed through the massive legislation that opened the doors to private road warriors across the globe. In an interview over drinks at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel Thursday night, Krusee said he was working with Carona and other reps to rework some of the more unpalatable provisions in the contracts.

Some of the items that might get tweaked in the so-called comprehensive development agreements are the contract lengths, buy-out conditions, the non-compete clauses, and possibly a cap on the number of CDAs that TXDOT can enter into with private contractors in any given year.

“It’s impossible to say how things will shake out,” Krusee said. “Carona suggested that we author a bill that incorporates many of the concerns that people have. He would do it in the Senate and I would do it in the House. Those bills are being written in consultation with members like Lois Kolkhorst and will be probably rewritten on the floor. ” Read the rest of the article HERE.

Toll Authority Shark Gets 25% Raise!

Mike Heiligenstein, executive director of the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA), just got a big fat raise, from board members who were caught profiting off toll roads.

Heiligenstein will make $190,000 in base salary, as well as receive $40,000 in deferred compensation (which he could take now) and other cash payments - not to mention numerous perks such as car allowance.

Heiligenstein got a 25% raise, when most people would be fired. It’s been documented that he lied to elected officials and central Texas communities about toll rates.

For years, Heiligenstein promised that our tolls would only cost 12 to 15 cents a mile. A recent Statesman article exposed the Heiligenstein that tolls are costing as much as $1.50 a mile. 10 times the promised rate!

The Comptroller’s investigative report lays out how Heiligenstein and the his crooked pals (toll authority board members) hijacked our tax dollars and our roads for their own profit with the unaccountable quasi government agency they created:

"Mike Heiligenstein was a member of the Williamson County Commissioners Court until December 2003, and in that capacity voted for the formation of CTRMA and for the appointments of four of its board members.”

Then, those board members hired Heiligenstein as Executive Director.

The comptroller’s investigative exposed Heiligenstein’s toll authority for “double taxation without accountability” and giving out NO BID contracts to themselves and friends (see Appendix 5).

Heiligenstein is plagued with a history of failing to meet his financial responsibilities. Heiligenstein’s bankruptcy from 1990 (#90-14004 Williamson County) included two debtors which were also two of Heiligenstein’s board member selections, James Mills and Mike Robinson.

And, in 2004, deadbeat dad Heiligenstein refused to pay child support. District Court Judge Jergins signed the order (case # 03-556-f395) for income to be withheld in the amount of $1,500 per month. More about Heiligenstein, and his constant irresponsible behavior HERE.

Everything You Need To Know About Texas Freeway Tolls

Special Interests, who profit off tolls are hard at work selling tolls. Tolling freeways create traffic congestion. And, they are a wasteful way to collect taxes.

CONVENTIONAL TOLL ROADS vs. TEXAS FREEWAY TOLL ROADS

Conventional toll roads in the U.S. have always been perceived as being fair, since they supplement our public highway system, and they offer a public expressway as an alternative. It's also important to note that conventional tolls have always been whole new routes and primarily funded with investor dollars.

Freeway tolls don’t offer crucial free expressways as an alternative. Instead, frontage roads with stop lights and growing traffic congestion are touted as an alternative.

With freeway tolls, TxDOT has a financial incentive NOT to address traffic congestion on frontage roads since increased traffic congestion provides higher toll tax revenues. This is a severe departure for TxDOT, since its focus has always been solving transportation issues -- not generating revenue through traffic congestion. Freeway tolls simply shift public
highways intended to be freeways into tollways.

Those who support tolling public expressways never mention the true cost of public subsidies involved. The total cost to the taxpayer, especially the taxpayer-funded right-of-way (ROW), is never shared with the public. Freeway tolls create expressway monopolies and are the most expensive solution to our need for roads.

For the most part, the finances of conventional toll roads have been segregated from public funds. While freeway tolls are primarily funded with tax dollars intended for free roads.

Pro-toll advocate and TollRoadsNews.com writer Peter Samuel made this statement about TxDOT and its freeway tolls:

"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."

