Get Ready For US Roads Being Toll Roads Owned By Foreign Countries. GOP Idea.

[TheMastersNemesis]

Colorado is now facing the prospect of most or all of its HOV lanes being high cost toll roads owned by banks and foreign corporations for 50 years. The contracts pending has competition clauses that will penalize Colorado tax payers if they try to upgrade roads that will reduce toll traffic.

Under such a plan no roads could be improved without paying bank owners or foreign companies a penalty fee. That means road cannot be improved under such agreements.

[RB TexLa]

1. Is a foreign company operating a toll road supposed to be worse than a

domestic company operating one?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

8. When the choice is sell it off or have the rich pay their way?

[alfredo]

9. There isn't much difference between a foreign or domestic

business. None them Feel they owe any allegiance to the US.

[malaise]

25. A French company owns most of our toll roads in Jamaica

and the sort of contracts our governments signed on to are beyond ridiculous.
It is a rip off of higher proportions for everyone except tourists because the costs go up for Jamaicans as a result of IMF led devaluation of the Jamaican dollar.

[alfredo]

31. Corporate colonialism

[Ikonoklast]

13. Are you willing to trust domestic interstate commerce in the hands of foreign corporations?

Who may or may not have other motives besides ripping off American drivers?

[RB TexLa]

40. People are going to have to get past nationalist thought.

It really is an illness.

[Ikonoklast]

41. What you are saying is that I must give up my Constitutional protections in the face

of multi-national corporate powers.


This isn't about nationalism at all, it is about allowing foreign corporations beholden to no one to have powers over citizens in other nations, and not the duly elected local governments.


Bet you just love the TPP.

[WinkyDink]

20. Excuse me? You are quite missing the point.

[blkmusclmachine]

2. Texas floated this exact same bullsh!t idea about 8 years ago.

[TheMastersNemesis]

3. In Colorado It Is Close To Reality.

When Bush was in office his administration wanted to make the entire highway system a toll system,

[factsarenotfair]

4. Like the George Washington Bridge.

[imthevicar]

5. LOL

[Eleanors38]

17. Austin "Moscow-on-the-Colorado" now surrounded by toll roads...

and all of them losing money as riders refuse to pay the tolls (I'm one). One Spanish company is complaining about not making enough.

[penultimate]

38. Those toll roads down there are all useless because a driver gets little gain for the price

I became a huuuuge fan of the toll/hov lane on I10 in Houston though... Although it helped that I wasn't paying for it.

[intheflow]

6. Already happening in FL, IN, CA, & VA.

In Indiana, the state had to reimburse the private company for lost revenue when it waived tolls during a flood for public safety reasons. Good piece on this is the Washington Post a couple years back.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/post/more-states-privatizing-their-infrastructure-are-they-making-a-mistake/2012/03/31/gIQARtAhnS_blog.html

What's really pissing me off as a Coloradan commuter is that CDOT is only targeting roadways that don't have adequate public transportation alternatives. The highways south of Denver, for instance, have light rail, but those stretches of highway aren't even being considered farther in the future. Meanwhile, tolls are being proposed for highways through less affluent areas north of the city. That's some serious bullshit there.

[freshwest]

7. They're pushing it in every state. And the public that can pay says, 'Great, more room for me!'

Because we can talk about the Commons without being called socialists and statist liberals!

Can't even get a word in about their sacred Libertarian free market economic aparatheid.

Fucking feudalists.

[2naSalit]

10. the beginning of

hat the TPP has to offer, If they can't have it all in one fell swoop, they'll feed it to us incrementally so that we won't notice it or fight so hard to stop it.

It's a really bitter pill they're gonna shove down our throats and up our arses all at the same time, one way or another as long as we don't have the $$$ power to stop it.

[Firebrand Gary]

11. I strongly encourage everyone on DU to watch the film "In Time" with Justin Timberlake.

We were invited to a friends house to watch this movie a few days ago. I remember seeing the previews when it was hitting theaters, it was not a film that I thought I'd be interested in. I could not have been more wrong.

The film is a brilliant take on capitalism and how it's designed to keep the poor in poverty. It's so accurate that it's shocking! Rent it, buy it, talk about it, text and write about it. "In Time" succeeded where many other films did not in telling the true story of greed.

The "Tolls" in this movie are exactly what we're talking about in this post.

[JustAnotherGen]

26. We watched it

As many times as we could when it was on HBO last year.

If someone enjoyed the book The Handmaid's Tale or the movie - this movie is for you. And not a fan of Timberlakes music or acting in general - but he did a really amazing job in this movie.

[Bluenorthwest]

46. The film is great, and Timberlake can act and he has pretty good taste in his films as well.

I really wanted to dislike his acting, but I can't because he's good.

