03.22.07
Sen. Carona Jilts Toll Road Opposition
“Within thirty years’ time, under existing comprehensive development agreements, we’ll bring free roads in this state to a condition of ruin.” – Sen. Carona, December 2006
“I don’t intend to move it,” (In reference to the toll road moratorium bill in his committee). – Sen. Carona, March 2007
From the today’s article it seems that Sen. Carona is doing this because he was pressured by his local pro-toll officials. They have been able to get Sen. Carona to buy the concept that waiting two years to make sure all of this is done correctly and the damage that would do to transportation in his local area is worse than, in his words, “..bring(ing) free roads in this state to a condition of ruin.”
Sal’s pissed and for good reason. CorridorWatch is not happy either and that’s totally understandable.
Sen. Carona gave hope to the people that are for a sane, rational discussion of our transportation future in Texas. Why Sen. Carona has decided to retreat from the tough talk on tolls that endeared so many to him, despite the local backlash in his area, will leave many wondering who or what go to him. To a certain extent what he’s done, giving hope and now taking it away, is worse than if he’d have never done it in the first place.
This is an issue where time is very important. Waiting and stalling does not work in this case and the longer Sen. Carona waits the less power he has – because of a Perry veto – and the more the power starts shifting back to the TxDOT and Krusee.
The “grand compromise” is not an option with these people. They don’t’ play that way. Senator you’re own statements have been very harsh and true about what this state and TxDOT have been doing over last 20 years.
…Carona believes the Legislature was wrong to give the Transportation Department as much license as it has to build toll roads and use excess money from those roads for other transportation projects.”Is a toll a toll, or is it to be allowed to be a tax?” Carona said. “Today’s tolls are just disguised taxes.”
Carona said he and his fellow legislators over his 19 years in the Legislature put the Transportation Department in a bad position by declining to raise the state gas tax, creating a transportation funding shortfall that now runs to the tens of billions.
“Everyone of us, myself included, are to blame,” Carona said. “But when you make a mistake, in politics just as in life, the best thing to do is correct it. It’s incumbent on us to change bad law.”
This is a disaster for the folks across Texas that held out hope that there was one Republican left, with a spine, that would help save, not only their family farm from destruction, but save the state government from making another privatization mistake. This one, though is much worse, it’s a generational mistake of monumental proportions. Two-years, Sen. Carona, that’s all we are asking, to save our FREE roads from a condition of ruin. And you couldn’t even give us that.
From a strictly partisan stance this is not a bad thing. If this issue is not dealt with in this legislature it will cause severe long-term damage to the Texas GOP. And I would much rather have the moratorium pass than what is currently happening. That being said, this opens the door wide for Democrats to use this issue in conjunction with all the other disasters that are engulfing the weak Republican leadership our state has had to endure since we allowed our state to be taken over by this band pocket liners. DEMOCRATS WILL STOP THIS.
Susan Garry said,
March 22, 2007 at 8:58 pm
Thanks for your continuing good analysis of this issue. I am still trying to sort things out, realizing that somebody who is not there in the Capitol can’t keep up with, or understand, what is going on behind the scenes. The one thing that I really can’t comprehend is Sen. Carona’s stance. If he was trying to forge a new power base or group of common interest, including all who were fighting the Corridor, both Democrats and Republicans ( a group that I believe is out there, looking to coalesce behind a leader), he has now messed up. He was possibly on his way to consolidate his base, a new type of base, for possibly higher office. Now, this possibility seems remote. I would appreciate more ideas about what is going on here!
wcnews said,
March 22, 2007 at 10:08 pm
At this point it’s hard to tell, but the best I can figure at this point is that someone got to him. I think the the transportation people in the Metroplex leaned on him pretty hard not to scuttle their projects.
It could be that he wasn’t expecting the support he got and he never really intended for it to go this far.
He looks pretty stupid right now though.
I think we’ll find out something more concrete, as to they this happened, soon.
BTW, thanks for the comments.
wcnews said,
March 23, 2007 at 8:54 am
EOW user Gary Conner’s comment on this post has been put into a Word document to save space. I can be read here.
Eye on Williamson » TTC Disconnect said,
April 3, 2007 at 9:40 am
[...] all the hemming and hawing, or flip-flopping if you like, over toll roads by state legislators, Sen. Carona specifically, [...]
Eye on Williamson » The Toll Road Moratorium(s) - Where We Stand said,
May 3, 2007 at 11:13 am
[...] train rolling down the tracks, Sen. Carona figured he couldn’t stop it, and he decided to jump off. Rep. Krusee (R – Irrelevant), chair of the House Transportation Committee, was then side-stepped [...]
Eye on Williamson » The Congestion Pricing Scam said,
July 11, 2007 at 11:33 am
[...] was what Sen. John Carona (R – Dallas) was so concerned about before session, with CDA’s, before he lost his will to turn back the tide on toll roads. The scam is to “voluntarily” force people to [...]
Eye on Williamson » The Next Leader Of TxDOT said,
January 3, 2008 at 3:46 pm
[...] that left them with some political cover they needed on the other side as well. Evidenced by the Sen. Carona’s flip-flop on toll raods during last session. Krusee’s never had that savvy. Most people wind up not liking him, even [...]