Part of the NAFTA highway

http://salon.glenrose.net/?view=plink&id=6002 

On the Trans Texas Corridor-I guess I'm just angry today

28 January 2008

That's why, all day you won't see any fresh news here today, maybe later this afternoon but videos that were shot in 2006 and 2007, redone in Flash.  The Trans Texas Corridor Death March continues, this time off in east Texas, where one of the other routes will take out parts of some of the most scenic places Texas has to offer. And guess what, the crowds are turning out there and they ALSO do not want a big ole toll road.

When we originally shot this footage for the 7 county TTC meetings we went to (and later the Texas Senate hearings in March of 2007), we were sure that the tsunami of public opinion would stop TTC in its tracks. After all, it was a creepy, shifty little provision that was slipped into one of the Texas constitution-changing elections WITHOUT EVER SPECIFYING that what we were voting for was to rip people out of their heritage homesteads so that Texas could make a big superhighway, to be run by a foreign company, Cintra, for the benefit of companies like Wal-Mart that want a fast way to truck their cheap crap from China all over the country. Oh, there were a few people that would show up that liked the idea of tolls because of congestion around the cities. As far as I'm concerned, those people are selfish, because toll roads are not for everyone... only for those who can pay the tolls. And shouldn't our highways be for EVERYONE?

The next year, there was a hoodwink from the Texas Lege that pretended to call a halt to the TTC because of the huge public outcry against it. It was a PR SHAM! Or shall we call it a *moratorium" but only for a couple of years. Meanwhile the machine continues to roll, but now in East Texas. (There's also a Plains TTC as well.) Did it matter that both Democrats and Republicans didn't want it? (Heck, the Texas Republican party even put it into their platform that they were against it-can't you just see Rick Perry thumbing his nose at his own party, eh? He's got Dubai clients to make happy!) 

And then we found out that TxDOT was actually using our tax money to propagandize us! To do PR so that we would all be fat, dumb and happy as Texas got gutted. Luckily, there are some vocal groups out there that have not given up, like Corridor Watch and Texans Against Tolls-THOSE are the Texas heroes.

It's not only Texas. At a national level, Congress is considering turning our federal highways into toll roads. You want that? If you don't, TELL YOUR CONGRESSPEOPLE-NOW, OFTEN and LOUDLY.

But I think what got me today is that the same PR machine is rolling out those nonsensical meetings that are designed ONLY to allow citizens to blow off steam and not be able to actually change anything. BECAUSE THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE HAS TO CALL A HALT TO THIS; TxDOT does NOT care.

And if we don't all get mad and STAY MAD and TELL our state representatives that we want this all to stop, it's going to continue. Because instead of, oh, say, raising the gas tax to raise money for highways or instead of stopping paying for Rick Perry's trips to Florida or Dubai, or instead of paying for a hugely expensive war of choice in Iraq, we've decided that our highways and infrastructure are for sale or lease to the highest bidder from other countries and are only there for SOMEBODY to make a profit. To me, that is NOT what America represents, and if you think as I do, don't just read this and steam, WRITE A LETTER and tell everyone involved what you want.

***** RON PAUL IS THE ONLY CANDIDATE TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE THE OTHERS PRETEND IT DOES NOT EXIST.  WHY?

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