The roads and bridges your taxes built? Bush is selling them - often to foreigners

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060715/...tkBHNlYwM3MTg-

Foreign companies buy U.S. roads, bridges

By LESLIE MILLER, Associated Press Writer Sat Jul 15, 2:44 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Roads and bridges built by U.S. taxpayers are starting to
be sold off, and so far foreign-owned companies are doing the buying.

On a single day in June, an Australian-Spanish partnership paid $3.8
billion to lease the Indiana Toll Road. An Australian company bought a
99-year lease on Virginia's Pocahontas Parkway, and Texas officials
decided to let a Spanish-American partnership build and run a toll
road from Austin to Seguin for 50 years.

Few people know that the tolls from the U.S. side of the tunnel
between Detroit and Windsor, Canada, go to a subsidiary of an
Australian company — which also owns a bridge in Alabama.

Some experts welcome the trend. Robert Poole, transportation director
for the conservative think tank Reason Foundation, said private
investors can raise more money than politicians to build new roads
because these kind of owners are willing to raise tolls.

"They depoliticize the tolling decision," Poole said. Besides, he
said, foreign companies have purchased infrastructure in Europe for
years; only now are U.S. companies beginning to get into the business
of buying roads and bridges.

(snip)

Between 1980 and 2004, people drove 94 percent more highway miles,
according to Federal Highway Administration statistics. But the number
of new highway lane miles rose by only 6 percent.

Washington is not likely to produce more money to build roads. The
federal highway fund — which will have a balance of about $16 billion
by the end of 2006 — will run out in 2009 or 2010, according to White
House and congressional estimates.

About half the states now let companies build and operate roads. Many
changed their laws recently to do so.

So Illinois lawmakers are examining privatizing the Illinois Tollway,
New Jersey lawmakers are considering selling 49 percent of the state's
two big toll roads and a gubernatorial candidate in Ohio wants to sell
the turnpike.

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who championed his state's toll road deal,
now wants investors to build and operate a toll road from Indianapolis
to Evansville.

(snip)

On Sun, 16 Jul 2006 03:40:37 GMT, laura bush - VEHICULAR HOMICIDE
> wrote:

>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060715/...tkBHNlYwM3MTg-
>
>Foreign companies buy U.S. roads, bridges
>
>By LESLIE MILLER, Associated Press Writer Sat Jul 15, 2:44 PM ET
>
>WASHINGTON - Roads and bridges built by U.S. taxpayers are starting to
>be sold off, and so far foreign-owned companies are doing the buying.
>
>On a single day in June, an Australian-Spanish partnership paid $3.8
>billion to lease the Indiana Toll Road. An Australian company bought a
>99-year lease on Virginia's Pocahontas Parkway, and Texas officials
>decided to let a Spanish-American partnership build and run a toll
>road from Austin to Seguin for 50 years.

So laurie doesn't know the difference between buying and leasing....

In article >, wrote:

> So laurie doesn't know the difference between buying and leasing....

The difference between these leases and buying (with conditions) as far as
our lifetimes are concerned is small. I just don't think I'll still be
around when the 99 year lease on the chicago skyway runs out.

On Sat, 15 Jul 2006 23:46:43 -0400, wrote:

>On Sun, 16 Jul 2006 03:40:37 GMT, laura bush - VEHICULAR HOMICIDE
> wrote:
>
>>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060715/...tkBHNlYwM3MTg-
>>
>>Foreign companies buy U.S. roads, bridges
>>
>>By LESLIE MILLER, Associated Press Writer Sat Jul 15, 2:44 PM ET
>>
>>WASHINGTON - Roads and bridges built by U.S. taxpayers are starting to
>>be sold off, and so far foreign-owned companies are doing the buying.
>>
>>On a single day in June, an Australian-Spanish partnership paid $3.8
>>billion to lease the Indiana Toll Road. An Australian company bought a
>>99-year lease on Virginia's Pocahontas Parkway, and Texas officials
>>decided to let a Spanish-American partnership build and run a toll
>>road from Austin to Seguin for 50 years.
>
>So laurie doesn't know the difference between buying and leasing....

