To Kay Bailey Hutchison: Campaign integrity for toll roads & mobility
The following letter was mailed to Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison on February 3, 2010.
Gerald Daugherty and Jim Skaggs
Austin, TX
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
961 Federal Building
300 East 8th Street
Austin, TX 78701
February 2, 2010
Dear Senator Hutchison:
We share respect for your dedication and many accomplishments in your long service representing Texas as US Senator. It was a great disappointment that your campaign chose to substantially misrepresent and distort the characteristics and value of toll roads, casting them as liabilities to society rather than positive assets which have proven to be one of the important elements in addressing our growing mobility needs. Increased mobility has been directly related to improved quality of life for many hundreds of years. Today, mobility is vital to many aspects of our daily lives including access to affordable homes and greater opportunities.
We understand you may be influenced by your campaign’s perception of “political” necessity. However, you are highly regarded and your misrepresentation and influence will mislead many people. This will degrade or impede the future progress of many who have worked so hard to improve mobility in our communities. Contrary to your TV ads, the current toll roads in Central Texas are not converted tax roads and do not represent “double taxation.” In many cases, toll roads are funding additional “free” road lanes which are substantially improving mobility for both those who choose to use toll roads and those who choose to not use toll roads.
To a great extent, Mobility throughout the US has been dramatically degraded by governments at national, state and local levels continuing to divert greater portions of highway fund dollars to other uses. At the national level, some 20% of the highway gas tax funds are diverted to public transit and earmarks. At the Texas State level, about 50% of gasoline tax revenues are diverted to other uses such as education. Clearly, it would be more constructive to apply all highway funds to highways and to more directly address the funding issues of other needs.
These fund diversions and the continuing decline of gas tax revenues per passenger mile, due to greater vehicle efficiency and alternative fuel/power, coupled with no increases in per gallon gas tax amounts, have reduced roadway funding to an unsustainable level that cannot support needed mobility infrastructure.
As we have seen here in Central Texas, government and privately funded toll roads have played vital roles in partially filling the gap created by depleted roadway tax funds. These toll roads have dramatically improved the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of people. Citizens have voiced their acceptance by acquiring toll tags for more than 50% of the registered vehicles residing in toll road served areas.
It would seem ill-advised to prohibit foreign investments from supporting needed mobility improvements if this is the most cost-effective alternative available and U.S. firms choose to not bid, or, are not competitive. If sound contracts are constructed to protect US toll road users, competent companies headquartered in many foreign countries are acceptable to provide the needed capital investment. The foreign firm leases the land or the right to operate the toll road but does not own a single square foot of the American roadway. For many years, the US was a dominant provider of foreign infrastructure in major industries throughout the world. Boeing is the top US exporter and maintains a major share of the world commercial aircraft market. Should foreign customers have rejected the US?
We urge you to assure campaign statements regarding mobility are accurate and that they support mobility improvements which are so vital to all citizens.
Sincerely,
Gerald Daugherty Jim Skaggs