Hi All,
Well, I figured it might be a bad day, after it started out with a fair-to-middlin' serious earache this morning, but I wasn't expecting this news:
I don't know if any of you have heard of the Trans-Texas Corridor, but it's a big item here in Texas, with some of the political types and big city types in favor of it, and ALL farmers, ranchers, and rural residents in general, oposed to it--vehemently opposed, if their homes, or their holdings, are in it's projected path.
The TTC is a proposed conglomeration of toll roads, including multiple automobile lanes, dedicated lanes for trucks, rail freight, and rail passenger lines, together with utility conduits, etc. It's a project of Texas-size proportions, and the promoters are aiming to have it in operation by the year 2015, (only nine years away). The ridiculous part is that the promoters claim that truck traffic from Mexico will pay a large part of the cost.
Lemme tell you, if you have studied the trucks coming out of Mexico, and given it any serious thought, it's pretty obvious--those guys are not going to be paying for any high priced toll roads. They will travel the backroads if necessary, but they don't have any money in their budgets for tollroads across Texas.
The worst part is that there will be no way across it, except near the large cities. If you happen to live in the wrong spot, you are virtually cut off from the rest of the world, on the TTC side, including emergency services such as fire, medical, etc. You might be only five miles from town, but you might have to drive 50 miles to get there. Your livestock and farmland on the other side of it, might as well be on the moon.
Ok, here't the bad news, (from my viewpoint, anyway). We just found out today, that the latest environmental impact study is limited to an area roughly five and a half miles wide, here where I live, and we are smack dab in the middle of it. That means that even if they build it on the very edge of the proposed area, it will be roughly two miles away, and the noise, air polution, etc, will make life here very unpleasant, to say nothing of being cut off from half our current world.
In fact, looking at their options, it is highly likely that it will go right over the top of us, or close enough, for all practical purposes. They tell us that this is the future of transportaion in Texas. It will provide absolutely no benefits for the locals, anywhere in Texas. Needless to say, we are not happy campers, at this point. Sigh.
Love,
Tex
And You Think You Had a Bad Day
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
And You Think You Had a Bad Day
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Awwww, RATZ, Wayne!
I hate to read about things like this. And how awful that it is planned so close to your home. Don't give up! I know that ordinary citizens can prevail in cases like this. Is there a good coalition formed i.e. of all of the various groups that oppose it for some reason or another? Can you get some politicians on your side?
It is unconscionable to cut off people from their surroundings. Something like this was done in Balto. City years ago and it was a disaster! Destroyed neighborhoods and was never successful. And it was only several miles long. Why don't we learn from our mistakes?
Re the ear.....is it better? Another thought - sometimes wax builds up and hardens and can cause an earache. You can use something like OTC Debrox to remove it.
Love,
Polly
I hate to read about things like this. And how awful that it is planned so close to your home. Don't give up! I know that ordinary citizens can prevail in cases like this. Is there a good coalition formed i.e. of all of the various groups that oppose it for some reason or another? Can you get some politicians on your side?
It is unconscionable to cut off people from their surroundings. Something like this was done in Balto. City years ago and it was a disaster! Destroyed neighborhoods and was never successful. And it was only several miles long. Why don't we learn from our mistakes?
Re the ear.....is it better? Another thought - sometimes wax builds up and hardens and can cause an earache. You can use something like OTC Debrox to remove it.
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Sounds awful, Tex. Have they really got the $$$ to build it? Have they held the public hearings? It sounds like the project is pretty well down the road (no pun intended) for you to just find out now that you're in it's path. Hope it gets scuttled! With such a limited access road, I would think it would be bad for tourist $$$, too.
kathy
some sense (or at least some fear) into those 
who thought up such a plan. They obviously only represent the interests of the big cities.
The opposition is well organized, (statewide), and we have been actively campaigning against this project for more than two years now, and we do have some politicians on our side, but the project is going ahead anyway. We have known for over a year that we we were in one of the possible selecton zones, but naturally, we hoped that it would be built in "someone else's back yard". At this point, it appears to be a done deal, no matter whose ox is gored in the process.
Here's the really scary part--it will be built primarily with "private funding", and unfortunately, those private funds are coming from foreign countries . How unsettling is that?
This is another one of those "eminent domain" slight-of-hand tricks that the government uses to force you to sell your home, and then turns around and sells the property to Wal-Mart to build on, only this one is on a gargantuan scale. THis project, as proposed, will consume over half a million acres, (584,000 acres), across the state. That's a lot of land, and much of it is prime farm land, of course, since they will need to avoid the cities. This will finish off most of the already struggling small towns that are near to it, also.
Polly, no, they don't have the money. If the foreign companies fail financially, then WE will wind up paying for this boondoggle--sorta like being forced to tie your own hangman's noose.
I reckon we'll try to enjoy what we have for as long as we can, and when the time comes, we'll look for someplace to go. Sigh.
In the meantime, I'm not gonna let it spoil my fun. It's a beautiful spring day.