TOLLS: AN INEFFICIENT FORM OF TAX COLLECTION

At a TxDOT commission hearing in October 2004, TxDOT had admitted it costs 25 cents to collect a cash toll, and 11 cents to collect an electronic toll. So, if the toll tax for a short span of road is 50 cents, 50% of the money paid for that toll goes to collect the toll.

NEW TEXAS TOLLS: 10 TIMES THE PROMISED RATE PER MILE

TxDOT and the local Regional Mobility Authority are on record promising a 12 to 15 cents/mile rate. Conventional toll roads in the US have an average toll rate of 9 cents/mile.

The Austin American-Statesman recently reported that the newly-opened Central Texas Phase I tolls cost as much as $1.50 per mile.

That's 10 times the cost promised, and 16 times the cost of the average toll rate in the U.S.

TOLL ROADS COST MORE THAN FREE ROADS TO BUILD

Toll roads cost much more for construction, right-of-way, utility relocation, maintenance, and service than do non-tolled roads. For example, Central Texas Phase II freeway tolls would cost $123 million more to build as toll roads than they would cost to build as free roads.

The footprint of a freeway toll project is larger than what's needed for the free road since toll lanes and free lanes must be separated. Therefore, extra land for right-of-way must be acquired and utilities must be relocated. Our existing roads have right-of-way corridors for expansion, but were never planned for the larger footprint required by freeway tolls.

To illustrate, a typical roadway project devotes about 90% or more of the cost to build the road. Compare that to TxDOT's toll analysis for SH 71 in Central Texas where only 35% of the cost of the project is for roadway construction. Over half the cost of the $168 million project goes to buying new right-of-way and having to relocate utilities for the freeway toll road.

COMPTROLLER REPORT: FREEWAY TOLLS CREATE UNACCOUNTABLE DOUBLE TAXATION

In 2005, the State Comptroller came out with an investigative report showing how Regional Mobility Authorities that toll public highways are creating double taxation, by diverting tax dollars intended for free roads, into toll roads. The report also showed RMA board members giving NO BID CONTRACTS (using tax dollars) to themselves and their friends. Board members of RMA's have property in the vicinity of toll roads that have increased by as much as 989%.

TOLL TAX: 15+ TIMES THE COST OF INDEXED GAS TAX

Assuming your car gets 20 miles per gallon, and an increase in indexed gas tax was less than 20 cents a gallon, you would spend less than 1 cent a mile for an indexed gas tax. Compare that to tolls of 15 cents a mile, which would be 15 times the cost of an indexed gas tax. A 20 cent toll per mile would be 20 times the cost of an indexed gas tax, and so on.

The Texas Transportation Institute report says tolls are NOT needed, that indexing the gas tax and placing the incremental revenue in the mobility fund to pay off bonds allows us to build the roads we need now.

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TOLLERS HIJACKING DALLAS PARK & PARK BONDS!

In 1998, Dallas voters were asked to fund a beautiful vision for the Trinity River that would transform the area into a serene urban park. Illustrations of lakes, sailboats, and families having relaxing picknick graced voter brochures - which narrowly convinced voters to approve the $246 million bond proposal.

Today, greedy tollers seek to hijack the park and the park bond dollars for a high-speed toll road that will cut through Trinity Park. The toll road will eliminate 1/3 of the park space, and ruin the serene environment of what is left. And, the toll road is already projected to be more than $600 million over budget.

Here's the kicker, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has recently acknowledged that the toll road will indeed flood due to its location in the floodway. But that doesn't stop the revenue hungry politicos.

Sadly, the toll tax special interests and our so called public servants continue to disregard the voters intention. They hijack tax and bond dollars, intended for something else, and fund otherwise unfeasible toll road projects. If “toll road”, or “toll tax” was not in the ballot language, then tolls should not be forced on taxpayers to foot the bill.

Dallas City Council member Angela Hunt and Dallas citizens are now organizing to fight the special interests. Volunteers are now now being organized to begin collecting 50,000 signatures at the end of April, so they may place a referendum on the ballot, to let the voters decide (again).