[NobodyHere]

27. Interesting message/theme

But still a god-awful movie.

[Amonester]

12. And I thought taxing pot would suffice...

Something's wrong in this.

[Trillo]

14. biz vs personal use is a problem.

If you're a biz, you can deduct costs.
If your a mere citizen, you may not deduct costs.

[newfie11]

15. Won't all the tax from pot sales help

Sounds like Colorado's making out on that.

[WinkyDink]

21. MISSING THE POINT COMPLETELY.

[newfie11]

22. Don't yell at me

Be rude somewhere else!

[pampango]

16. The issue is the ALEC-inspired privatization of public highways, not some foreign boogeyman.

Plan to privatize and add toll lanes to Colorado I-70, and C-470 Sparks Public Concern

Call to investigate fast moving $1 billion I-70 East Corridor Macquarie deal- possibly brokered by former chair, House Committee on Transportation, Glenn Vaad, Chair of the powerful ALEC Commerce Task Force.

“The most alarming thing is that Colorado does not know the crown jewels, our public highways, are being privatized by ALEC with expensive toll lanes as we speak. US 36 has already been privatized with a 50 year contract that will be signed at the end of January 2014. I-70 and all of C-470 are next to be privatized and tolled.” Ken J Beitel – A Friend of Colorado.

Listed in the report, “Buying Influence” by watch dog group Common Cause, Vaad has recently come under heavy questioning for accepting “scholarship” money in 2006, 2007 and 2008 from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), an organization dedicated to privatizing public infrastructure and converting state owned highways into toll roads. ALEC brings together state lawmakers like Vaad, and corporate lobbyists to draft legislation that is later adopted in state houses across the country. Vaad received an ALEC “2012 State Legislator of the Year Award” in part for his work on the ALEC model bill titled “Establishing a Public-Private Partnership (P3) Authority Act” (click link for bill text). Co-written by Vaad in New Orleans on Aug 3, 2011 with Geoff Segal, Vice President of Government Relations with Macquarie Capital, the ALEC (P3) bill allows other states to quickly create a privatization authority modeled after Colorado’s High Performance Transportation Enterprise (HPTE). Click here to view leaked ALEC task force agenda – New Orleans August 3, 2011.

https://friendsofthecoloradopuc.wordpress.com/2014/01/16/plans-to-privatize-and-toll-colorado-i-70-all-of-c-470-sparks-concern/

This article is very much opposed to the ALEC privatization agenda, but does not once mention 'foreigners' as the cause of their concern. Corporate ownership of a public highway is the real issue.

Corporations have stockholders from everywhere anyway, regardless of where their home office is located. The goal for us should be to prevent corporate ownership of public property - such as this highway - rather than focusing on where the corporation's head office is located.

[Eleanors38]

18. This is the ultimate goal of the GOPer corporatists.

They see NO opposition, and WILL relentlessly pursue selling off ALL public assets.

[stillwaiting]

28. There are plenty of conservative Democrats who are pushing privatizing our public roads.

Here in VA, BOTH parties support a very controversial new toll road in the Hampton Roads area.

The Virginia Supreme Court voted 9-0 to overturn a Portsmouth judge's ruling that the tolls represent unconstitutional taxation.

The court includes Mark Warner and Tim Kaine appointees (both of whom, of course, are conservative Democrats), but almost EVERYONE was shocked that the entire court ruled in favor of the regressive taxation. People, however, should not have been surprised. When we have Democrats like Mark Warner and Tim Kaine making appointments, Virginia is going to have a whole court stacked with judges that have conservative leanings if not outright biases.

[KoKo]

32. ugh...thanks for the heads up on that..

Is there any other recourse? An appeal?

[stillwaiting]

35. ugh is right KoKo.

Our newly elected Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe has solemnly stated that "we" Virginians must honor the contract that was signed.

He did sound dejected when he said it, but that's all just a bunch of theater as far as I'm concerned.

And to all who would try and jump all over me for criticizing the sorry state of the Democratic Party, I have voted in every election/primary that I have been able to my entire life. I have always voted for the Democrat. So, I have voted for Mark Warner, Tim Kaine, Terry McAuliffe, and I recently helped get elected my ridiculously conservative Democratic state senator Lynwood Lewis.

In every commercial that Lewis ran he sounded like a Republican, and I still helped get him elected.

I will vote for Democrats and I will scream bloody murder when they act like Republicans.

As I always say: Harm reduction has value. By electing Democrats I believe harm to American citizens is reduced. The stated Republican agenda can never be validated at the ballot box, and we will be very sorry if/when that day comes.

But to ignore what has happened to the Democratic Party and to not devote A LOT of time, energy, and resources to making our Party much more progressive ensures that the poor, working, and middle classes will continue to lose ground while the elite/1%/multinational corps hoover up more and more of the nation's wealth/income.

