Why are we selling our roads to Spanish/Australian corporations?

[leftstreet]

:shrug:

Cintra is a Spanish company.
MIG is an Australian company.

http://www.officeroutlook.com/news/Infrastructure/618.htm

24 January 2006

Today the Governor of Indiana, US, announced that the Macquarie Infrastructure Group (MIG) and Cintra consortium known as Statewide Mobility Partners has been selected as preferred bidder for the 75 year lease of the Indiana Toll Road.

The purchase price for the lease is US$3,850million (A$5,118million1), with MIG’s 50% equity commitment upon financial close being approximately US$385million (A$512million ). The lease will be acquired from the Indiana Finance Authority.

The Indiana Toll Road, which opened to traffic in 1956, is a 253 km (157 mile) long divided highway which runs the full length of northern Indiana. The Indiana Toll Road connects to the MIG-Cintra owned Skyway in the west and the Ohio turnpike in the east. It is a critical part of the transcontinental route that moves freight to and from major US distribution hubs.

Mr Stephen Allen, Chief Executive Office of MIG said, “We are delighted to have been selected as preferred bidder for the Indiana Toll Road. The Indiana Toll Road, often referred to as ‘the main street of America’, is an essential part of the US National Interstate Highway System and serves as an integral connection between the east and west coasts of America.

[kaygore]

1. It's the selling of America. Get with the program!!!!

The Bushco program, that is!

[havocmom]

11. America? Where? Nah, it's long gone

:cry:

[rodeodance]

2. guess we have no American's that can run them?

[standup]

3. Selling our infrastructure to the highest bidder ... It's a GOP tradition

[newyawker99]

15. Hi standup!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[RagingInMiami]

4. We'd rather drive their roads over here

Then drive their roads over there.

[leftstreet]

5. LOL

Good one!

[KamaAina]

6. Why are we selling our roads to ANY corporations?

There's a word that means "the convergence of state and corporate power". That word is: fascism.

[BR_Parkway]

7. I knew they were all about privitizing gov't services - but now they're

selling off the infrastructure? And no American's are left who can 1) afford to buy it 2) know how to run it? Shouldn't that tell everyone something.

[Fridays Child]

8. An outsourcing argument could be made but that's not the issue.

MIG and Cintra are both publicly traded corporations, accountable to shareholders and not the governments where they're headquartered. Nor do Spain and Australia's leaders bankroll al Qaeda, recognize the Taliban, reject Israel's right to exist, or support slavery.

[leftstreet]

10. Yeah. It's the privatizing issue that's simply nuts.

[killbotfactory]

9. Ownership Society

Everything in America will be owned by other nations.

[Armstead]

12. For electing Mitch Daniels they deserve whatever they get

Sorry, but that's what they voted for when they elected a Bush administration refugee who believes the public domain should be sold off to multinational Golbal Empires, and that the "commons" should be privatized and that public services should be converted to private businesses.

[erinlough]

13. Hear Hear!!!!! I live next door in Michigan

and Mitch Daniels ran a very slimy campaign. He is so transparent that they deserve it, everyone who voted for him. I know I won't be using their main street.

[Armstead]

14. I feel sorry for the folks who didn't vote for him

But somwehere this shit has got to stop. People who drink copious amounts of Kool Aid have to start to really experience the results of what they're supporting when they support these bastids.