Visit them at www.TrinityVote.com.

TxDOT Flushes $300 million!

TxDOT’s press release from yesterday says TxDOT has to return $300 million dollars to the federal government, because they failed to use the money Uncle Sam gave them.

That's on top of another $305 million TxDOT failed to use over the past 15 months, for the same error.

Throwing away hundreds of millions of dollars while you cry that you’ve run out of money doesn’t really make sense. In the meantime, Gov. Perry's TxDOT, has been taking billions of our tax dollars, intended for free roads, and diverting them into toll roads. Will someone be fired over this blatant waste? Probably not.

In response, TxDOT has planned a public meeting to hear suggestions on how the latest federal cuts could be absorbed. Can you say "more toll roads"?

BREAKING NEWS: SOURCE LAYS OUT HOW 2 YEAR TOLL FREEZE IS A VIRTUAL LOCK

BREAKING NEWS: House speaker Tom Craddick refereed HB 2772 to the Transportation Committee today.

Inside sources say Craddick’s referral suggests the political pressure has become too great and he is telling the chair of Transportation, Rep. Mike Krusee, to bring it up for a vote.

Constituent phone calls into Krusee’s office in support of the two year toll moratorium have been met with argumentative office staff. The staff has been holding the pro-toll line, telling consituents that other consituents want tolls. Some would say that one of Krusee’s recent quotes, “Toll roads are enormously popular", would challenge his understanding of reality.

HB 2772, which will freeze any future toll privatization deals, for two years, was filed last week by Rep. Lois Kolkhorst. The former pro-toll TxDOT Commissioner gone rogue, Senator Robert Nichols, filed the identical SB 1267 days before.

25 Texas Senators (81%) and nearly 100 State Representatives have signed on to date according to the CorridorWatch.org scorecard.

Two-thirds of both bodies is the magic number. That way a bill can pass without the possibility of a veto from Gov. Rick Perry. The TTC and tolling freeways are Gov. Perry’s push. The Governors own website uses the term, “creative financing”, which sounds more appetizing than the truth - tolling roads we've already paid for.

Back in 2003, Rep. Mike Krusee’s HB 3588 was the bill that allowed the tolling of roads we’ve already paid for (tolling freeways), as well as the Trans Texas Corridor (TTC), and the Comprehensive Development Agreements (CDA). CDAs allow the toll deals to be secret.

Many in the legislature have said they were tricked by HB 3588’s summery, hence the large numbers hearing the cries from the public, as they line up to say yes to the moratorium.

The most astonishing fact about the two year toll freeze - the majority of Krusee’s own Transportation Committee have turned their backs on Krusee, and signed up to freeze Texas tolls. Five of the nine committee members that have signed on are Haggerty, Harper-Brown, Harless, Macias, and Murphy.

An inside source says the toll freeze bill is a virtual lock, especially if the public continues to phone Representatives, and gave details.

If Krusee was to try and stall the bill, the bill caption is broad enough to go to almost any other committee.

And, if Craddick would change his support, and not take it to other committee, the bill would just be brought up as an amendment to another bill, and with the majority already on board, it’s a slam dunk. That is also why Craddick is on board, because he has to be, or he looks bad.

Looks like a cold spring is coming for the special interests.

Bad TxDOT Deal Exposed - FREEway Sold For Peanuts!

Just days ago TxDOT sold a Dallas state highway (SH 121 - intended to be a freeway) to Cintra for 50 years. Most sane people knew selling a public highway to a spanish company was a bad deal, but who would have thought it would be exposed to be an outrageous financial screw up so quickly?

First, you need to know this important tid-bit: TxDOT would not let the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) bid on the tolling of 121 freeway. But it allowed corporations from other countries bid. Cintra won the deal, to toll a Texas Freeway for 50 years, just days ago.

