10.10.07
BOR Interviews Noriega And Watts
TX-Sen: BOR Interview with Mikal Watts & Rick Noriega. A great job by BOR. And I agree with Kuff’s comments regarding the traditional media and their inability to provide something like this thus far. Good questions and great answers by both candidates. My only comment is I didn’t see a specific question on health care, fully understanding that a decision had to be made on what and what not to ask. The TTC made the cut and here’s what the candidates had to say regarding it.
7. Where do you stand on the Trans-Texas Corridor? How do you intend to fund our transportation infrastructure needs? Do you support the current “toll everything” policy or would you instead consider raising/indexing the gas tax?
RN: I oppose the Trans-Texas Corridor because of the large price tag, as well as the land use, environmental, and eminent domain impacts of the project. It is an extraordinary price to pay for a project whose goals can be met through other more reasonably priced means. We must find ways to improve our infrastructure by considering feasible expansions of mass transit, but we cannot do so in a fiscally irresponsible way.
MW: I am against tolling existing roads, against confiscating personal property to help a foreign company’s bottom line, and against secret no-bid contracts to transfer public wealth into private hands. I am for any comprehensive plan that promotes mass transit, energy independence, and a reasonable solution to our traffic gridlock.
Go to BOR and read the whole thing.