07.02.09
Posted in Around The State, Commentary, Privatization, Road Issues, Special Session, Transportation, Uncategorized at 2:49 pm by wcnews
Via Postcards, Senate leaders: Private toll-road bill DOA.
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Senate leaders just announced publicly what senators had confirmed an hour ago: A bill to continue to allow more privately built toll roads to be constructed is dead in the special legislative session.
And lawmakers plan to finish their other business — approving the issuance of $2 billion in road-building bonds and continuing the operations of five state agencies — and then go home later today.
Dewhurst said attempts for a compromise on the toll-road bills — Senate Bill 3 and House Bill 3 — failed amid growing questions about whether any action on the matter was needed before the Legislature convenes in regular session again in January 2011.
State Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, chairman of the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee, said the urgency of the matter waned after local and state transportation assured legislative leaders that no projects would be killed or delayed by the lack of a vote.
“If it was a critical issue, we’re here to deal with it,” Corona said. “But we have been assured … that no major project is going to be left behind … We will take this (issue) up in 2011.”
Postcards also has this, Sen. Nichols statement on SB 3.
“If the Legislature does not reauthorize CDAs during this very short special session, I don’t think it will cause any problems for the state. My only goal in authoring Senate Bill 3 was to make sure that if the Legislature decided to allow CDAs, we would only do so in a way that returned local control of transportation projects and established important protections for Texas drivers and taxpayers.”
So it’s not an emergency? Glad we have that straightened out. No reason to waste time with it then. Burka’s wondering why Perry even put it on the agenda, CDA’s: Why is Perry spotlighting his weakness?. He has no other plan for roads, that’s all he’s got, that’s why. It should be obvious by now.
In response to Sen. Carona hopefully this issue won’t be taken up in 2011. Hopefully we’ll have new leadership in Texas and the legislature will actually pass a plan to fix trasnportation financing in Texas.
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Posted in Around The State, Privatization, Round Rock, Special Session, Transportation, Uncategorized at 11:17 am by wcnews
Terri Hall has her take on what happened yesterday, Legislature blinks as it contemplates largest tax increase in Texas history.
If CDA’s are dead and this has been done, House takes out ‘revolver’ on HB 1, aka the “transportation bank”, and the Sunset safety net passes. This session may be done quick without any harm being done.
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Posted in Around The Nation, Around The State, Good Stuff, Media, Uncategorized at 9:55 am by wcnews
Via the Center for Public Integrity, Investigative Journalism Conference Releases Declaration.
More than 25 non-profit journalism groups, including the Center for Public Integrity, the Center for Investigative Reporting, National Public Radio met over the last three days in Tarrytown, New York, to explore collaborative possibilities for investigative journalism. Today, the groups released their Pocantico Declaration, spelling out the immediate next steps to formalize their partnership in the Investigative News Network.
Plans for the Investigative News Network include a website featuring work contributed by all the cooperative’s members as well original major investigative projects. Its mission is “to aid and abet, in every conceivable way, individually and collectively, the work and public reach of its member news organizations, including, to the fullest extent possible, their administrative, editorial and financial wellbeing. And, more broadly, to foster the highest quality investigative journalism, and to hold those in power accountable, at the local, national and international levels.”
The Texas Observer and Texas Watchdog were at the conference. Texas Watchdog has this report.
I just got back from the Pocantico Conference Center, located at one of the Rockefeller family’s former estates about 45 minutes or so out of Manhattan. The conference center is used for many events connected with the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
I was invited to the stone, ivy-covered mansion that the infamous oil baron once called home to participate in a conference of nonprofit investigative news groups. There were about 30 of us there, from the well known (The Voice of San Diego) to the not-quite-started-but-will-soon-be well-known (The Rocky Mountain Investigative News Network.)
The goal was to figure out how we can help each other, how we can stay funded and how we can collaborate on stories.
Ultimately we came up with the The Pocantico Declaration: Creating a Nonprofit Investigative News Network.
Definitely something to keep an eye on. High quality investative journalism is a must in a democracy.
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07.01.09
Posted in Around The State, Commentary, Privatization, Road Issues, Special Session, Transportation at 2:46 pm by wcnews
House Democratic Leader Jim Dunnam pointed out that there’s no need to extend CDA’s in Texas. He also emphasized the misplaced priorities of putting corporate toll roads ahead of children’s health insurance, A few fireworks in transportation committee meeting.
Rep. Jim Dunnam just hit the roof in a House Transportation Committee hearing on extending “comprehensive development agreements” to build public or private toll roads in Texas.