Party loyalists that demand little to no criticism of our Party when it has so clearly been captured by monied interests ensure the status quo will continue long in to the future. It's simply burying one's head in the sand, and it does nothing to help reverse the track we're on.

Sorry for the ramble KoKo. Thanks for caring…

[KoKo]

37. Thanks for the update...

and...I understand what you are saying in your experience. Believe me...

sigh...

[Eleanors38]

33. Oh, no doubt. Next, state parks, WMAs & "preserves."

[WinkyDink]

19. Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell (PA), whom I actually am fond of, wanted this set-up here.

[earthside]

29. Why?

After watching the documentary 'Art of the Steal' ... my estimation of Rendell went even lower.

It was Rendell who was a DNC chair and one of the first to desert Al Gore in the 2000 election controversy.

Rendell may have some political smarts, but if I had to draw a cartoon of a fat-cat, corporate Democrat, it would look like Ed Rendell.

[stillwaiting]

30. He definitely is the epitome of a fat-cat Dem. Unfortunately, we have oodles of them currently.

We have to take back the Democratic Party from them to have a rational hope of things improving again in this country for the poor, working, and middle classes.

Corporate/centrist/conservative Dems will block any legislation that will help the masses if it slices in to the wealth and income of the elite/1%/multinational corporations.

We're going to need a massive and sustained campaign (YEARS LONG - continuously) to take back the Democratic Party from monied interests.

[WinkyDink]

36. If you mean "Why are you fond of him?" it's because I am shallow and think he's (or was!) handsome!

And I've met him a couple times.

[jsr]

23. Recommend

[Enthusiast]

24. I believe Kasich has proposed something similar for Ohio.

Republicans. Horrible for our nation.

[Ikonoklast]

45. And got his ass kicked for it.

Kasich was going to do with leasing what that asshole Rendell did in Pennsylvania with Act 44, which siphoned revenue from the PA Pike for other projects having nothing to do with the turnpike, but making the turnpike responsible for the debt created.

[Enthusiast]

48. With "Democrats" like Rendell, who needs Republicans.

But then I wouldn't want to seem like a purist.

[Ikonoklast]

49. You know, I hate that label as much as the next guy, but Fast Eddie really gets my goat.

I would label him a 'Political Opportunist' more than anything, because he does whatever is expedient and easy, not what is for the best and difficult to achieve.


Each governor or politician doing these quick fixes to grab money up front leasing out public assets instead of raising revenue to fix things only ends up costing the taxpayers more money in the long run.

These leasing deals ensure taxes and fees will be raised even higher after the lease money is all gone (see Indiana and their toll road leasing fiasco) in order to look like a swell guy that didn't raise taxes while they were in office.


That Act 44 legislation Eddie signed was a total screwing of Pennsylvania taxpayers, who now are on the hook for the debt created that Rendell thought he could get back by tolling I-80.

[Enthusiast]

50. Thanks, Ikonoklast.

[ieoeja]

34. I believe that Mayor Daley (D-Chicago) has the honor of being the first.

He sold an interstate toll road a long, long time ago.

Of course, even Bob Novak referred to Daley as "only nominally a Democrat". Privatizing street parking is what finally woke Chicagoans up to the fact that Daley was a wolf in sheep's clothing. The great fear was that he would privatize our water. The city makes a lot of money selling water to the suburbs.

Daley took every money-making venture he could away from the city and sold it off for a one time lump-sum payment. That let him keep the books fairly balanced, but put his successors in a tough spot. Where is the city going to get money now that all of our income sources, except water, have been eliminated?

Daley fucked this city good. But since we didn't feel the fucking until he left, he will not get any of the blame.

[CFLDem]

39. Yup

[Tom Rinaldo]

42. Big business is hghly efficient

...at profiting by taking over control of resources developed with tax payer money. It's the Public/Private Partnership model. Let the public build it and corporations use it. Politicians are too squeamish about squeezing the maximum profits out of the voters who elect them. It is so much more efficient to allow corporate managers to take over that responsibility and then fund political campaigns in return.

[yurbud]

44. we should figure out a way to put stink on "public/private partnership"

Isn't that usually just corruption with a couple of extra syllables?

Fascism is overused, but PPP's fit that definition too.

[yurbud]

43. I hope the bin Laden family buys lots of freeways in red states

and name them after heroes of al Qaeda.

"You wanna go to the State Fair? You gotta take the Osama west to Khalid Sheik Mohammed south, then get off at the Zarqawi Expressway. Martyrs tollway is shorter, but it's closed for construction."

[SomethingFishy]

47. Well, we'll all just get high and drive in the slow lane...