We as members of the communities in Texas have heard this all before. Our lawmakers our asking us once again to take on billions of dollars in debt to refurbish many Texas projects such as highways, school loans and others. While most of the programs do seem worthy, including a large chunk to be spent on cancer research, others sound less that vaguely familiar. Once again the ballot on November 6th will hold the highest amount reserved for highways throughout Texas, five BILLION to be exact. While many supporters of proposals say that with this money we will rely less on toll roads, a very hot button issue here in Texas it brings to mind one of the most highly contested topics in the 2007 session of Texas legislation. When the toll road was originally given as an idea in a proposition bill it was to be paid for then, years later to find it would become a toll road and that the many taxpayers that had already paid for its construction would find they would pay a small fee even to use it. If this promise was made about highways a number of years ago what is to be said that this would happen again? We are now paying debts that were not even our decision to make, so must we thrust that economic burden upon our children. The research done is up to each taxpayer when they go to the polls on November 6th but pick and choose carefully the spending that is important to you because more than likely it is your children that will end up paying for it.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/5212081.html
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Prop 12: Beware of the Hungry
Tax Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.
Vote NO on Prop 12!
The revenue hungry "Tax Wolf" is rearing its ugly head again with Proposition 12, which is carefully crafted to trick Texans to vote for debt, future tax increases and toll roads paid for with our tax dollars (an unaccountable double tax).
In recent years, TxDOT has claimed they’ve run out of money, while they spend billions of our tax dollars to shift our public highways to toll roads and push the equally unpopular Trans Texas Corridor (TTC). Also to blame are Texas legislators, who have diverted billions of our tax dollars intended for transportation, into their pet projects, while they allow TxDOT, a rogue agency, to run amuck.
The State Auditor caught TxDOT inflating it’s needs by $45 billion dollars this year and TxDOT continues to ignore the public by spending millions of our tax dollars on an ad campaign to sell us toll roads and TaxTags.
Proposition 12 is the largest proposed new debt on the ballot this year. It would authorize up to $5 billion dollars of state road debt to be repaid with general revenue, instead of dedicated transportation funds. Yet another accountability breech as TxDOT is eager to become an unaccountable taxing authority.
In 2001, Prop 15 (the first Tax Wolf in sheep's clothing) was put on the ballot and politicos promised it would help solve our transportation crisis by establishing the Texas Mobility Fund. Texans trusted TxDOT and legislators and voted for "mobility" and Prop 15 became a constitutional amendment. Much like this years Prop 12, the ballot language of Prop 15 did not openly inform voters that TxDOT would use Texas Mobility Fund exclusively to shift our freeways to toll ways. Prop 15 took accountability and the will of the people out of the equation - so special interests could seize OUR LAND and OUR ROADS for profit.
Don’t be fooled again, help stop the tax wolf and vote NO on Prop 12. Early voting begins Monday Oct 22. Election day is Nov 6th.
Learn more about our government corruption in Texas here:
http://salcostello.blogspot.com/
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