And an Australian company isn't foreign. Well, not to me...

Phil
--
Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already
tomorrow in Australia.
Charles M. Schulz (1922 - 2000)

In article >,
laura bush - VEHICULAR HOMICIDE > wrote:

> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060715/...e;_ylt=AruQKOc
> 349veI5Twkzb8kEms0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MjBwMWtkBHNlYwM 3MTg-
>
> Foreign companies buy U.S. roads, bridges
>
> By LESLIE MILLER, Associated Press Writer Sat Jul 15, 2:44 PM ET
>
> WASHINGTON - Roads and bridges built by U.S. taxpayers are starting to
> be sold off, and so far foreign-owned companies are doing the buying.
>
> On a single day in June, an Australian-Spanish partnership paid $3.8
> billion to lease the Indiana Toll Road. An Australian company bought a

Apparently you can't read English. "Lease" does not me "own".

> 99-year lease on Virginia's Pocahontas Parkway, and Texas officials
> decided to let a Spanish-American partnership build and run a toll
> road from Austin to Seguin for 50 years.
>
> Few people know that the tolls from the U.S. side of the tunnel
> between Detroit and Windsor, Canada, go to a subsidiary of an
> Australian company — which also owns a bridge in Alabama.
>
> Some experts welcome the trend. Robert Poole, transportation director
> for the conservative think tank Reason Foundation, said private
> investors can raise more money than politicians to build new roads
> because these kind of owners are willing to raise tolls.
>
> "They depoliticize the tolling decision," Poole said. Besides, he
> said, foreign companies have purchased infrastructure in Europe for
> years; only now are U.S. companies beginning to get into the business
> of buying roads and bridges.
>
> (snip)
>
> Between 1980 and 2004, people drove 94 percent more highway miles,
> according to Federal Highway Administration statistics. But the number
> of new highway lane miles rose by only 6 percent.
>
> Washington is not likely to produce more money to build roads. The
> federal highway fund — which will have a balance of about $16 billion
> by the end of 2006 — will run out in 2009 or 2010, according to White
> House and congressional estimates.
>
> About half the states now let companies build and operate roads. Many
> changed their laws recently to do so.
>
> So Illinois lawmakers are examining privatizing the Illinois Tollway,
> New Jersey lawmakers are considering selling 49 percent of the state's
> two big toll roads and a gubernatorial candidate in Ohio wants to sell
> the turnpike.
>
> Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who championed his state's toll road deal,
> now wants investors to build and operate a toll road from Indianapolis
> to Evansville.
>
> (snip)

wrote:
> On Sun, 16 Jul 2006 03:40:37 GMT, laura bush - VEHICULAR HOMICIDE
> > wrote:
>
> >http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060715/...tkBHNlYwM3MTg-
> >
> >Foreign companies buy U.S. roads, bridges
> >
> >By LESLIE MILLER, Associated Press Writer Sat Jul 15, 2:44 PM ET
> >
> >WASHINGTON - Roads and bridges built by U.S. taxpayers are starting to
> >be sold off, and so far foreign-owned companies are doing the buying.
> >
> >On a single day in June, an Australian-Spanish partnership paid $3.8
> >billion to lease the Indiana Toll Road. An Australian company bought a
> >99-year lease on Virginia's Pocahontas Parkway, and Texas officials
> >decided to let a Spanish-American partnership build and run a toll
> >road from Austin to Seguin for 50 years.
>
> So laurie doesn't know the difference between buying and leasing....

