Indiana Highway leased to Spanish and Austrailians for 3.8B $

you should know the Indiana highway was auctioned off last week for $3.8 billion.

For the next 75 years, the more than 150 miles of Interstate 80 will be run by a pair of Spanish and Australian companies that will collect the tolls, operate the pit stops, keep up the highway and try to make a profit.

Cintra SA, the Spanish firm, and Macquarie Infrastructure Group, the Aussies, are teaching Americans the business of investing in roads, bridges, water mains and the like.
All of a sudden, Americans need to be taught how to invest in infrastructure?

wakeupfromyourslumber.blogspot.com... cas-new-fast-track-to-fascism.html

What the?

Our forests, our ports, our industries, our national defense, and now our roads? WTH is left?!! Our water? Not for long.

Wakeup America. You're on the express lane to Fascism.

MOD EDIT: Changing a misleading title.



[edit on 4/3/2006 by cmdrkeenkid]

Before long, there will be more foreign owned things in the US, than the US owns. I think it's about time the US did something to prevent foreign countries to influence and control the US so easily.

Then they have the gull to cry that imigrants are running rampant!

If you ask me, i think the illegal imigrants are on to something. And Vicente Fox is Bush's lap dog.

hey globalization goes both ways, what did you think?

get used to it

They didn't sell it, they leased it.

And yeah, we are a little upset about it here. Well, more than a little upset actually.

JDub

Originally posted by dgtempe

Wakeup America. You're on the express lane to Fascism.

Your own source article made it very clear the roads were not sold to them, they were leased. Your headline is misleaded and totally incorrect.

Neither Chicago nor Indiana actually sold its toll road

Same surce as the orginal.

Don't feel bad.

A Spanish company has been handed control of the toll road project here in Texas. But, here in Austin, we're fighting those pricks tooth and nail over this toll road thing.

Originally posted by truthseeka

A Spanish company has been handed control of the toll road project here in Texas. But, here in Austin, we're fighting those pricks tooth and nail over this toll road thing.

Put your tin foil hats on and you can see it is all part of a Spanish conspiracy to invade the US. Lease our roads take the maintenance over and then hire only illegal untrained Hispanics to disrepair them. Presto gives Rocky Road a whole new meaning no interstate commerce just roads capable of donkey carts that require even more hispanics to drive them.


[edit on 4/3/2006 by shots]

What is wrong with letting a foreign company run with it awhile, and see how it goes...?

If tolls go down, and road quality goes up, will you be the first to say thanks?
If not, well then you can do something like organize a boycott, or contact a senator...

I have no trouble thinking that there is much improvement that can be done with road maintenance in America...

I am sure that each crew is different, and some are good, and some are not...

but what i want is the job of "nose picker" because that guy seems to be on every job, he usually has the seat under the tree, and doesn't seem to be responsible for anything, other than the contents (or lack thereof) of his nose...
probably gets paid well also...
I could do that... and even be better at it...

I kinda think he gets paid to entertain the myriad of drivers that have to wait in huge traffic lines, while they drive 45mph thru work zones... that usually have no one actually doing "work".

Now to give thanks to the ones that do earn their pay, and do their job.
thanks a million guys/gals... hope this company pays better than the last boss... I owe all my good roadtrips to you all.

Originally posted by shots

Originally posted by truthseeka

A Spanish company has been handed control of the toll road project here in Texas. But, here in Austin, we're fighting those pricks tooth and nail over this toll road thing.

Put your tin foil hats on and you can see it is all part of a Spanish conspiracy to invade the US. Lease our roads take the maintenance over and then hire only illegal untrained Hispanics to disrepair them. Presto gives Rocky Road a whole new meaning no interstate commerce just roads capable of donkey carts that require even more hispanics to drive them.

[edit on 4/3/2006 by shots]

Can't say I didn't expect such a response from you.

I'm sure you have no problem with letting a foreign company put tolls on roads that are ALREADY PAID FOR! Even when there's no need for more revenue. You sure do seem like you support Americans being scammed...

I don't understand, what is the problem here? A company is going to operate the toll and maintenance services, so what? They're ferners? Why is that so terrible? Are ferners that much worse than mercans?

Before long, there will be more foreign owned things in the US, than the US owns.

So what? If a company owned by mostly american citizens can't afford to pay for the job of operating the tolls, then why the hell should they be given it???

we're fighting those pricks tooth and nail over this toll road thing.

Why? And what do you mean "fighting"? Do you or do you not own a company that can outbid them? If the answer is no, then wtf does your opinion matter on it?

[edit on 3-4-2006 by Nygdan]

Hooray for Free Market Capitalism!!!!

Right?

Anybody who supports free markets and capitalism who is against this is a hypocrite!

edit:

Mussolini's definition of fascism: "Fascism should more properly be called ‘corporatism,' since it is the marriage of government and corporate power."

[edit on 3-4-2006 by Sarkazmon]

Originally posted by truthseeka
I'm sure you have no problem with letting a foreign company put tolls on roads that are ALREADY PAID FOR! Even when there's no need for more revenue. You sure do seem like you support Americans being scammed...

Has it ever occured to you that it costs money to repair those roads that are already paid for?

That to me is not a scam it is a necessity or would you rather they raised your taxes some more, either way you are going to have to maintain those roads therefore no one is being scammed.

However if the Spanish companies who lease these roads do not maintain them correctly by using badly trained labor forces that would result in a scam.

As for you first comment which I left off; I have no idea what you are talking about, since you do not even know me or are you a selfproclaimed mind reader? If so you crystal ball is broken and needs to be replaced.