[...]
The public partnership toll road agreements could still be extended two years from now without breaking any timelines.
“Why, in the state of Texas, have we called the Legislature back for the sole purpose of enabling private toll roads?” Dunnam asked. “Why is that so important, but insurance reform is not, or expanding [children's health insurance] is not? …If that’s the only reason we’re here, it’s offensive.” (Emphasis added).
[...]
True enough, that the bill Gov. Perry wants passed would extend private toll road deals, the so-called comprehensive development agreements (CDAs) that have proven to be so controversial.
Public toll authorities, like NTTA, already have all the authority they need, not only to build the toll roads in their area, but even to contract with private companies to build roads they don’t think they can do themselves, for whatever reason.
[...]
That may not have been a good enough reason to summon lawmakers back to Austin, but then again it’s not the only item on the agenda.
CDA’s appear not to have the votes in the Senate, Private toll road bill faces roadblock in Senate.
Several members of the Senate Finance Committee signalled Wednesday that they will oppose legislation to allow the state transportation department to continue contracting with private companies to build toll roads in North Texas and across the state. Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, chairman of the committee, said the bill now lacks enough support to be approved by the panel and may not even be necessary given the current state of the economy.
[...]
“Why should taxpayers be put in this position?” asked Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas. “Why in the world should people have to pay tolls on a road that’s already being built?” West and other senators told transportation officials they should reconsider charging tolls on publicly funded highways. Some senators also indicated they were ready to “tag” the legislation to delay consideration in the upper chamber, although Senate leaders said that the House will take up the measure first. If it passes the House, then opponents are expected to try and defeat it in the Senate.
Via QR it also appears that many in the House are balking at the Texas Transportation Revolving Fund (TTRF), or “transportation bank”, idea. Via QR:
House appropriators had a lot of tough questions this morning on a proposed transportation revolving fund, betraying a high level of discomfort with ceding control over the fund’s administration to TxDOT.
The fund is in legislation whose main purpose is to authorize billions in general obligation bonds for highway projects. But questions about the revolving fund, which has been described as a “transportation bank,” dominated this morning’s hour-long hearing.
[...]
Rep. Drew Darby (R-San Angelo) said that he had concerns that the fund could decide to help complete financing for toll projects where the projected revenue is not yet there to support the venture. He said that he would hate to see the state create something like the mortgage crisis, but with highway projects.
[...]
Other appropriators, such as Helen Giddings (D-Dallas), Angie Chen Button (R-Garland) and Ruth Jones McClendon (D-San Antonio), were more concerned about what they saw as a lack of appropriate checks and balances.
Also via QR Rep. David Leibowitz (D-San Antonio) says there will be amendments to the CDA bill and that members want to see the legislation changed.
And Ben Wear is reporting that the votes aren’t there in the House either, House committee leaves toll road bill idling.
State Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, chairman of the committee and sponsor of House Bill 3, said the votes aren’t there in the House to pass it.
“Sometimes the writing is on the wall, and I’m just not confident we have the support,” Pickett said. “Do members understand it? What is a safe vote for the members. For a lot of them, a safe vote is no.”
Although this session’s only just begun, if it’s going to end by Friday the only thing, right now, that’s looks like it can be done by then is passing the Sunset legislation, SB 2. But if CDA’s and the transportation bank must pass, it’s going to take longer. Badda bing, Ka-boom!
[UPDATE]: More from Postcareds, CDAs DOA in Senate?.
Legislation that would allow state transportation officials to continue contracting for privately built toll roads derailed this afternoon in the Senate, amid an angry backlash over plans to toll a Dallas-area expressway that is being built with taxpayer money.
At the end of a sometimes-heated hearing, Finance Committee Chairman Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, acknowledged that Senate Bill 3 — which would extend the authority of the Texas Department of Transportation to continue entering into comprehensive development agreements (CDAs) — cannot pass.
“This issue is controversial and right now, we don’t have the votes,” Ogden said.
“I think we pass the bills that are essential — SB 1 and 2. SB 3 is optional … and right now, I don’t see it getting out of this committee.”
That’s good news. Sunset bills and bond money. No CDA extension and not transportation bank. Strip the TTRF out of SB 1 and this session can be over by Friday. That’s the best we can hope for.
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Posted in Round Rock, Williamson County at 1:02 pm by wcnews
According to population estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau Round Rock was the second fastest growing city in the U.S. in 2008. Only New Orleans grew faster.
