Oil hit $130 a barrel for the first time yesterday, experts say oil could hit $200 a barrel by 2010. That means YOUR gas prices will be even higher in the weeks and months to come. Some experts say gas prices will hit $8.00 a gallon as we look ahead.
These skyrocketing gas prices equal even more bad news for YOUR FAMILY and Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Kirk Watson's freeway tolls, which futures are financially fused together. But Perry and Watson could care less.
The San Antonio Express came out with an article last year that tells why high gas-prices negatively effect the prospects of more toll roads. The feasibility of all toll roads are based on traffic and revenue projections, which are tied to gas prices.
The Traffic and Revenue projections for SH 130 toll road is based on the assumption that motor fuel will remain in "adequate supply and motor fuel prices will not exceed $2.50 per gallon".
130 toll failed to meet it's 1st year projection by over $11 million dollars reported the Statesman. Who do you think pays for a failed toll road? Look in the mirror. Who do you think still makes a profit? Yup, the banks that floated the BILLIONS of debt.
Many folks are having a hard time affording $4.00 a gallon, and less folks will be able to afford $8 a gallon. It is time to sell your SUV, and move closer to your work.
Just a couple of months ago the Energy Watch Group put out a report that states that the worlds oil supply peaked in 2006, and production will start to decline at a rate of several percent per year. That means gas prices will only rise, and in the months ahead, you'll be thinking of the good old days when gas only cost $4.00 a gallon.
Hell, when the real shit comes down in the years ahead, Gov. Perry and Sen. Watson will be out of office, sitting on an island somewhere enjoying time with their family and the the security of tons of money in the bank.
A reliable source within TxDOT tells me that Stacy Dukes-Rhone of Grier-Bankett "arranged" that her sister, Rep. Dawnna Dukes, received a subcontract to provide the "field office" for the MLK Feasibility Study headed by TxDOT.
According to the MLK road study website (above), the MLK Feasibility Study field office located at 3218 E Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. Travis Cad (below) confirms that the office at this address is owned by D M DUKES & ASSOCIATES, which is Rep. Dawnna Dukes company.
Tonight on MSNBC's Hardball show, Chris Matthews introduced the Sen. Kirk Watson "Hardballed" T-Shirt on the air! - the one I created just last night! (see the T at http://salcostello.blogspot.com/)
My intention was to get one more local news day out of Watson's already nationally famous gaff, but my jaw dropped as I was watching "Hardball" tonight (one of my favorite political shows) and Chris threw up the image of the T-shirt and the close up as you see above.
The segment was called "Watson Wear". Chris Matthews said:
"(Chris laughs) Now apparently there's a T-shirt to commemorate that moment. There it is, it costs $20 and 99 cents. And it looks as if there are eight colors to choose from. I want mine in Royal!"
And, the best part - before he introduced the Watson "Hardballed" T-shirt - he ran the whole clip of Sen. Watson getting caught with his pants down - AGAIN! THE WHOLE CLIP.
You can't buy that kind of national coverage. So, I'm please with myself, that I extended the clueless Watson gaff for one more news day. No matter what Watson does, he'll always be known as the guy that didn't do his homework. But we always knew that, with his voting to divert $910 million tax dollars to shift our freeways to tollways, and his back door deal with Intel, and his profiting off directing billions of road dollars as CAMPO chair.
That one hour of design work I did between midnight and 1 in the morning paid off in spades. THAT is the kind of efficiency I live for.
Over the past week, CNN got swamped with emails from members of numerous anti-TTC citizen groups, which were clamoring for a debate question about the Trans Texas Corridor (TTC) for the upcoming presidential debate. The outpouring of emails were sent in hopes that the candidates, Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton, would share their positions on the TTC, one of the largest eminent domain land grabs in our history.
Linda Curtis of Independent Texans (one of the anti-TTC groups that spoke out) received an email from CNN today that stated:
"'you have a very loyal and active following, and we're getting hammered. Now, would you please allow us to get our work done.
We already have a question prepared for the Corridor and its relationship to NAFTA."
The Trans Texas Corridor (TTC) is a wildly unpopular plan of 4,000 miles of toll roads created by Gov. Rick Perry. The TTC ignores private property rights all across Texas, and the Comprehensive Development Agreements allow the deals to be secret. It will cost about $200 Billion dollars and half a million acres would be stolen from Texas families. The TTC is also known as the first phase of the "NAFTA Superhighway".
