Has
Senator Carona Been Crushed By TxDOT
Special Interest Toll Pressure?
TxDOT and just about every
agency and organization that wants to
build a toll road has pulled out all the
stops to pressure our legislators to
stop the private toll road moratorium.
CorridorWatch.org is shocked to read in
this morning's Austin American Statesman
a
report that Senate Transportation
Chairman Carona doesn't plan to allow
SB1267 a vote before his committee.
"I don't intend to move it,"
Senator John Carona.
It would be nice if this were a
misquote, but we're afraid it isn't. At
best we might find the intent and effect
of SB1267 incorporated into SB1929, a
much larger transportation bill. At
worst we might find that our protection
from private toll monopolies were traded
away in a backroom political poker game.
Who's in charge?
It's not TxDOT, it's not Ric Williamson,
and it's not Senator Carona either. It's
the citizens, taxpayers, and voters of
Texas. It hasn't been more than a couple
weeks since Senator Carona admonished
Chairman Williamson that he didn't have
just one person to keep happy [Governor
Perry]. Carona told Williamson that he
worked for 181 legislators and the
citizens of Texas. Senator Carona,
remember us, the citizens?
What the heck is going on?
You might have a plan Senator but right
now we feel pretty ripped off and sold
out. We're all ears.
And we're not alone - how about the
other 129 legislators who stood up to
represented their districts by signed on
in support of SB1267 and HB2772?
Yes, we need roads. But . . .
We also need to know at what cost our
state is entering into 50 year contracts
with for-profit toll road operators. We
need to know if we are making bad
public-private deals because toll road
proponents have been blinded by big
money. We need to know that average
Texans 30, 40 and 50 years from now will
be able to afford to travel on highways
they should own. These are just a few of
the many serious questions that deserve
serious consideration, and anwswers.
We believe the citizens of Texas would
be best served by legislative review and
a cautious approach to long-term
contracts that could rob our communities
of future transportation funds, limit
future transportation alternatives, and
unnecessarily increase the cost of
public mobility.
Put the public back in public
decisions.
Somehow we have left the public out of
toll road decision making. Historically
we have voted for highways with our
taxes. When you hit the limit of how
much we are willing to be taxed the
expansion stops. We are effectively
making a purchase decision.
Unfortunately virtually all of these new
toll road decisions are being made
without public approval.
Let's revisit the moratorium.
Once we start down this public-private
road and begin signing away the control
over our highways the cost of turning
back may only be exceed by the cost of
driving on those highways.
Chairman Carona, we sent our Senators to
Austin to represent us and vote as we
would if we were there. As Chairman of
the Transportation and Homeland Security
Committee you represent all Texans. Let
our individual representatives do what
we sent them to Austin to do. Let our
Senators vote. Please move SB1267 out of
committee.
David & Linda Stall, Co-founders
CorridorWatch.org
