the Toll Road Scam (how they want it to work in Texas)

[donsu]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA083107.1A.toll.roads.391cc11.html


Interstate toll roads eyed


The Texas Department of Transportation is pushing Congress to pass a federal law allowing the state to "buy back" parts of existing interstate highways and turn them into toll roads.
The 24-page plan, outlined in a "Forward Momentum" report that escaped widespread attention when published in February, drew prompt objections Thursday from state lawmakers and activists fighting the spread of privately run toll roads.

-snip-

The report not only advocates turning stretches of interstate highways into toll roads, but it also suggests tax breaks for private company "investment" in such enterprises.

Along with that, it calls for altering the tax code to exempt toll road owners from paying income taxes.

(nobody has gall like neo cons)

-snip-

Meanwhile, "Texas will work to educate Congress of the importance of including reasonable and efficient funding solutions, such as tolling, in the next (highway funding) reauthorization bill," the department's report promises.

(and you know they will)

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how is the scam working in your state?

(this ties in with the North Amer. Union road going thru Tx.)

[robinlynne]

1. too disgusted to answer..

[yella_dawg]

2. This is straight out of the Aynn Rand Fantasy

Libertarian nut job camp. The idea that a for-profit operation can own our basic infrastructure is insane at best.

Unfortunately, it looks like we may have to learn our lesson the hard way.

Where does this insanity come from?

[donsu]

3. PNAC

nt

[Stalwart]

4. What will be left

that belongs to us and under our public control? There is a trend line here.

[no_hypocrisy]

5. And taxpayers who drive are going to be thrilled that their representatives

will use the taxes collected from the taxpayers to:

A) Lobby to pass this proposed federal law; and
B) Buy back highways that already belong to the taxpayers in the federal sense.

And then the taxpayers will perpetually pay for the right to use the highways they already own by means of tolls of which they have no say on the amount of the toll and/or the number of tolls on those highways.