Minnesota Dept of Transportation contracts for GPS tracking with SAIC military-industrial complex

Hi, I just compiled a number of contract files involving a dubious Minnesota Department of Transportation project to put tracking systems on vehicles. The shadowy intelligence contractor SAIC is a contractor on this project. See the full pack of contracts here:
www.scribd.com...
I wrote a story earlier, before I had access to the full contracts.
tc.indymedia.org...
These contracts were obtained by my friend Nathan Hansen ( twitter.com... )
This is related to larger national initiatives going on -- and our state is broke but this is what they're spending the $ on!!

i really dont see the big deal...how do you think the internet became what it is. use of military tech in civilian applications...

So Minnesota is thinking about a tax on the mileage you drive. I think that's a stupid tax but that's another matter. After reading your very very one-sided article it's obvious that this would be the best way to go about tracking people's mileage.

The part of the article that says people could just report their mileage is a fallicy. If they are being taxed they are going to tamper with that if they know how. Why you are drawing a link between tracking people's mileage and some grand conspiracy of knowing where everyone is at all times in their vehicle is a stretch.

They can already bug suspected terrorists under the Patriot Act so why would they need to do this. Also the government has no reason too or the capability of keeping track of everyone driving.

Originally posted by HongPong
Hi, I just compiled a number of contract files involving a dubious Minnesota Department of Transportation project to put tracking systems on vehicles. The shadowy intelligence contractor SAIC is a contractor on this project. See the full pack of contracts here:
www.scribd.com...
I wrote a story earlier, before I had access to the full contracts.
tc.indymedia.org...
These contracts were obtained by my friend Nathan Hansen ( twitter.com... )
This is related to larger national initiatives going on -- and our state is broke but this is what they're spending the $ on!!

edit on 7/5/2011 by HongPong because: Needed a bit more context

Dear HongPong,

Glad you posted this. Most cars already have GPS locators so they can already track your location, heck, they can locate you by your cell phone, this is fairly well established and recognized even in the mainstream media. These contracts are not about tracking you they are about eliminating the gas tax and charging you a tax based on the number of miles you drive each year. Not long ago the governor of either Washington state or Oregon was using a car that was a demonstration of this.

I am not promoting the approach; however, I have been reading more and more about it. The argument that is being used is that electric cars don't pay a gas tax; however, they still have an impact on the roads. While state highways can charge a toll, local municipalities are prohibited from charging you a user tax because the roads are not owned by municipalities, they merely have a public easement. In order to cover the cost of maintaining the roads and highways the federal government and many, if not all states, have a tax on every gallon of gas you use. As we increase the mileage that cars can get and move more to alternative fuels, many governments are interested in having a tax based on the total number of miles you drive each year.

The contract appears to be to find a way to "sell" people on the idea of using this new tax method. The contract also mentioned safety. I had lived in a state where each year you had to bring in your car and have a safety inspection. I do not know; but, it is possible that Minnesota either has one or is considering implementing one. When they would do the inspection in the state I was in they would also make sure that your odometer worked.

I have been tracking this development for years actually, there was an older program called NAFTRACS run by Lockheed & a nonprofit front organization they finance called NASCO from Dallas (North American Super Corridor Coalition). Lockheed wanted RFID readers placed along I-35 and then they wanted to sell the data about shipping containers to the highest bidder.

I think my work on posting those documents eventually helped derail the earlier program, and now there's this. Do you critical guys realize that the Feds want to be able to plant GPS trackers for law enforcement purposes without a warrant? They want to be able to copy the data around wherever they want, it's pretty darn obvious. Once these types of devices are planted then they would know where you are all the time, etc. etc.

The military industrial complex is turning our country into a total tracking grid at the same time as my state government is shut down for lack of funds. It's insane!

reply to post by HongPong


Dear HongPong,

As part of the grand development of universal wi-fi access, the FCC is going to be involved in regulating local right of ways. This following thread that I posted discusses this.

ATS thread about Federal control of local right of ways

The fact of the matter is that they will be able to use the universal wi-fi to identify where you are down to a few feet. I agree with you that the government has the ability to track your movements, heck, they are going to require that all licenses be chipped. Basically this means that to not be tracked you have to give up your car, your cell phone, your computer and not have a driver's license or a passport on you. Just try buying anything without proof of identification.

Minnesota is merely attempting to use what is already in existence to raise revenue. I am not agreeing with the governments ability to track us, I don't much care for that; however, I don't see what Minnesota is doing as evil. Minnesota is asking if people would be willing to be taxed based on mileage rather than a gas tax. I think it is a reasonable question and would further ask whether or not heavier vehicles should be taxed more as they cause more damage. A use tax based on miles driven and Equivalent Single Axel Loads (ESALs) might be reasonable.

reply to post by AQuestion


Thanks for the tip on the FCC project. Overall this whole thing seems like a boondoggle unrelated to monitoring mileage, as you can simply collect odometer readings... Regards!