Love,
Wayne
Here's the really scary part--it will be built primarily with "private funding", and unfortunately, those private funds are coming from foreign countries . How unsettling is that?
This is another one of those "eminent domain" slight-of-hand tricks that the government uses to force you to sell your home, and then turns around and sells the property to Wal-Mart to build on, only this one is on a gargantuan scale. THis project, as proposed, will consume over half a million acres, (584,000 acres), across the state. That's a lot of land, and much of it is prime farm land, of course, since they will need to avoid the cities. This will finish off most of the already struggling small towns that are near to it, also.
Polly, no, they don't have the money. If the foreign companies fail financially, then WE will wind up paying for this boondoggle--sorta like being forced to tie your own hangman's noose.
I reckon we'll try to enjoy what we have for as long as we can, and when the time comes, we'll look for someplace to go. Sigh.
In the meantime, I'm not gonna let it spoil my fun. It's a beautiful spring day.
Love,
Wayne
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Sorry for the choice of words but, THAT SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eminent domain has become a subject of wide depate in all sections of the U.S. We deal with those questions a lot in my line of work (housing development). Not a nice thing to do to anyone, especially when the property has been in the family for generations.
I hope things change and it's something you don't have to worry about!
Enjoy your Spring day!
Love,
Mars
Eminent domain has become a subject of wide depate in all sections of the U.S. We deal with those questions a lot in my line of work (housing development). Not a nice thing to do to anyone, especially when the property has been in the family for generations.
I hope things change and it's something you don't have to worry about!
Enjoy your Spring day!
Love,
Mars
"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful." -- Buddha
Wayne's post..........."Here's the really scary part--it will be built primarily with "private funding", and unfortunately, those private funds are coming from foreign countries . How unsettling is that?
VERY SCARY!!!!
Good Luck,
Love, Shirley
VERY SCARY!!!!
Good Luck,
Love, Shirley
When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber"
-- Winston Churchill
-- Winston Churchill
Oooooops, I just noticed that it was Kathy who asked about whether or not they had the money. Sorry--my eyes evidently got ahead of my brain.
Regarding the public hearings: Yes, they've held the required public meetings. As is so often the case these days, though, the meetings are held simply because the law requires them, and very rarely is an objection that is raised, ever given serious consideration. They don't have to make any changes, they just have to hold the meetings.
As much time and money as they have already devoted to this project, they can't afford to let it die. We were successful in defeating the "BulletTrain" project, a couple of years ago, because they weren't properly prepared to see it through. That project was similar, just much smaller, and more obnoxious. This time, though, they have learned from their mistakes, and they are prepared, (and determined), to see it through.
Who knows? In nine years, we may be adapted to a "virtual world"--we may be sitting in soundproof rooms, viewing the world on our computer screens. LOL.
Wayne
Regarding the public hearings: Yes, they've held the required public meetings. As is so often the case these days, though, the meetings are held simply because the law requires them, and very rarely is an objection that is raised, ever given serious consideration. They don't have to make any changes, they just have to hold the meetings.
As much time and money as they have already devoted to this project, they can't afford to let it die. We were successful in defeating the "BulletTrain" project, a couple of years ago, because they weren't properly prepared to see it through. That project was similar, just much smaller, and more obnoxious. This time, though, they have learned from their mistakes, and they are prepared, (and determined), to see it through.
Who knows? In nine years, we may be adapted to a "virtual world"--we may be sitting in soundproof rooms, viewing the world on our computer screens. LOL.
Wayne
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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annie oakley
- King Penguin
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- Joined: Fri May 13, 2011 5:56 pm
Oma,
Thanks, I appreciate your kind offer, but they've all been nagged to death, all up and down the corridor. Most of them on the path of the TTC are sympathetic, so we may still have a chance. It's not a done deal yet--they're still doing the final environmental impact studies.
In my opinion, though, it's the environmental issue that will cook our goose. The proposed path, following the blackland farming strip that runs north and south through Central Texas, is the path of least resistance. It's that simple. They can't run it west of I35, because of all the endangered species habitat in the Texas hill country. They can't run it through East Texas, because it wouldn't be a practical route between their chosen starting point and ending destination.
The bottom line is, if it is built, and it almost certainly will be, it will pass through here, because this is the best route to serve their purposes. The next few years should be very interesting.
Love,
Wayne
Thanks, I appreciate your kind offer, but they've all been nagged to death, all up and down the corridor. Most of them on the path of the TTC are sympathetic, so we may still have a chance. It's not a done deal yet--they're still doing the final environmental impact studies.
In my opinion, though, it's the environmental issue that will cook our goose. The proposed path, following the blackland farming strip that runs north and south through Central Texas, is the path of least resistance. It's that simple. They can't run it west of I35, because of all the endangered species habitat in the Texas hill country. They can't run it through East Texas, because it wouldn't be a practical route between their chosen starting point and ending destination.
The bottom line is, if it is built, and it almost certainly will be, it will pass through here, because this is the best route to serve their purposes. The next few years should be very interesting.
Love,
Wayne
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.