The population of New Orleans grew 8.2 percent in 2008, faster than any other large city in the U.S., according to population estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. As of July 1, 2008, the population of New Orleans was 311,853, up from 210,768 in 2006 following Hurricane Katrina but still below the pre-hurricane level of 484,674 based on the 2000 Census.
“As the 2010 Census approaches, these population estimates provide a sense of the population trends throughout the decade,” said Tom Mesenbourg, the Census Bureau’s acting director.
Round Rock, Texas, a city north of Austin, was the second fastest-growing city (8.16 percent) in the nation from 2007 to 2008.
All in all, four of the 10 fastest-growing large cities were in Texas, including McKinney (north of Dallas, ranking fifth), Killeen (north of Austin, ninth) and Fort Worth (10th). North Carolina had a pair of cities in the top 10 fastest growing — Cary (west of Raleigh, third) and Raleigh (eighth) — as did California (Roseville, north of Sacramento, which ranked sixth and Irvine, in Orange County, seventh). Fourth-place Gilbert, Ariz., completed the list.
Four of the top 10, and 7 of the top 25, were in Texas. Click the link to get more detailed information.
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Posted in 2010 Primary, Around The State, Election 2010, Good Stuff, Take Action at 10:07 am by wcnews
Vince at Capitol Annex has all the information, Draft Ronnie Earle For Texas Governor.
One name that keeps cropping up in discussions about 2010 races is former Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle. He hasn’t ruled out a run, but he hasn’t decided to run, either.
Toward that end, I and a handful of online and offline activists from across the state who think that Ronnie Earle would make an excellent candidate for governor have decided to shake the tree a little bit and see what fruit may fall. We’ve established a website, DraftRonnie.com, as well as a Facebook group urging Ronnie Earle to take the plunge and enter the race for governor.
[...]
The next big question folks are probably asking is, “Why Ronnie Earle?” I think that the answers are pretty obvious, but I’ll elaborate.
Ronnie Earle is a classic progressive, good-government Democrat with the capability to inspire people and, ultimately, reach across party lines and actually win in places in this state Democrats haven’t won in a while.
Last year, I contacted then-DA Earle about participating in a panel that we were assembling for Netroots Nation called “Blogs As The Ethics Watchdog.” We wanted him to participate because we thought he’d have a unique perspective on some of the issues bloggers in Texas had covered since, after all, his office investigated them. Shortly after that, I got the opportunity to hear him speak at a fundraiser in East Texas (if memory serves, I even got to introduce him, because I’d suggested him as a speaker). I couldn’t quote you chapter and verse of his speech, but it was inspiring and, through that speech, Ronnie Earle articulated (perhaps without even realizing it) a vision for Texas that is different from the kind of thing you typically hear gubernatorial candidates talk about. Given that he wasn’t a candidate for anything at that point, it was particularly impressive.
Ronnie Earle talked about a vision for a Texas that is proactive and not reactive when it comes to public policy areas like crime and education. He talked about a Texas where the interests of children and the elderly come first, and not the interests of big business or big donors. He even set forth a few ways Democrats could accomplish those things, but I won’t try to recount them today.
In July of last year, I got to hear Ronnie Earle speak again in a more casual atmosphere at the Netroots Nation panel. By that time (and even when he spoke at the spring fundraiser), he had been mentioned as a possible candidate for statewide office. As I listened to some of what he said in the Netroots Nation panel, though, and recalled the earlier speech I heard, I decided that if Ronnie Earle ever ran for statewide office, he was a candidate I would support.
Since he hasn’t made up his mind yet, and since I know a number of people who feel the same way I do, now is the time to offer a little encouragement–hence DraftRonnie.com.
Just as is noted on the draft site, Texas needs Ronnie Earle right now. Texas Democrats really need Ronnie Earle right now.
Of course EOW would be happy to see Ronnie Earle run for governor.
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Posted in Around The State, Commentary, Had Enough Yet?, Privatization, Road Issues, Transportation, Uncategorized at 9:48 am by wcnews
That should be the message that every state legislator should hear and understand. Selling off our state’s transportation future to corporations for 50 years, for profit, that won’t improve congestion is a bad idea. Every elected official in Texas needs to know that voting for these give-aways will put their political future in jeopardy. From SB 3:
A comprehensive development agreement with a private participant that includes the collection by the private participant of tolls for the use of a toll project may be for a term not longer than 50 years from the later of the date of final acceptance of the project or the start of revenue operations by the private participant, not to exceed a total term of 52 years.
Via Texas TURF, Help us STOP foreign-owned toll roads = $13 a DAY in NEW taxes! Public pension funds at risk, too!
