About the Texas Democratic Pork Barrel Caucus

Scheduled to meet Friday, June 27th at 1:30 p.m. at the 2014 Texas Democratic Party Convention in Dallas. The DemocraticPublic Insfrastructure (Pork Barrel) Caucus -will be moderated by co-founder Faith Chatham.

Pork, and divving up the pork, is a muchly esteemed focus and favored past-time of politicians on all levels of government. Despite public finance and campaign finance disclosure and ethics laws, and other attempts to shine light upon conflicts of interest, influencing the awarding of contracts for roads, bridges and public buildings is commonly known as one of the plums of political office. This year Water Insfrastructure, Energy and infrastructure for Broadband (internet) are also on the table. We are calling upon experts from within our own slate of Democratic Nominees to lead our discussion this year.

Historically, transportation projects have enabled this state's and nation's more skilled politicians to "bring home the bacon" to their home districts. The same dynamics are operating in Water, Internet (Net Neutrality) and Energy.

This caucus was born in 2006 when the Texas Legislature passed more changes to the Texas and Federal Transportation in one session than had been enacted in many decades to legalized much which has previously illegal to legitimize private-public partnership toll projects and market valuation pricing on road construction projects Instead of taking home a slice of the bacon (or the ham itself), the trend shifted to toll companies and their investors attempting to take the whole hog and charging the people rent for use of a small slice of Texas' "public" infrastructure.

Prompted by the proposed Trans Texas Corridor and other private-public partnership infrastructure projects in Texas, the Public Infrastructure Caucus - popularly dubbed the Pork Barrel Caucus met for the first time in June 2006 as an Issue Caucus at the Texas State Democratic Convention. Co-Founder Hank Gilbert led the charge against the TTC and showed attendees how to utilized Federal Environmental Impact Studies to slow it down and for property owners to get a seat at the table during EIS reviews.

Attendees collaborated after the convention, testified at TxDot public hearings, contacted legislators, and put pressure on the Legislature to change the eminent domain laws to prohibit exercise of eminent domain on homesteads for private development. The TTC was defeated. It is a snake with many heads andmaller versions of it (legs) have (and are being constructed) under other names. We continue to keep a wary weary watch on PPP Toll Roads in Texas.

In our Caucus in 2014 we shift the focus on Infrastructure for Water and Broadband and examine how energy drives or obstructs infrastructure in Texas.

The caucus is open to the public. It is not necessary to be a delegate or alternate to the Democratic Convention to participate in the caucus.

Monday, March 2, 2009

DO NOT USE STIMULUS FUNDS ON TOLL PROJECTS


POSITION STATEMENT:
Applying Federal Stimulus Funds to Texas toll projects is irresponsible!
 Law makers and taxpayers were told that the reason Texas Highway projects must be funded as toll projects is that NO OTHER FUNDING WAS AVAILABLE.
Stimulus Funding is NOW available.
TxDOT and local RTCs should revise plans for toll roads. As many toll projects as possible should be converted to NON TOLLED PROJECTS funded by stimulus and other available funding.

Texas Taxpayers deserve our fair share of the infrastructure stimulus funds.
We will have to repay our share of the stimulus funds.
Federal Stimulus Funds should not be used on toll projects.
Repaying Stimulus Funds through Federal Taxes and Paying Tolls is double taxation.

Market Valuation Pricing and tolled HOV lanes will not improve air quality.
 Market Valuation Priced Toll Corridors diverts traffic from freeways onto city and county streets and roads which are not designed for heavy traffic.
 Taxpayers will be burdened with escalating local and county taxes to maintain and widen city and county roadways due to added stress from diversion of traffic from market priced tolled roads.
We urge the Texas Legislature to block use of stimulus funds on toll roads.
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