Our country’s system of highways is the second largest in the world. They were constructed by taxpayer money, and our taxes and tolls have been maintaining and expanding them every year since they were built. But now Ohio Governor John Kasich wants to sell off a 241-mile stretch of turnpike to a foreign company for as little as $1 billion.
It may sound like a lot of money, but if you think about it over the long term, whoever buys it will be taking all of the toll money on the turnpike until the lease expires. When the state of Indiana leased out the Indiana Toll Road, the lease they signed won’t expire until 2081. Assuming the Ohio lease will be for a similar length of time, that’s only $13 million a year.
Besides the fact that the math doesn’t make sense, allowing an independent company to maintain and manage a state highway brings up many other issues. First and foremost, there is no regulation on the amount they can charge in tolls. On the Indiana Toll Road, tolls more than doubled in the first five years going from $14 to $32. There is no oversight, so the company would be able to charge literally any amount they wanted. Even worse, if they do start charging too much, the contract comes with a non-compete clause which says that the state is not allowed to improve or upgrade nearby roads to allow traffic to stay off of the turnpike if they want to.
The non-compete clause is also an issue because there are no guidelines to what the company can and can’t prevent the state from doing on nearby roadways. Say, for example, in the next three quarters of a century we develop better, safer roadways; the company leasing the turnpike could deny the state the ability to upgrade old streets, forcing as much traffic as possible onto roads that pay tolls to them.
Since this is a state matter controlled by the governor, citizens will not be allowed to vote on this issue. Fortunately, two state representatives, Matt Lundy and Ronald Gerberry, announced that they would be putting forth a plan to push for public input on any lease deals. This would force any proposed leases to be put before public hearings.
Hey, Ohio! If you do end up getting the chance to make your voices heard, you should pounce on it. And to truckers, watch out. With states facing the sort of deficits that they are right now, they’re going to start looking for quick cash infusions. Just make sure they’re not making deals that are going to end up with foreign investors taking money out of your pocket.
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Source: landline
Got one queation …. How much money is Ohio Governor John Kasich getting a “kick back” for selling our country to a foreign company? Seems like a lot of people in power are willing to sell our country to other countries for a personal gain. This is another way of ‘treason’ against our country…like outsourcing jobs..that is also treason against our own fellow Americans,is it not?
The state of Indiana(not Illinois) leased out the Indiana Toll Road.
Thanks for the good catch! The edit has been made.
Here,Here I second that and he is not the only one or the last as Americans we have dropped the ball, have held up our part of the constitution so I dare to ask do we really expect anything less from our politicians. And here lies the true issue with how we as a people have gotten where we are today. If you have any rebuts to these statements that are well thought out and are just hate based then you need to look at yourself and ask ” HOW DID I ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN ?” We The People had an obligation to our founding fathers and our children and our children to their children and on and on but we have drop the ball. Now we stand here and read stuff like this all the time. Everybody in that state should be calling for his head.
One more reason to avoid Ohio…………
Chicago did the same thing with all the parking fees…kind of in the dark of the night, one of the last things Daley did. Short term gain (very short term) and long term loss, and as they say, the lack of regulation will be the big thing..who do they answer to? (Please note which side of the fence the OH governor is on, then go vote.)
IN the Communist state of VA for I 81 construction has begun, starting with climbing lanes and new interchange at Harrrisonburg costing 14 million: The Fluor proposal would involve no public tax funding, and it would toll all vehicles (the Star Solutions proposal would toll trucks only), and Fluor proposes tolls of 10 cents per mile for trucks, and 3 cents per mile for cars. So Fluor would add one lane each way in the median of the existing highway, and have the job completed in 8 years, while Star Solutions would build a more elaborate and more expensive dual-divided scheme with a 2x2x2x2 lane configuration which would separate cars from trucks. This is BS and I hate tolls. Besides seperating trucks from cars is not the answer. Wider better roads is. Where the hell did out last 12 cent a gallon tax hike go?
that is what happens when you elect people with more interest in money than the people. GOP has been harping on privatizing and ending regulations for 30 years. this is what they mean.
Treason for sure, I would go even further and call it high treason. Unfortunately we as a nation have become very complacent concerning our government………this is what happens. Cudos to reps Matt Lundy and Ronald Gerberry for at least attempting to put it in the hands of the citizens of Ohio
We are the people and we keep allowing these things to happen because we put people in office that have no respect for human beings and with that said here we sit in situations like this..being forced to run a toll road is definitely against my rights but why should that matter they just want your money and the majority of it coming from the trucker…Treason is a good word for these Governors who want to do this..People don’t matter Money does..
The reason Kasich wants to do this is to force the toll collectors and highway workers to retire early with a buyout or out of a job. Some toll collectors make over 100k a year which is all taxpayer money and get huge pensions which the state is also liable for, its the same way for every full time worker.