07.22.06

Anti-Incumbency Takes Hold In Rural Texas, And They Don’t Like The TTC Much Either

Posted in Around The State, Election 2006, Williamson County at 12:21 pm by wcnews

This is an amazing story from The Clifton Record on the TTC meeting this past Wednesday, Bosque County Says ‘NO!’ To Corridor - thanks to Wigwam for tip. Whether it’s family history, the environment, corruption or just wanting rural Texas to stay rural Texas, nobody out here is for this. There were two other things in this one I found interesting, they’re opposed even if it doesn’t come through their county, and they blame the legislature for this, A LOT! Did you hear that Mike Krusee? In case you don’t remember he was the sponsor for all of this in the Texas House. Many excerpts below:

“No one has been able to give me a list of benefits of the corridor to Bosque County. I don’t believe it exists,” John Faubion said to applause from the crowd.

John Campbell asked anyone in the crowd of over 400 who supports the project to identify themselves, if they weren’t too afraid to.

No one stood, to laughter from the crowd.

[…]

“Our rolling wooded hills, valleys, the abundant wildlife, the fertile soils. The attractions that brought the settlers here in 1854 remain the very essence of the county today,” Walt Lewis said.

[…]

Jamie Finstad wanted to know what the state believes is “just compensation” for taking land and memories that has been in his family for 150 years.

“I wonder where all the wildlife that’s being displaced will go, and I wonder why we’re all in such a hurry,” Finstad continued.“If we give it up (the land) now, it’s gone forever, and they’ll just want more later on,” Carl Aspen said.

[…]

“We haven’t adjusted yet to the second stop light in our county,” Judge Word jokingly remarked. “We’re not for one inch of the Trans-Texas Corridor in Bosque County. If we wanted to live in the Metroplex, we’d move there. We don’t want the Metroplex brought here.”

[…]

Several spoke to the corruption they believe underlies the Trans-Texas Corridor, and the lack of legislative action to end the project.

“Do you believe in communism or dictatorships? That’s what we appear to be headed for,” Sam Wells told the panel receiving the comments. “I hope TxDOT feels like General Custer, because the public is like Sitting Bull’s tribe, and we’ll do what we need to stop this. We won’t stand for somebody taking our land.”

“I’m appalled the state legislature has not stopped this. Our legislators have yet again turned a blind eye to the needs of this district,” said former Clifton Mayor W. Leon Smith.

[…]

“It gives me heartburn to think we’ll build a toll road and send the money to a company in Spain,” said David Pieper, adding that the state is diverting billions of dollars that should be earmarked for transportation improvements to other uses.

This is not progress,” said Martha West. “It’s prostitution of our great state, and with filthy money.”

[…]

Aspen, who said he spoke with a TxDOT official before the public hearing, was not surprised at a comment he received.

“He told me, ‘We don’t want to hear, “Not in my back yard.”’

“Of course, he also told me the corridor won’t affect him where he lives,” Aspen added.

[…]

Many testifying suggested that, if the infrastructure is built, the name should be changed. Suggestions ranged from “The Corridor of Regret,” to the “Trans-Texas Horror-Door,” to “Ben Dover.”

[…]

One by one, most of those testifying put the onus on the state’s legislators. Many said it was past time to send them comments. Most said it was time to send them home by voting them out in the next election.

“House Bill 3588 passed, effectively, unanimously, so they all need to go,” said Linda Curtis, founder of Independent Texans. “We need to get organized, and tell them where to put this corridor.”

Harmon agreed, saying Texas needs to get rid of any politician who supports or does not specifically oppose the TTC.

We, of course, have two meeting coming up in Williamson County this week - Georgetown on Monday and Taylor on Tuesday. I would suggest anyone who wants to get up to speed on this issue go to CorridorWatch and you’ll find links to the hearing schedule and how to participate in the hearings. It will also be interesting to see if our current elected officials - County Commissioners, State Reps. and State Sen. - show up and speak at these hearings. I know that all the Democratic candidates running in Williamson County are against this - Karen Felthauser, Michael Hofmann, Birg Mireles and Jim Stauber - and will be at the hearings. I’m not sure where the Republicans that are running for and are on the Commissioners Court stand on the TTC. If they show up, I’m sure they’ll get a chance to share their opinion.

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