Trans-Texas Corridor: the more I learn, the worse it gets

First there's this - Trans-Texas Corridor paved with campaign contributions? - from WolrdNetDaily.

"The politicians in Austin are listening to the highway lobby rather that the citizens who put them in office," [Director of the San Anotonio Toll Party Terri] Hall told WND, adding, "you will not understand the politics of the TTC until you track down Zachry who has a long and distinguished money trail to offices of our state politicians."

The non-partisan Institute on Money in State Politics provides data that support Hall's contention. Analyzing 39 records of campaign contributions made by H.B. Zachry, Jr., the Institute concludes Zachry contributed $112,112 in campaign contributions – 92.2 percent to Republican candidates. The largest of these contributions went to Gov. Perry, two contributions totaling $35,000.

[snip]

Another group opposing TTC construction, Campaigns for People, a 501(c)(3) organization in Austin, argues that between Jan. 1, 2001, and Dec. 31, 2004, the Texas Department of Transportation, or TxDOT, awarded over $14.3 billion in contracts to build and maintain roads in the state. More than 40 percent of this total – over $6 billion – went to the "Top 10" TxDOT contractors, who gave $1.1 million in political contributions.

Then there's this - Trans-Texas Corridor firm hires ex-Perry aide - from the Houston Chronicle.

Republican Gov. Rick Perry's former liaison to the Legislature is working once again for the Spanish company that won the rights to develop the state's $7 billion Trans-Texas Corridor toll road project.

Lobbyist Dan Shelley worked for the firm as a consultant just before he went to the governor's office, a connection first revealed in 2004.

State officials denied any connection between that circumstance and the decision, three months later, to award Cintra-Zachry the huge highway contract. Now Shelley has left the governor's office, and he and his daughter have large contracts to lobby for the road builder, The Dallas Morning News reported today.

This week, Shelley had planned to take four state lawmakers on a four-day, all-expense-paid trip to Canada. But the trip was abruptly postponed by the state transportation department after the newspaper asked questions about it.

[snip]

Shelley resigned his state job in September and struck a lobbying deal with Cintra worth between $50,000 and $100,000 to work from March through the end of this year. His daughter and lobbying partner, Jennifer Shelley-Rodriguez, will earn between $25,000 and $50,000 from the company over the same period, state records show.

So I decided to do a Google News search on "Trans-Texas Corridor." This caught my eye - In defense of the Indefensible - from the Weatherford Democrat.

The more closely I examine what few facts are actually offered on this massive toll way, the more appalled I become. [...] I would expect a huge, new road system across Texas would be to assist in easing traffic flow within the state due to increased population. I must have fallen off a turnip truck!

Nowhere do you read about this Spanish operated consortium creating a conduit for tax free goods from China and other nations being funneled into the U.S. through Mexico as a result of NAFTA. Why can’t these foreign goods be shipped to U.S. ports instead of Mexican ports? Nowhere do you read about this opening up the border to unrestrained drug trafficking or illegal immigration. Why must all this commerce come through the center of Texas? Why not Arizona or New Mexico where there are wide open spaces?

Perhaps now we see the real reason for not sealing our borders. It isn’t just demand for cheap Mexican labor that creates a porous border. There are several much larger snakes under this rock.

Has Rick Perry EVER done anything conservative in his life? How did this guy get to be in the Republican party? And who let him in?

Sorry, just had to get that out. Here's one last gem - Campaign seizes on 'super-state' highway - again from WorldNetDaily.

Some opponents, including many Texas farmers are concerned about property rights, but many point to the project's foreign control. It's being built and operated by a U.S.-Spanish consortium, Cintra-Zachry. Opponents also point out part of the contract with the firm is secret.

A state attorney general has ruled the Cintra-Zachry contract be made public, but Perry's administration has gone to court to prevent the disclosure of what it says is proprietary information.

I have a bad feeling about this. (And no, I'm not a character in a Star Wars film.) Rest assured, I'll be doing more research in the coming weeks.