CDAs also eat-up virtually ALL of our available gas taxes and other highway funds to prop-up toll projects that aren’t even toll viable (can’t work without subsidizing them). Read about the deals in North Texas that use $1 billion dollars of EVERYONE’s gas taxes and public funds, but you won’t be able to use it without paying $13 a DAY in homage to Spain here.
They tell us the private operators are bringing all the money to the table so it’s okay to sell-out the taxpayers in sweetheart deals (like non-compete agreements that prohibit ANY new lanes or NEW roads from being built that would “compete” with the private operators toll cash cow as a way to GUARANTEE congestion on free roads). But the FACT is our GAS TAXES and other PUBLIC money are going into these deals, in some cases more public cash than private. CDAs also mean massive multi-generational DEBT!
Sen. Carona then adds this idiotic statement, “we can’t build roads for free…” Gee, thanks for talking to us like children Senator. We know they don’t come free and we also know that corporate toll road schemes just wind up costing much more than any other option in the long run. We’d rather pay for them with a fair tax system. Sen. Carona you now have the upper hand. Gov. Perry wants a quick deal to save his political future, use this opportunity to kill the CDA’s so we can get a real fix for transportation in Texas next session.
The people know these are bad deals, and we’re watching. Thanks, bye.
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06.30.09
Posted in Around The State, Bad Government Republicans, Commentary, Privatization, Road Issues, Special Session, Transportation, Uncategorized at 12:22 pm by wcnews
In Kuff’s preview of the upcoming special session, Special session starts tomorrow, he links to this AAS article that points out the potential problem that corporate toll roads, aka CDA/PPP’s, may cause. Here’s the article by Ben Wear, Toll road item may threaten session. No matter who’s language is used the best thing for this state is for the authorization of CDA’s to expire.
The spoiler of Gov. Rick Perry’s midsummer’s dream of a three-day special session could be the “Nichols language.”
The consensus seems to be that few problems exist with the first two items on Perry’s session “call” — essentially the allowable agenda for the session — that would extend the life of five state agencies, including the Texas Department of Transportation, and allow TxDOT to issue $2 billion in debt.
But there could be trouble with the third and last item, legislation granting a reprieve to a statutory death sentence for private toll road leases.
During the regular session, state Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, carried a bill that would have extended by six years the legal authority for TxDOT and regional mobility authorities to sign what have usually been 50-year contracts with private companies to build and operate (and profit from) tollways on public land. Authority for such leases expires Sept. 1.
To get a better grasp of what the “Nichols language” is check out the bill analysis for SB 17 and this from Texas TURF.
Let’s just keep in mind what our governor thinks an emergency is. Making sure corporations can still receive “50-year contracts…to build and operate (and profit from) tollways on public land“, is more of an emergency than children without health care. Or the huge business tax increase that’s coming since he refused the $555 million in unemployment insurance from the federal government.
The special session should not be about corporate welfare and allowing TxDOT to get into investment banking and using public pensions to finance toll raods. Obviously there are much more urgent issues facing this state.
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Posted in Around The Nation, Around The State, Commentary, Health Care at 10:47 am by wcnews
When GOP wordsmith Frank Luntz released his talking points on health care he specifically told the GOP to keep away from arguments about the “free market, tax incentives and competition” - (#4) on the memo. Now we know why, Health-Care Market Characterized By Consolidation, Not Competition. There is no competition, or a free market, in health care insurance as it stands now.
But the notion that most American consumers enjoy anything like a competitive marketplace for health care is flatly false. And a study issued last month by a pro-reform group makes that strikingly clear.
The report, released by Health Care for America Now (HCAN), uses data compiled by the American Medical Association to show that 94 percent of the country’s insurance markets are defined as “highly concentrated,” according to Justice Department guidelines. Predictably, that’s led to skyrocketing costs for patients, and monster profits for the big health insurers. Premiums have gone up over the past six years by more than 87 percent, on average, while profits at ten of the largest publicly traded health insurance companies rose 428 percent from 2000 to 2007.
Far from healthy market competition, HCAN describes the situation as “a market failure where a small number of large companies use their concentrated power to control premium levels, benefit packages, and provider payments in the markets they dominate.”
The Executive Summary [.pdf] of the report points out that the lack of competition hurts rural and lower population states more, is especially bad for small businesses, and the only thing rising faster that insurance premiums are insurance corporation profits and CEO pay. The numbers from the HCAN report on Texas are not good [.pdf]:
- According to a 2008 AMA report, Health Care Service Corp., the biggest Texas health insurer, controls 44 percent of the state market through its BlueCross BlueShield of Texas subsidiary. Together with UnitedHealth Group Inc., the second largest Texas health insurer,
they hold 68 percent of the market.
