The Louisville Courier-Journal has a story entitled “Road Lease ‘potent’ Issue” in which House Minority Leader, Pat Bauer (D-South Bend) is quoted as saying the toll road privatization is a potent issue because, he says, the Democrats listened to the people. The Republicans didn’t. Polling indicated 30% support for the deal versus 60% opposition. He is right that the issue is potent, particularly up north where he lives.
However, I think he’d be well advised not to make too much of the Dubai Ports, terrorism, foreignness angle. It sounds contrived and strained to me.
[Bauer] likened the lease to the Bush administration’s plans to allow a Dubai company to operate six U.S. ports, an arrangement that was scuttled after it became clear both Republican and Democratic members of Congress had serious objections.
Bauer said there is a possible terrorism threat in Indiana from the leasing arrangement because the toll road is part of the interstate highway system.
He said it would be safer to keep the road in government hands.
The problem with this deal is and has always been the privateness of the buyer, not the foreignness as well as the fact that we’re borrowing 75 years into the future to pay for 9 or 10 years of road construction (for which additional maintenance funds will be necessary.)
Again to me the only logic for “Privatizing” the Tollroad is because Indiana wants to hedge against the liability of maintaining a possibly obsolete public infastructure in the near future. That is France’s rational for selling off its remaining ownership of its national tollroads. France has stated that it wants to be as independent of Oil and energy imports as possible. France is warning it motoring public that it will be increasing on it own as Peak Oil hits. Therefore the French government wants out of the interstate business.
However, such a hedge is only justified if you are going to invest the proceeds into something other than more road construction. That is where Mitch Daniel’s plan falls apart. France for example is using the sale of its tollroads to meet European Union debt guidelines and continue building out its rail and nuclear power infastructure. Daniels simply wants to use the lease of the tollroad as a slush fund for more road and interstate construction and rewarding his political backers.
In case anyone was wondering why I have little respect for Pat Bauer, that little nugget of wisdom should answer your questions. I don’t know where to begin as far as what’s wrong with that remark. It’s nonsensical, xenophobic, and insulting.
If Pat Bauer is so good at listening to the citizens, how about offering an alternative plan for the future of Indiana based upon what we’re telling him? He has said nothing of substance lately, other than the typical political grandstanding which politicians offer us.
Government agencies are looking at contracting out some of their positions. The criteria for it staying with the agency is it must be an inherently governmental function. It is obvious that the highway network is an inherently governmental function and should not be privatized. Contrast this with a park district in Illinois that is voting on a bond issue tomorrow, to build a water park. Something that private industry does well at places like Wisconsin Dells. It is obvious politicians are going the wrong route in both places. But at least the voters in that park district have a say. Seven counties in Northern Indiana, and to a lesser extent, their neighbors were hung out to dry.