No Toll Roads in Texas

According to the United States Census Bureau, Texas has the fastest growing population in the nation, so there is no surprise that Texas has the need to expand existing roads and even the need to build new ones. This growth presents the challenge of developing a cost-effective way to plan a highway infrastructure with consideration to the funding the state has available.

Texas roads are supposed to be funded by several different fees, which come in the form of road taxes. These road taxes are applied to: auto parts sales tax, tire sales tax, vehicle sales tax, vehicle registration fees and a motor fuel tax. Based on information obtained from the American Petroleum Institute, Texans are taxed 38.4 cents per gallon for gasoline and 44.4 cents per gallon for diesel. Considering these amounts and the fact that there are 15 million drivers in Texas, if each driver used one gallon of gasoline in a day, the motor fuel tax would generate $5,760,000 per day! As one can see, the motor fuel tax alone generates a considerably large sum of revenue to be put towards expanding and building new highways, so there is no need to impose tolls on existing or newly build roads.

It goes without saying that any funding that comes from these road taxes should be applied to new roads, but this is not what has happened in Texas. The funding has been diverted, with the citizens of Texas literally paying the price. Politicians have chosen to build toll roads in Texas, rather than fund new highways with the road tax funds that were have been diverted and spent elsewhere. The state executives who include Governor Rick Perry said the toll roads were the best option so as not to raise or impose new taxes. One of the problems with this is toll roads are essentially taxation that is camouflaged and called by a different name. What makes matters worse is the fact that this Texas infrastructure has been handed over to a private and foreign company, Cintra. While it would be extremely lengthy for us to delve into why a private and foreign entity operating the toll roads in any U.S. state is alarming, there is something that can be left to thought. With the population rapidly growing and existing roads deteriorating, Cintra could raise the price of tolls as they see fit, whereas a state operated toll increase would possibly be left up to a vote.

The people of Texas and future generations are now stuck paying over and over for roads that are only built once. This can be equated to purchasing a house. Once the home is paid in full, you will then be charged again and again every time you enter it. It sounds ridiculous and it is. Texans are being excessively charged and taken advantage of. They have allowed the government to pull the wool over their eyes and will probably have to foot the bill for the sheep, which the wool came from.

SHEEPLE CONTROL

     

On Friday, February 15, 2013 Robbie Cooper posted an extremely short commentary on the UrbanGrounds blog titled: It is not about gun control; it’s about people control. Cooper’s commentary illustrates an anti gun control speech by Dan Bongino, who is a former US Secret Service Officer and former US Senate Candidate. The commentary is extremely short, so short in fact that Robbie Cooper’s entire commentary adds up to less than one hundred words. Cooper chose to communicate his message with a few quotes, and through the embedded video of Dan Bongino’s speech, at the Guns Across America Rally in Annapolis, Maryland.

I will start out by saying that I am for the preservation of the entire Bill of Rights to include the Second Amendment, which is the basis for Robbie Cooper’s commentary. I feel that these rights are not up for debate or negotiation, which is right on par with Cooper’s second quote of Bongino’s speech; “That is not up for debate.” I’m also aligned with both men in Cooper’s third quote; “The right to petition, the right to assemble so beautifully on this day. The right to speech is not given to you by the governor or the President of the United States. That is not his to give. And if it is not his to give, it is not his or her or anyone else’s to take away.” With these sections, Cooper chose very deliberate and poignant components of Mr. Bongino’s speech to get his own point across. This was one of the areas of the commentary I really enjoyed. The other part of Robbie’s Cooper’s commentary that I appreciate is his firm position on the subject. He is unwavering and seems to be very absolute in his stance.

The area of the commentary where I disagree is Cooper’s first quote of Bongino’s speech. It reads, “My God given right to protect myself and my family. That was my right not given to me by a piece of paper, only assured by that piece of paper.” For me, there are two issues with this quote. First, I would prefer if the author, or Bongino for that matter, didn’t bring God into the equation. Second, the right to own a gun in this country is not given by God, it’s given by man. I don’t recall ever seeing the word “gun” in The Bible, so in my opinion both of these men could stand to lose that portion of their statements because it holds no weight with me.

The author’s credibility is not a factor in his commentary. He is stating his opinion on a topic, not stating facts nor claiming to be an expert on the subject. With regard to Robbie Cooper’s credibility as a writer, he claims to be formally educated, holding a BS in Professional Writing. The author’s intended audience may be the card carrying members of the NRA, in order to garner support for Mr. Bongino. Maybe Cooper is aiming (no pun intended) at those who are on the fence about whether or not stricter gun control laws are the answer to prevent future mass shootings. It’s quite possible that Cooper intends to reach both of these groups in addition to the herds of sheeple who naively believe that this is about gun control, when it’s really about people control.

I enjoyed Cooper’s commentary, but wish it was a little longer. I feel as though he has more to contribute to this topic, and would compliment what I consider to be a very good, passionate, yet informal speech.