- Some local markets are even more concentrated. In Abilene, Health Care Service Corp. has an 85 percent market share.
- Health insurance premiums for Texas working families have skyrocketed, increasing 87 percent from 2000 to 2007.
- For family health coverage in Texas during that time, the average annual combined premium for employers and employees rose from $6,638 to $12,403.
- For family health coverage in Texas, the average employer’s portion of annual premiums rose 88 percent, while the average worker’s share grew by 83 percent.
- From 2000 to 2007, the median earnings of Texas workers increased 15 percent, from $23,032 to $26,484. During that time health insurance premiums for Texas working families rose 5.8 times faster than median earnings.
When a firm has more than a 42 percent share of a single market, the U.S. Justice Department considers that market to be “highly concentrated.” This means that an insurer could raise premiums and/or reduce the variety of plans or quality of services offered to customers with impunity.
The full report can be found here. Competition is why the public option is a must in any health insurance reform that passes. Because without it there is no competition, and prices will not go down.
What voters need to understand about a reform plan is that:
- They will not lose health care if the lose a job or get sick.
- The power will shift from the insurance corporations to the people.
- It will reduce costs for families, businesses, and the country.
It’s key to remember that Republicans don’t oppose a plan with a public option because they don’t think it will work. They oppose it because they’re pretty sure and afraid that it will. Because if it does work it would put them in the minority for a long time once again.
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Posted in Precinct 4, Take Action, Williamson County at 9:52 am by wcnews
Kurt Johnson, Sr., a former Williamson County resident has written a book about the recent state of the county government in Williamson County, it’s called Glass Walls. You can read excerpts and find links to purchase the book via Barnes & Noble and Amazon here. The excerpt below does a great job of putting in context why the current elected officials in Williamson County are able to continue to make decisions that many disagree with, and not suffer the consequences on election day.
The problem with this neoconservative approach at the local level is that it generated controversial policies and decisions opposed by the public, but even more problematical was the fact that it functioned [through the five-member (Williamson County) commissioners court] in an oligarchical manner.
Observers who watched the court—especially during the period 2000-2009—concluded that the confidence these elected officials had in the Republican Party’s ability to deliver votes provided election insulation against a grass-roots or populist uprising. If the party could deliver the votes, there really was no need worrying about the criticisms or objections of the average citizens. Straight-ticket voting alone could deliver the necessary numbers, especially in the fast-growing areas where bedroom suburbs of Republican enclaves were replacing rural settings.
The book goes into depth defining neoconservatism and how that all feeds into what’s been happening in Williamson County. Via a TDP article on the book, Book explores local neo-conservatism.
The first 100 pages of the book outline his definition of a neo-conservative. Using high-profile George W. Bush-era politicians like Paul Wolfowitz and Donald Rumsfeld as a springboard, Johnson said he irons down what is is to be a neo-conservative.
Initially, he said, a neo-conservative must be a strong believer in the sanctity of an unfettered free-market economy. Second, there is a tendency to identify with a strong militaristic culture. And third, those officials usually engage in public square theology, or, a willingness of politicians to publicly display their religion on their sleeve as a tool to promote an agenda.
“The best example is people that want to hang Ten Commandments in every courthouse,” Johnson said. “They believe that if you just did that you would cure all problems. If you just had enough God in the picture, it would straighten (everything) out.”
Examples are readily available in county government, he said.
“The fact that (commissioners) pray before each meeting,” Johnson said was one example of how neo-conservatism plays out in local government. Hutto and Taylor city councils have invocations prior to each meeting as well.
Johnson expects a lot of people to disagree with his viewpoints and arguments. But the main idea behind his book is to stimulate dialogue, not to proselytize.
Johnson began writing Glass Walls shortly before the presidential election. Though he lives in Austin, Johnson said he has a vested interest in shining light on the nature of politics of Williamson County.
It’s a discussion that’s definitely needed and anyone who’s frustrated with Williamson County’s government should read Glass Walls. It helps to understand why we have the government we have. Especially those who live in Precinct 4 need to understand how dismissive and unresponsive Commissioner Ron Morrison has been to many of his constituents.
It is the GOP machine in Williamson County and a cowed majority of voters that keeps electing a party, and not people, because of one or all of these reason - fear, greed, or ignorance. The question going forward is will the voters of Williamson County continue to elect members of one party that essentially gives them no say in their local government?
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