05.14.07
Toll Roads And The Lege
It’s a normal thing in politics in this country and, now state, that the name of something usually means the exact opposite. The “toll road moratoriums” going through the legislature are just such a thing. Since toll roads will still be built if this bill becomes law it’s not a toll road moratorium. It may stop some deals in the future but these bills, whether it’s the bill on Gov. Perry’s desk, HB 1892, or the new-and-improved “compromise” bill, SB 792, there are many exemptions and neither bill them includes the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC).
These moratorium bills have become a shell game for the legislature to make it look like they’re doing something while, in effect, doing nothing. Making them look tough by sending a bill that, if looked at with a discerning eye, does nothing to fix the problem and could possibly make things worse.
EOW said in an earlier post last week, that maybe a special session where the legislature, along with the Gov., Lt. Gov. and the people of Texas - we’re aware of what a stretch this is - are able to focus on the issue of transportation is just what this state needs. Now it looks like what our representatives and “others” are trying to do is rush something through the Lege that enough of them can agree on, no matter what the long-term effects it will have, to allow the governor to save face. And to make it look like they did something to defy the governor, got him to compromise on a supposed toll road moratorium, and do something for the people where toll roads are concerned.