It's too early to derail Daniels' tollway plan

taking land from citizens and handing it to private firms for profit is NOT cutting edge. It is theft

When I see a Toyota commercial the phrase "moving forward" generates positive connotations. When I hear it from the governor or his supporters it brings to mind notions like insider deals, dismantling government, walking all over laws and participitory democracy, vindictiveness toward political enemies, and other scary thoughts.

I expect that in this case "moving forward" is a euphemism for "my way on the highway."

Most of those who are up in arms over privatizing our highways are those who like big and corrupt government. Opponents, who are more concerned with their own personal agendas than the overall good the the people, most likely support the same corrupt politicians who will soon have no more pots of money to stick their dirty little fingers into.

And Mitch Daniels has said "Enough is enough," for corrupt politicians sticking their dirty little hands into every proposal, with nothing getting done.

It's about time someone rolls up their sleeves and starts reigning in corrupt and inefficient government bureaucracies. Outsourcing Toll Road operations is a big step in that direction.

Get the politicians, bureaucrats, and corruption out of the way and start getting things done. That's how privatization works.

Mitch is not selling out the state, he is waging war against government corruption.

What is really needed is to bring back the real ICC being the Interstate Commerce Commision that was done aways with when they brought on deregulation. Our transportation system has been messed up ever since. This would also give the public a voice in this. The government did away with it because they had to do through them before they could make a decision on any roads being built. The ICC would do a study and also take opinions from the public before giving an answer to the government as to if they could move forward or not. It was set up to protect the public from wasteful government spending and to also protect the public from unjust decisions made by the government. So first we should demand a return of the ICC then let them study this plan to see if is worth the waste of private property or not. Ever since the governmet did away with the ICC they have run ruffeshot over the public every time they want to do something.

Yeah Dennis, bring back more government bureaucracy and corruption to slow things down even more. That's how to get things done--or not.

Privatized tolling is supported by the Reason Foundations study, Should we sell our toll roads.
REASON'S REASONS WRONG
http://www.i69tour.org/reason_wrong.html
That document supports and the powerful elite who are promoting it's conclusions support selling by long term leases (three to four generations) our trade and transportation corridors, because:
1. The democratic process will not allow legislators to charge as high of tolls as will a corporation not hampered by public controls.
2. They now accept that you cannot build our way out of congestion, so they have surrendered to the idea of price us out of congestion.
Tolling may well have some place in the transportation mix, but segmenting our highway "system" into hundreds or thousands of individual properties owned by foreign corporations with the single motive of maximizing profit for up to 99 years on that specific "property" is not the way to do it.
This type of motivation will build under utilized luxury segments, lobbying continuously to prevent congestion mitigation near their investment to enhance the value of their holding. That is, the best toll road property is one that has congestion as it's only alternative.
In a propertied society, we need permission to cross property lines for distances if we are going to have affordable travel. It is hard to imagine a more essential job of government than to wisely manage, maintain and adapt to the vehicles of any era.
The eminent domain authority of the state should be held with reverence. "Eminent" comes from "The Eminent" or the "King". The private property of Hoosiers when acquired for transportation corridors/ right of ways should be held by "the state" and not transferred as a profit tool immediately to any body from anywhere. Four generation leases for up to 99 years to Cintra of Spain and/or Macquarie of Australia are un-American.

Jeff wrote:

taking land from citizens and handing it to private firms for profit is NOT cutting edge. It is theft

The TCC-I69 is not only un-American, but extremely "unwise".

One international broker of these deals has privately stated that the problem with the Illinois and Indiana Toll Road sales was that they provided the maximum backside concession to the lease purchaser in order to bring in the maximum lease/purchase price.

He is a major supporter of privatization and the Republican party. He states that our lease should have required that the tolls go down over time, rather than up.

Persons who think they know what a toll road is, have not imagined this new Privatized road properties concession investment tool.

This is not your fathers toll road. This is Indiana taxpayers locked in by "moral obligation" (actual wording in the Major Moves Law) to guaranteeing with our states general fund, growing volumes of traffic over time for 75 years. The major moves legislation would have allowed future Daniels' contracts without further scrutiny to be granted for up to 99 years. Our "moral obligation" to lease holders is suggested by the law for all future contracts too.

These contracts on our roads once written are "investment instruments" under the category "utilities" to be traded on the world markets based on multipliers of annual earnings. Already some analysts are warning that the "bubble" for this "sector" is ready to burst.

What this means to Hoosiers is a pressure to provide a profit by pricing to our new owners of our roads is intense.

The bicycle is 150 years old, the car aproximately 100.

Is this the best way to plan for the long term, the short term or even for the current transportation needs?

Is this anyway to treat the property taken from Hoosier families who cleared this land, nurtured it and made it their home for 150 years?

We do not want our beautiful farmland and fields in GREENFIELD replaced by asphalt to "ease traffic" in INDIANAPOLIS, or for ANY other reason that has been put on the table as of yet. There is not much land left in Hancock County that people with certain agendas have not yet mutilated. If they want to "ease traffic" in Indianapolis, rip up part of Indianapolis, don't mess with our land, please. I'm sure with all of the suggestions from people that also think this is a horrible idea, they can think of a better solution.

I live in GREENFIELD, not Beech Grove

As long as the US population continues to increase there will always bee demand for more highways. More people equals more cars, which means more roads are needed.

If you want to preserve farmland and forests and stop roadbuilding, then we might as well do like China--enact our own "One Child" policy here in America. Because controlling population growth is the only way to stop the inevitable.

As much as I am opposed to the toll road, I am also of the opinion that it is a done deal. The only groups FOR the road, are our elected officials. And they haven't voted their constituents views yet, why would they start now ?

Too many lobbyists with too much money.

I am beginning to see "Stop ICC Toll Road" signs in yards. Anyone know where to get them ?

where can I get a stop the icc toll road sign?
slugcutie@aol.com

Jm West wrote:

I am beginning to see "Stop ICC Toll Road" signs in yards. Anyone know where to get them ?

http://www.alltolled.com/dosomething.htm