North Texas Tollway Authority estimates it would have given the state $4.2 billion in the freeway for sale deal. Instead TxDOT cut a deal with Cintra for only $700 million. From the Dallas Morning News today:

“The deal to make State Highway 121 a toll road for $2.8 billion in cash was less than half of what the state could have gotten, according to a very rough estimate unveiled Monday by the North Texas Tollway Authority.

In what everyone acknowledged to be an extremely preliminary analysis, the tollway authority said it could have given the Texas Department of Transportation $2.1 billion up front for the rights to the toll road project in Collin and Denton counties. That is the same figure as the winning bidder, Cintra Concesiones Infraestructuras de Transporte SA.

The difference came in how much money the tollway authority said it could pay over the life of the 50-year toll contract: $4.2 billion vs. Cintra's $700 million offer.”

We get screwed by billions of dollars and our roads are being stolen for corporate profits. Our elected officials (Perry, Craddick, Williamson, Krusee and others) have sold us out. When will this madness be stopped?

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The Toll Road and “Managed Lane” Hollow Promise

In 1992, a well known toller, Robert W. Poole, Jr., of the Reason Foundation, stated:

“Congestion pricing—charging a price to use highways that is high at peak hours and low at off-peak times—holds great potential for easing traffic congestion and reducing auto emissions in Southern California.”

Today, reality sets in with $8.50 “value priced” toll lanes during rush hour on SR 91 in Southern California (see actual photo of SR 91 during rush hour above). Note the untolled lanes are a dangerous congested nightmare, and even those who pay, must slow down and join the congestion to exit off the highway.

Did the toll roads, managed lanes or value pricing ease traffic congestion?

So when Sen. Kirk Watson, Rep. Mike Krusee, TxDOT or other tollers try sell us to toll roads we’ve already paid for, think about that photo. This photo is what it will be like with managed lanes on Loop 1 (MoPAC) in Austin and other freeways in Texas.

In an effort to deceive the public, slick politico’s like Watson say we need “managed lanes” to solve our problems. Managed lanes are a marketing term to sell us toll lanes - without using the “T” word!

These comments are from California citizens who have to live with what the politicians sold them, a promise that tolls, managed lanes and value pricing would reduce traffic congestion:

“These lanes were built w/taxpayer money. Should have never been toll road. We are being held hostage by OC and Caltrans. Why aren't our Riverside County reps standing up for us?”

“They are making almost a million dollars every week, and still cannot do anything to relieve the congestion on the 91. Even the yellow "cones" along the FasTrak lanes are old and often times missing. Where is all the money going?”

“"Congestion-pricing" is French for fleecing consumers. Oct.'s plan is about making money, not reducing congestion.”

“When the Orange County Transportation Authority announced they were going to purchase the toll lanes, they said that the prices were going to drop not go up. Once again, the government lies to get what they want.”

“The obscene amount of tax dollars that are TAKEN from us everyday should be more than enough to create and maintain any of these new roads.”

“I THINK THIS IS CRAZY. IT KEEPS GOING UP AND UP AND I WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO AFFORD THE EXPRESS LANES. MY HUSBAND RECENTLY PASSED AWAY AND MY INCOME IS CUT IN HALF. NOW WITHOUT HIM, I CAN NO LONGER RIDE THE CARPOOL LANES AND MY TRIP TO WORK AND HOME HAS BECOME VERY LONG AND UNBEARABLE ON SOME DAYS.”

“They spent a lot of taxpayer's money...they promised reductions in traffic congestion while staying "revenue neutral". About six months later a study showed a drop in traffic of only 0.06 percent, a paltry amount, as compared to an increase in revenue of a whopping 26.0 percent. This kind of double-speak and corruption will continue as long as we, the people, allow it. THROW THE RASCALS OUT!!!”

“Anyone notice all the people who cut into the lanes after the toll plaza. How dangerous is that?”

“Pricing on the 91 Toll Lanes is INSANE! I understand that sometimes it's just as congested as the non-tollroads during rush (hour), but the raise is just too much. I think the price of $8 is too much.”

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