The above is a MUST watch video on Rep Dawnna Dukes, by KEYE News, tells the story on how Dukes doesn't pay her bills. Dukes has actually been sued for nonpayment by:
* City of Austin
* Travis County
* Austin Independent School District
* Travis Hospital District
* San Antonio Federal Credit Union
* Austin Community College
* Sub Contractors
The Texas Comptroller had even placed a lien against her business "DM Dukes and Associates" for not paying her business taxes. Dukes business is still defunct, but Dukes continues to do business and get paid with taxpayer dollars!
You must see the video above. Now, for what I've found (what the report above doesn't cover).
1) Rep. Dukes, who voted to toll Austin freeways, is a certified contractor with TxDOT. I've put in a FOIA request to ask how much she's been paid by TxDOT and if she's been paid by the local Toll Authority (I'll report back to you on my blog- http://salcostello.blogspot.com/ - when I get answers in about 10 days).
2) Also, Capitol Annex reports that Rep. Dukes is putting up legislation for developers, then getting contracts in return.
In October 2007, you, as the chair of CAMPO, led the effort and voted to DIVERT $910 million tax dollars, intended for freeways, into a plan that would toll our public highways in Austin, TX.
You know this plan to tax us for new expressway lanes built with our tax dollars and our right of way is a Republican scheme hatched by Gov. Perry and Rep. Mike Krusee.
TODAY, hundreds of news reports have come out about a new federal report, called "Transportation for Tomorrow: Report of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission" that urges increasing the gas tax over tolling every road.
And, since toll roads cost more to build and maintain than free roads, the gas tax makes the most sense.
Today's Dallas News article states this of new the study, "If recommendations are passed into law, fewer tolls would be necessary than are currently planned in Texas".
Sen. Watson, It's time you jumped that Gov. Perry Toll Road Ban Wagon and backed off tolling portions of our existing highways such as MoPAC, 71W, 71E, 183, 290W, 290E and SW45.
FROM THE STATESMAN 5 DAYS LATER:
"Rhone (Stacey Dukes-Rhone), according to records and interviews with mobility authority officials, has been doing public relations work since February for the mobility authority under a contract with HNTB, the mobility authority's general engineering contractor for its first project, the U.S. 183-A toll road. That tollway, already under construction, was unrelated to her sister's vote in July.
But Rhone also worked on public outreach on the seven-road plan in the runup to the July 12 vote. Her contract allows her to receive as much as $44,400.
According to Richard Ridings with HNTB, the lead engineer on the project, she has been paid $26,000 so far and has billed an additional $6,000.
Her contract specifies her start date as Feb. 1 this year, and the agency, in a letter to Barrientos released Friday, said Rhone has worked for the authority since Feb. 18. But Rhone did not sign the contract with HNTB until July 7. Ridings signed on July 13, the morning after the toll road vote."
'The Republican Party in Texas will become known as 'the tolling party,' and that image will damage the party's ability to win future elections. "
Tolls Called "The Largest Tax Increase in Texas History"
11/16/07
By Jim Forsyth
1200 News Radio
WOAI.com
Copyright 2007
Long time toll road opponent Lyle Larson says the proposal that the Metropolitan Planning Organization will vote on next month, to begin the process of building new toll lanes on US Highway 281 north of Loop 1604, amounts to the 'largest tax increase in the history of Texas,' and unlike other tax increases which are approved by elected representatives, because the MPO is unelected, there is nothing Texans can do to stop it, 1200 WOAI news reports.
The Bexar County Commissioner made his comments to the Bexar County Republican Men's Club, and later, to 1200 WOAI news.
"If the vote is successful to use toll equity to build the 281 project, I'm afraid there's nothing we're going to be able to do to stop it," he said.
And if the vote is to give the go-ahead to the 281 tolls, as Larson expects will happen, he warns that is just the beginning.
"Then, God knows what else they're going to toll. There's a lot of projects they're looking at."
Larson expressed a concern that the Republican Party in Texas will become known as 'the tolling party,' and that image will damage the party's ability to win future elections. He says the vast majority of Texans disapprove of the aggressive toll road building policy promoted by Governor Perry and Texas Department of Transportation Chairman Ric Williamson.
In the past, the public could vote on toll roads in Texas. But then, freeway tollers like Rep. Mike Krusee changed our laws and took that right away from us.
To make matter worse, I don't think Sen. Watson and Rep. Krusee (and some others) should even be on the MPO voting on such matters. The constitution clearly states there must be a "separation of powers". These legislators should not be serving on the MPO administrative board.
A group I started, People for Efficient Transportation Inc., filed a lawsuit in 2005 with the above allegation and others. As we were on our way to a win in early 2007, toller Gov. Rick Perry appealed, the case remains pending in the Third Court of Appeals.