LINK TO INDY STAR

Wire transfers in the hundreds of millions of dollars began pouring into the state’s bank accounts today as part of the $3.8 billion lease of the Indiana Toll Road to a foreign partnership.

Since the General Assembly approved the plan in March, national transportation experts have recognized the state as being at the vanguard of a movement toward road privatization.

Reaction in some Hoosier communities, however, has been negative. Political observers say that backlash to the deal, particularly in Northern Indiana, could leave lawmakers who supported the lease vulnerable in the fall elections.

A growing pack of states also are considering privatizing their roads. In one of the bigger deals, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley signed off on a 99-year lease of the Chicago Skyway for $1.8 billion.

The Citizens Action Coalition (CAC) and some private individuals sued the State to try to stop this but the Governor asked that the suit be turned into a class action lawsuit. The reason he requested it is that the remonstrators then had to put up a bond equal to the amount of money that the state would lose by not signing the deal on time. That would have required the CAC and the five or six individuals to post a bond for $1.9 billion dollars and they could not raise that amount of capital. The lawsuit was then dismissed.

JDub

Originally posted by dgtempe
Then they have the gull to cry that imigrants are running rampant!

If you ask me, i think the illegal imigrants are on to something. And Vicente Fox is Bush's lap dog.

You have it backwards. GEORGE BUSH IS VICENTE FOX'S LAP DOG.

I live in Indiana and actually the support for this is huge and there are only a few small fringe groups whining about it. It is a huge shot in the arm to state coffers and as long as the lease money is put to good use it can be very helpful to a state that has had budget issues for a number of years. It was already a toll road. If the Spanish can keep it up at lower cost than the state DOT, more power to them. I doubt they are going to send over a bunch of Spaniards to work on or around the road so they will probably hire Indiana resources for any work needed.
I just don't see what this has to do with Facism.
In my opinion, I would always rather see the private sector controlling things over the public sector. The government is the most inefficient and untrustworthy business owner around.

Mitch Daniels has been doing a hell of a job as governor so far trying to turn this depressed state around. He just helped secure this deal for a new Honda plant .

www.indystar.com.../20060628/BUSINESS/606280475

But I guess we don't want these jobs either because Honda is from that evil Japan.

[edit on 2-7-2006 by Apoc]

Originally posted by truthseeka
I'm sure you have no problem with letting a foreign company put tolls on roads that are ALREADY PAID FOR! Even when there's no need for more revenue. You sure do seem like you support Americans being scammed...

?? Do you think this is the first time a toll road has continued to collect tolls long after construction costs have been repaid? That's more like the rule than the exception.

A temporary tax is one of the three biggest lies in the world.

Originally posted by shots
Has it ever occured to you that it costs money to repair those roads that are already paid for?

Quite true. I would imagine, though, that some may argue that money being spent elsewhere should really be being spent on maintaining the quality of infrastructure to the high standard the American populace is accustomed to. After all, the ability to construct and maintain one's roads would seem, to me at least, to be a basic indicator of the health of one's nation.

I don't really go with that though. As the poster previous to yourself said, it is how the free market system appears to be designed. I'm quite sure there are American companies conducting similar operations abroad.

Incidentally, in the UK, a quite high profile toll section to the M6 was recently opened to quite a few murmurs of discontent (we are just getting used to the idea of toll roads over here) -

Wikipedia - M6 Toll
The M6 Toll (previously called the Birmingham North Relief Road, or BNRR) is the United Kingdom's first toll-paying motorway, other than the Severn Bridges on the M4 and M48 motorways.

In 1992, a private sector company, Midland Expressway Ltd (MEL), won a 53-year concession to build and operate the road as an early form of public-private partnership scheme, with the company recouping its costs by setting and collecting tolls.

As is said, MEL 'built' the stretch involved, which is slightly different to the present topic, however, the ownership of MEL is similarly situated overseas.

Macquarie.com - 28 June 2000
Macquarie Infrastructure Investment Management Limited (MIIML), the Responsible Entity of Macquarie Infrastructure Group (MIG), today confirmed that Midland Expressway Limited (MEL), which is 50% owned by MIG, has been granted by the Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, a "Clearance to Proceed" certificate for the Birmingham Northern Relief Road (BNRR), the UK’s first toll road.

Wikipedia - Macquarie Bank
Macquarie Bank Limited is an Australian merchant bank and financial services group, providing a broad range of products and services to investors, corporations and government. Its global headquarters is in Sydney, and it is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX).

Maquarie Bank manages a number of listed investment funds. Over the past decade, the Macquarie Infrastructure Group, has become the world's largest operator of private toll roads both nationally and internationally.

Our convict brethren really do dig roads, so it would seem.

Another Grand step by our Republican corporate raiding administration and their criminal minded associates. Unbeliveable.
If ever there was a time for a Civil War now a day's is it I swear. Republicans leaders=
Out of touch with the public ,Rich, criminal,embezeler,bastards hell bent on taking everything that made America a great place away from the public. The real terrorists are the new GOP. They destroy in a short time what took many great people many years to achieve. Thanks Republicans you truly are the New and stupider Nazi party.
And please explain how this is good for Joe or Jane American public again?
Whats next a tax on Air or better yet how about just making Dubya and his cronnies the
rulers for life. Republican voters are very shallow and ignorant Sheep whom are also being led to the slaughter but they believe the lies they are told unlike most Dems and Libs. Selling or leasing of American public property to foreign run or really any companies is Wrong on so many levels even some Rep. gotta see red flags. Right?
So who exactly gets to see or benefit from the sale/lease price? Silly me filthy rich Republicans of course. All IMO.

Do you want roads that work, but are owned by *gasp* foreigners? Or would you rather have American owned...well not much really! If you own a 4x4 you might be okay mind!!