The public is finally going to get a little bit of say about the massive construction boondoggle the Republicans (and some Democrats) are trying to foist on the citizens of Texas. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will have a series of public hearings soon on the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC).
The TTC is the name given to 4,000 miles of new toll roads that would criss-cross the state. Through imminent domain, it would gobble up over 500,000 acres of prime Texas farm and ranch land. It would also turn over the control of these new toll roads to foreign companies, who would reap the benefits of exorbitant tolls on Texans for at least the next 50 years.
The Republican leadership in Austin have already reached secret agreement with at least one foreign corporation -- a Spanish company called Cintra. This secret contract would not only turn over the road to the Spanish company for 50 years to collect tolls, but if they don't make the windfall profits they expect then the Texas taxpayers must make up the difference. In other words, those windfall profits are guaranteed by our tax dollars.
State leaders would like for Texans to believe that this is the only way for Texas to get new roads. That is a lie. What they don't tell Texans is that raising the gas tax could fund new FREE highways at a much cheaper cost than the tolls that would be charged.
The TTC is a very bad deal for the citizens of Texas. It would be great for foriegn corporations and the politicians on their payroll, but this $200 billion boondoggle would bleed the citizens of Texas dry.
Do you want to turn our highways over to foreign countries? Do you want to have to pay exorbitant tolls to drive across our state? If not, then you must speak out now.
But even more important, you must vote the TTC supporters out in the next election (most of whom are Republicans). Before you vote for a state senator or representative, make sure they don't support the massive TTC scheme to rob the citizens of Texas.
Here are the scheduled public hearings:
1/15 - Texarkana
1/16 - Carthage
1/17 - Lufkin
1/22 - Hempstead
1/23 - Huntsville
1/24 - Rosenburg
1/28 - Bellville
1/29 - Victoria
1/31 - Weslaco
2/5 - Laredo
2/6 - Robstown
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