07.25.06
Report From Last Night’s TTC Meeting In Georgetown
From an email I received:
The GHS Performing Arts auditorium is roughly the size of the one in Cameron where I attended my first hearing last week…maybe a littler larger. Again, at least at the beginning, a good two-thirds of the seats were full. Also again, during Fred Head’s address, he asked for a count of those opposed to the TTC…just before the meeting began, Fred obtained a tally of attendees; with 236 total, and only 2 raising their hands in favor, that meant 234 of us were there to protest. As I think on it, since Dan Gattis was in the audience, he would’ve been one of those two to favor the awful plan he helped bring about.
Fred Head (Democratic candidate for State Comptroller) and Mary Beth Harrell (Democratic candidate for Congressional Seat District 31) gave great speeches as did Karen Felthauser and Jim Stauber (Democratic candidates for State Representative, House Districts 52 and 20 respectively). The Libertarian candidate for House District 52 also spoke although it was difficult to hear what she was saying since her mouth wasn’t close enough to the microphone. There was another fellow there who this time announced that he was a write-in candidate for governor. The first time I saw and heard him was at a Sun City forum back in the winter but I’ve also seen and heard him since. If you converse with him one-on-one he seems sensible enough but whenever he talks before a group he comes off belligerent and in places downright incoherent. He would not yield the floor after his 3 minutes were up and for awhile it looked like the DPS troopers might have to escort him out, but seeing several coming toward him from either side, he did leave. I gather he actually left the building at that time because once all the scheduled speakers had their turn, and anyone from the audience had a chance to say something, the TXDOT moderator, according to the rules initially set forth, called the man’s name to speak again but he wasn’t inside. By then most everybody else had gone too, either because they’d stayed as long as they could or perhaps they were uncomfortable with that guy’s rants.
For me, this is the stuff of pathos. The TTC is so senseless, and how it’s been handled from inception to now is also so senseless, as for it boggle a normal mind. So I realize it is both understandable that we could go off the deep end and an admonishment that we must not allow this of ourselves if we are to be effective in our opposition.
One more thing: this time TXDOT has a supply of booklets entitled RELOCATION ASSISTANCE, which had been mentioned in the booklet STATE PURCHASE OF RIGHT OF WAY. In reading the former, I learned (and also verified with one of the TXDOT staff) that those of us who have clear title to our property will be without a certain degree of assistance that would be available to those with existing mortgages. Let me explain what this means for me: if I were to have to move and the amount of money I received for my land wouldn’t be enough to find comparable acreage elsewhere, I wouldn’t get a down-payment allotment, etc. Those of us who’ve had our farms longest would be hurt the most. Another inequity to the entire scheme of inequities.
That last paragraph shows what a horrible deal this will be for the people that have had land passed down from generation to generation or those that have worked all their lives – blood, sweat and tears, literally – to own their own land.