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Required reading for journalists
reporting on Indiana road privatization
PRIMER ON MAJOR MOVES - Facts obscured by our government
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Major Moves was the name of a
legislative package to grant the office of the Governor of Indiana
power to lease Indiana Roads for up to 99 years. Modified, the
legislation passed the spring of 2006 and quickly "major moves" the
name was reassigned.
"Major Moves" now refers to the ten year budget plan of INDOT.
The dual usage of the
term "Major Moves" has allowed those who supported "major moves--the
bill" to claim greater value by confusing it with the larger "major
moves-- the spending package".
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Before Major Moves, INDOT had a ten year projected budget
of $10
Billion Dollars. That is money projected from state and federal
gas
taxes collected at Indiana gas pumps. Now INDOT and the Governor
claim a $12 million
dollar budget with Major Moves. That $2 billion dollar increase
represents a less than 17% increase for the next decade.
Don't buy the hype that there would have been no
road budget
without Major Moves! I-69 expansion pushed up from a 25 year
project
alone was last estimated by INDOT and FHWA as $3.15 billion from
Kentucky to Michigan and that was before fuel costs began rising, a
major component of road construction costs.
When something sounds too good to be true it
probably is... That
is, there is a price to be paid... we did not pull a fast one on
the
Spanish and Australian consortiums, it is them who got the Golden
Egg. We just got egged.
Luckily because of state Senator, Vi Simpson (D),
saying, "I would
not give (former Democratic Party Governor) Joe Kernan this
much power.", Senator Meeks and Kenley,
Republicans, on Senate Appropriations modified the version of Major
Moves proposed by Daniels and originally passed along party lines by
the Indiana Representatives in the House. If not for
Senator
Simpson's strong statement, Major Moves would have allowed Daniels
(or
any future Governor) to have leased/ privatized for corporate toll
taxation, any or all roads and bridges in Indiana, to any body, for
any amount of money or any promise, for any number of years-- up to
99. Watch as the attempt to extend tolling powers to the
Governor returns to the legislature in future legislative sessions.
The Spring 2006 Indiana Legislature passed Major
Moves and a privatization of private property bill
(HEA 1010), which granted Governor Daniels this privatized tolling
power over homes, businesses churches and farms of SW indiana and
State Hwy37 from Bloomington to Indianapolis, as future
NAFTA corridor, I-69 (3c).
As a build project, it will be proposed
next
legislative session modeled after the contractual agreement of the
Trans Texas Corridor Project... If you want to get ahead of even the
top Indiana journalists, read this: http://www.i69tour.org/privatization01.html,
the terms of this agreement will be very different than the lease of
the Indiana Toll road that was based on the Illinois Toll Road
lease. There will be no upfront pot of gold, only
generations of tolls to pay to international investors for a highway
unwanted and unneeded.
Daniels has suggested that we pulled one over on the
consortiums
who have purchased the Indiana Toll Road for the next 75 years.
They
are doing very well thank you....: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000082&sid=arfs034ejzmQ&refer=canada
The Canada Toll Road mentioned in this
article is an interesting
case: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_407
There is much wrong with the Major Moves Bill.
We hope you might
read our official comments sent to Daniels, INDOT and the IFA before
the agreement was signed:
http://www.i69tour.org/IFA_comments.html
A few chapters are perhaps too legalese, but we hope you might
open
your considerations to some of this issues raised in these chapters:
Chapter 3 The Indiana Constitution
Chapter 4 The Toll Increase is Unfair & Excessive
Chapter 5 This Tolling is untimely and ineffective
governance
Chapter 6 Guaranteed Profits
Chapter 7 Contract Voidance
Chapter 9 Reason’s Reasons Wrong
Chapter 10 Right Reason Reasons, Ignored.
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