Nor the difference between taxpayer-financed and toll-financed...

wrote:
> On Sun, 16 Jul 2006 03:40:37 GMT, laura bush - VEHICULAR HOMICIDE
> > wrote:
>
> >http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060715/...tkBHNlYwM3MTg-
> >
> >Foreign companies buy U.S. roads, bridges
> >
> >By LESLIE MILLER, Associated Press Writer Sat Jul 15, 2:44 PM ET
> >
> >WASHINGTON - Roads and bridges built by U.S. taxpayers are starting to
> >be sold off, and so far foreign-owned companies are doing the buying.

That is not really news. Since the board of idiot
US Govenrors, which included Bush who
"intelligent" desiigned
the spaghettit western US "Freeway" system
were told since the day they started designing it,
that's it's only free US Property until you morrons
figure out where driveway sealer comes from,
which isn't friom the US or Taxpayer morons.




> >
> >On a single day in June, an Australian-Spanish partnership paid $3.8
> >billion to lease the Indiana Toll Road. An Australian company bought a
> >99-year lease on Virginia's Pocahontas Parkway, and Texas officials
> >decided to let a Spanish-American partnership build and run a toll
> >road from Austin to Seguin for 50 years.
>
> So laurie doesn't know the difference between buying and leasing....

Brent P wrote:
> In article >, wrote:
>
> > So laurie doesn't know the difference between buying and leasing....
>
> The difference between these leases and buying (with conditions) as far as
> our lifetimes are concerned is small. I just don't think I'll still be
> around when the 99 year lease on the chicago skyway runs out.

If there is (or was) a toll on it before the lease you wouldn't be
around to see the end of that either. Been a long time since I was
there but I bet the Pennsy Turnpike is still running tollls and it
should have been paid off years ago.

I wonder just what the bottom line is. How much does the state make by
leasing it vice collecting all tolls itself but having to maintain all
the payroll.

Harry K

Harry K wrote:
> Brent P wrote:
> > In article >, wrote:
> >
> > > So laurie doesn't know the difference between buying and leasing....
> >
> > The difference between these leases and buying (with conditions) as far as
> > our lifetimes are concerned is small. I just don't think I'll still be
> > around when the 99 year lease on the chicago skyway runs out.
>
> If there is (or was) a toll on it before the lease you wouldn't be
> around to see the end of that either. Been a long time since I was
> there but I bet the Pennsy Turnpike is still running tollls and it
> should have been paid off years ago.

That's because the Pennsylvania Turnpike was started
when the US was still a British Colony in the late 1600s,
And it was deiigned to run horse-drawn waqons, pulling kegs of beer
from Philadelphia to Washingtoon D.C.
So it will NEVER be toll free.

Since the ruts in that "highway" are now over
200 ft deep,





> I wonder just what the bottom line is. How much does the state make by
> leasing it vice collecting all tolls itself but having to maintain all
> the payroll.
>
> Harry K

wrote:
> That is not really news. Since the board of idiot
> US Govenrors, which included Bush who
> "intelligent" desiigned
> the spaghettit western US "Freeway" system
> were told since the day they started designing it,
> that's it's only free US Property until you morrons
> figure out where driveway sealer comes from,
> which isn't friom the US or Taxpayer morons.

(snip, append)

> That's because the Pennsylvania Turnpike was started
> when the US was still a British Colony in the late 1600s,
> And it was deiigned to run horse-drawn waqons, pulling kegs of beer
> from Philadelphia to Washingtoon D.C.
> So it will NEVER be toll free.
>
> Since the ruts in that "highway" are now over
> 200 ft deep,

English, Doc!

First of all, I thought it was Eisenhower that designed the system.
Second of all, the PA turnpike doesn't go between Philadelphia and D.C.
Thirdly, what do you mean about driveway sealer? Do you even read
your posts before they are sent? I mean, what about the Interstate
system is "spaghetti western"?

--------------------------------------------------
Jason of ORoads - The Roads of Oregon
http://www.angelfire.com/or3/oroads
Posted 7-16-2006 9:31 AM PDT