Dear Friends & Members:
Question: Why is TxDOT in such a rush to obligate all $1.2 billion of the stimulus funds for Texas transportation by THIS THURSDAY?
Answer: $700 million of the package is dedicated to toll roads.
What's more, 1/4 of the transportation stimulus -- if TxDOT has its way -- will be for one project, the Grand Parkway in Houston -- a road to feed a new speculative development!
Note: TxDOT actually has 120 days to commit the first 50% of these funds, then another full 12 months for the remainder.
So what's the big rush? Well, you know...it's that rogue agency again -- TxDOT (and Rick Perry behind them). Need we say more?
IT IS URGENT THAT YOU CALL YOUR STATE LEGISLATORS MONDAY==Texas Independence Day!
IT IS URGENT (if you can) THAT YOU COME TO AUSTIN TO TURF'S LOBBY DAY --
join us on the South Steps of the Capital at 9:30 a.m.
Here's where you can find your legislators: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/TALKING POINTS (or you can make this in to your letter -- but personalize it please)
* FIX IT FIRST! No stimulus funds for toll roads! Stimulus funds for transportation should be used for where people are now, rather than new speculative developments like the Grand Parkway in Houston.
* No Trans-Texas Corridor -- really. Protect the blackland prairie, one of the richest farm soils in the world. Rick Perry changing the name is just more of the same trickery and dishonesty that Texans are fed up with.
* Raise funds for transportation in a fiscally responsible way -- index the gas tax rather than pushing privatized, more expensive and risky toll roads. Allow citizens to vote on toll roads for their area. Protect our pension funds -- do not invest them in risky privatized toll roads.
* Real eminent domain reform to protect Texans' property rights.
* Stop the plan for mandatory tagging of farm animals which favors big AG, rather than independent farms.
Independently yours,
Linda Curtis
Independent Texans
member of Texas Alliance for Reform
Monday, March 2, 2009
Info from Independent Texans about March 3 Lobby Day
Here's a good explanation of TURF's Lobby Day from Linda Curtis, Independent Texans. Linda includes brief talking points for people to use in visiting legislators in person, or if you can't get there in person, use these talking points in letters (best), emails, or calls to your legislators.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
TURF Lobby Day March 3 at the Capitol
TURF is holding a Lobby Day in Austin on Tuesday, March 3, to allow the legislators to hear from the grass-roots groups that are against the Trans-Texas Corridor, against tolling existing highway lanes, for more protection against eminent domain, and against forced national computer ID of every farm animal.
TURF’s message:
"Join us for Lobby Day in Austin, March 3!
"Having been in Austin many times since the session started, it's clear the Legislature is waffling on being tough on TxDOT and bringing much needed resolution on toll road policies and the Trans Texas Corridor. From wanting to raid public employee retirement funds to finance risky toll projects, and to hand over our highway system to foreign toll operators, to allowing the conversion of existing freeways into tollways and looking the other way when our reckless highway department engages in lobbying with taxpayer money, TEXANS must STAND-UP and demand that these irresponsible practices come to an END! We'll have t-shirts for folks to wear (suggested donation $10) so we can communicate our message around the Capitol.
"Meet at the South Capitol entrance at 9 a.m.
"We plan to have our group introduced from the House floor sometime between 10 & 10:30 AM, then you can spend time with your legislators to voice your concerns, do lunch at the Capitol Grill, and hear from some of our 'Good Guy' legislators between 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM before heading home."
If you can’t make TURF Lobby Day in person, you can still contact your Representative and Senator.
Find out who represents you here.
You may also contact each representative by calling the Capitol switchboard: (512) 463-4630.
TURF’s message:
"Join us for Lobby Day in Austin, March 3!
"Having been in Austin many times since the session started, it's clear the Legislature is waffling on being tough on TxDOT and bringing much needed resolution on toll road policies and the Trans Texas Corridor. From wanting to raid public employee retirement funds to finance risky toll projects, and to hand over our highway system to foreign toll operators, to allowing the conversion of existing freeways into tollways and looking the other way when our reckless highway department engages in lobbying with taxpayer money, TEXANS must STAND-UP and demand that these irresponsible practices come to an END! We'll have t-shirts for folks to wear (suggested donation $10) so we can communicate our message around the Capitol.
"Meet at the South Capitol entrance at 9 a.m.
"We plan to have our group introduced from the House floor sometime between 10 & 10:30 AM, then you can spend time with your legislators to voice your concerns, do lunch at the Capitol Grill, and hear from some of our 'Good Guy' legislators between 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM before heading home."
If you can’t make TURF Lobby Day in person, you can still contact your Representative and Senator.
Find out who represents you here.
You may also contact each representative by calling the Capitol switchboard: (512) 463-4630.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
National Geographic STILL won't acknowledge TTC threat to Blackland Prairie
Following up on our August 28, 2008, post about the September 2008 issue of National Geographic:
The cover article “Our Good Earth” reported dangers to soils around the world. Although their map showed the Blackland Prairie through the middle of Texas (and the nation) as one of the largest areas of the most highly fertile soil in the world, the article did not mention the danger to this valuable area posed by the Trans-Texas Corridor (and the NAFTA Supercorridor) which have been proposed to pave over a good bit of this land through the middle of our country.
Even though some of us wrote letters to the editor pointing this out, the letters published about this article (in National Geographic’s January 2009 issue) did not include any about the Corridor or the endangered Blackland Prairie.
