No More “Texas Solutions”

[TexasTowelie]

Democratic State Sen. Juan ‘Chuy’ Hinojosa has written a nice Op-Ed on the state of transportation funding in Texas. In it he chronicles the litany of neglect that any EOW reader is likely familiar with. What I take issue with is the tame “road ahead” he puts forth.

Even if the ballot measure is approved this November, the Texas Legislature must still come up with a viable “Texas solution” to fill the $4 billion difference to remedy our transportation inadequacies. As a member of the Senate Select Committee on Transportation Funding, I looking forward to weighing all options and remain committed to delivering a sustainable funding solution to provide the transportation infrastructure our state needs and Texans deserve.

I’m sick to death of so-called “Texas solutions”. (That’s the reason we didn’t expand Medicaid because we couldn’t come up with a “Texas solution”!) What that means is someone is too scared to say we need to raise taxes to pay for something, not matter how worthwhile it is. And if there’s one thing in this state that we must raise taxes to pay for it’s roads. The gas tax hasn’t been raised in over 20 years, while the cost of everything – except maybe wages – involved in road building has gone up over the last 20 years.

One reason Democrats struggle in Texas is because when they’re on the right side of an argument they don’t argue strongly enough for a solution. Being open to solutions and wanting to provide a sustainable funding solution, isn’t good enough when the other side thinks that’s exactly the problem. They’d much rather sell off our roads to corporations. Is the Senator open to that?

More at http://eyeonwilliamson.org/?p=13766

[malokvale77]

1. Rec for the title itself

Enough already.

[efhmc]

2. If we can't elect more Democrats, then the Texas solution will always be the

same corporatization.