12.07.07

7 Republicans, A Democrat, And A Randian

Posted in Around The State, Commentary, Privatization, Road Issues at 11:22 am by wcnews

If we can all go back a little more than six months ago when the so-called moratorium on the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) – SB 792 – was passed, it included a provision for a 9 member “legislative study committee”. Below are the specifics of how the committee was to be composed.

There will be an interim study period including a legislative study committee. Remember who appoints the members, form the bill analysis:

The bill creates a legislative study committee. The committee is composed of nine members, appointed as follows: (1) three members appointed by the lieutenant governor; (2) three members appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; and (3) three members appointed by the governor. The legislative study committee shall select a presiding officer from among its members and conduct public hearings and study the public policy implications of including in a comprehensive development agreement entered into by a toll project entity with a private participant in connection with a toll project a provision that permits the private participant to operate and collect revenue from the toll project. In addition, the committee shall examine the public policy implications of selling an existing and operating toll project to a private entity.

Their report is due, no later than December 1, 2008. None of those three – Gov., Lt. Gov, Speaker – are anti-corporate tolls, so we can’t expect much balance on this committee.

At Short Cuts Ben Wear is reporting that the 9 members are now set, Perry names Floridian to toll road study team. And as the title of this post and the membership of the committee shows, it appears my analysis from May was spot on.

Gov. Rick Perry today named his three members to the private toll road study committee created in last session’s signature transportation bill, SB 792, and it includes a leading privatization advocate from … Florida?

Actually, Bob Poole, director of transportation studies for the libertarian Reason Foundation, lived in California until not all that long ago. And whether or not you agree with his view of how best to build roads — and I know you’re out there disagreeing — you can’t dispute he knows the subject matter. I’ve interviewed Poole a number of times and he knew more about Austin roads than some members of CAMPO.

Perry also named to the nine-member committee Johnny Johnson, former chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission, and Grady Smithey, who served on the Duncanville City Council for 18 years. Johnson was on the commission until about a year ago and voted for all the policies that had the Legislature and much of the public so riled up in the past couple of years. Smithey and the commission, and thus Perry, have been largely sympatico about what to do on toll roads.

[...]

Craddick and Dewhurst had previously named their committee members, all of them legislators.

From Craddick: Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, vice chairman of the House Transportation Committee and a supporter of Perry’s toll road policy; Rep. Aaron Pena, D-Edinburg, who hasn’t been closely involved with legislative transportation issues up to now; and Rep. Wayne Smith, R-Houston, the House sponsor of SB 792 and its House twin that for awhile this spring was the main vehicle on the issue.

Smith, while his legislation bedeviled the governor, was actually most interested in insuring that the Harris County Toll Road Authority’s interests were protected. The final bill actually allows the toll road authority to ink long-term toll road leases with private companies for roads in and around Houston.

Dewhurst named Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee chairman; Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, who carried SB 792; and Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville..

The only Democrat is, of course, a Craddick supporter. As noted above, EOW didn’t expect much balance on this committee, and that’s what we got. It’s doubtful there’ll be much, if any changes when they report. We can always hope. Perry’s wild card pick of Randian – meaning a devotee of Ayn Rand – Robert Poole is interesting. His bio from 39% press release mentions several “free market” organizations he is, or has been, associated with – The Atlas Society, the Reason foundation, and the American Road and Transportation Builder’s Association. They’re all extremely pro-toll and pro-privatization. Here’s a little bit of Poole’s writings on our situation here in Texas, Separating facts and myths in the moratorium debate.

Claim: We shouldn’t give control of our roads to foreign companies.
Reality: We drive foreign cars filled with imported gasoline. We wear foreign-made clothes. And we use foreign computers and televisions. These toll road companies are building and operating immovable infrastructure in Texas. They can’t take the roads back to Spain or Australia. They are spending money in Texas and creating jobs in Texas.

They do take their profits back to Spain and Australia which he fails to mention. From this appointment we definitely know that 39% opinion hasn’t changed. It will be left to the the legislators that were appointed to try and change the privatizations schemes that the governor and the Texas GOP, aka the “tolling party”, have been trying to ram down our throats. We’ll just have to wait and see what kind of startling conclusions they come up with. Don’t hold your breath.

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