One letter writer mentioned “the construction of new highways” generally as a problem. Another mentioned urban sprawl and criticized “using the best land for subdivisions,” although didn’t cover using the best land for highways. A third letter criticized “the replacement of arable soil with concrete.”
Why do the National Geographic editors refuse to recognize the biggest threat to one of the biggest areas of the most fertile soil in the world if they are concerned about threats to valuable soil? The letters were chosen and the January issue had gone to press well before some Texas officials started calling the Corridor “dead” during the first few days of January, so it couldn’t be that the National Geographic editors thought the Corridor was not a threat anymore.
Are some most highly fertile soils more valuable than others? Does National Geographic agree with Gov. 39% that Texas (and American) rural residents and their land are just not that important?
The cover article “Our Good Earth” reported dangers to soils around the world. Although their map showed the Blackland Prairie through the middle of Texas (and the nation) as one of the largest areas of the most highly fertile soil in the world, the article did not mention the danger to this valuable area posed by the Trans-Texas Corridor (and the NAFTA Supercorridor) which have been proposed to pave over a good bit of this land through the middle of our country.
Even though some of us wrote letters to the editor pointing this out, the letters published about this article (in National Geographic’s January 2009 issue) did not include any about the Corridor or the endangered Blackland Prairie.
One letter writer mentioned “the construction of new highways” generally as a problem. Another mentioned urban sprawl and criticized “using the best land for subdivisions,” although didn’t cover using the best land for highways. A third letter criticized “the replacement of arable soil with concrete.”
Why do the National Geographic editors refuse to recognize the biggest threat to one of the biggest areas of the most fertile soil in the world if they are concerned about threats to valuable soil? The letters were chosen and the January issue had gone to press well before some Texas officials started calling the Corridor “dead” during the first few days of January, so it couldn’t be that the National Geographic editors thought the Corridor was not a threat anymore.
Are some most highly fertile soils more valuable than others? Does National Geographic agree with Gov. 39% that Texas (and American) rural residents and their land are just not that important?
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Changing Internet Providers
Due to internet access problems, we are changing providers and will return ASAP.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Incommunicado
During the past few days, our wireless internet provider has been down.
Now, for the next few days, I will be out of pocket. Should be back here February 24.
Now, for the next few days, I will be out of pocket. Should be back here February 24.
New House Transportation Committee Chair
Up until this session, our HD 52 representative Mike Krusee was chair of the House Transportation Committee, from which position he authored and rammed through the legislation enabling the Trans-Texas Corridor in 2003. Very few people, including members of the House and Senate who voted for it, realized what a devastating bomb was included in this legislation. Once we did realize it, we were forced to spend the ensuing years fighting the durned thing. We could have spent that time otherwise.
The new chairman of the House Transportation Committee is El Paso Rep. Joe Pickett. As reported by the El Paso Times, Pickett has called TxDOT a secretive bully.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_11693160?IADID=Search-www.elpasotimes.com-www.elpasotimes.com
Pickett is called “an expert on transportation issues,” with “a thorny relationship with the Texas Department of Transportation,” filing in 2007 a bill to abolish the Texas Transportation Commission.
“Pickett has also chastised the Transportation Department for not being open enough about its spending and for having what he considers an insatiable appetite for toll roads.”
We shall see.
The new chairman of the House Transportation Committee is El Paso Rep. Joe Pickett. As reported by the El Paso Times, Pickett has called TxDOT a secretive bully.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_11693160?IADID=Search-www.elpasotimes.com-www.elpasotimes.com
Pickett is called “an expert on transportation issues,” with “a thorny relationship with the Texas Department of Transportation,” filing in 2007 a bill to abolish the Texas Transportation Commission.
“Pickett has also chastised the Transportation Department for not being open enough about its spending and for having what he considers an insatiable appetite for toll roads.”
We shall see.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
WOAI Poll--Hutchison 52.7%, Perry 16.5%
WOAI has comments on the early sparring between Gov. 39% and KBH.
http://www.woai.com/content/news/beamer/story/POLL-Rick-and-Kay-get-personal-but-not-Kinky-Who/ZINmrxpmvUS61iW7yXkT_Q.cspx
Beamer says the race hit a “new level with its first real insult.” Guess who threw that insult, saying that KBH “can’t even do the [job] that we’ve hired you to do.”
The site is running a poll focused on the two Republicans. You can add your vote to the results, which are:
Who do you support in the 2010 governor’s race?
Kay Bailey Hutchison (52.7%)
Rick Perry (16.5%)
Another Republican (2.7%)
A Democrat (22.0%)
An Independent (6.0%)
Can I now start calling him Gov. 16.5%? Just kidding. I know that online polls aren't official, but it does look encouraging for us anti-Corridor folks.
http://www.woai.com/content/news/beamer/story/POLL-Rick-and-Kay-get-personal-but-not-Kinky-Who/ZINmrxpmvUS61iW7yXkT_Q.cspx
Beamer says the race hit a “new level with its first real insult.” Guess who threw that insult, saying that KBH “can’t even do the [job] that we’ve hired you to do.”
The site is running a poll focused on the two Republicans. You can add your vote to the results, which are:
Who do you support in the 2010 governor’s race?
Kay Bailey Hutchison (52.7%)
Rick Perry (16.5%)
Another Republican (2.7%)
A Democrat (22.0%)
An Independent (6.0%)
Can I now start calling him Gov. 16.5%? Just kidding. I know that online polls aren't official, but it does look encouraging for us anti-Corridor folks.
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