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Those Americans who get their news from the main-stream-media are surprised and respond with disbelief when they are informed of the existence of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) or the “NAFTA” Superhighway, or even the selling of highways, bridges, airports and other public properties to foreign investors.
There is a virtual total media blackout on those subjects by the dominant television, radio and print media. As a result of this information vacuum, refusal of the US Government to close our borders makes no sense.
The Times Examiner has reported on these matters from the beginning. There are obviously reasons why the dominant media, including most daily newspapers, local television stations and national radio talk shows have employed censorship on these topics.
During a visit to Georgia recently, a bright young business executive joined a conversation between this writer and a long time subscriber to The Times Examiner. The topic of discussion was the selling of roads and bridges by cities and states to investors, many of them based in foreign countries.
The young man, who was obviously well-informed on party politics and most current events, was very surprised. He said he had not heard of such a thing and expressed some reservations as to whether it was true. He made it clear that if government was selling public infrastructure to foreign investors he would find that very disturbing.
It is estimated that $100 billion worth of highways, bridges, airports and other public properties could be transferred into corporate hands in the next two years.
Last year, a consortium of international corporations, CINTRA from Spain and MIG from Australia combined to make a $3.8 billion deal to run the Indiana Toll Road for the next 75 years.
At the same time, CINTRA and Texas-based Zachry Construction got state approval of a 50-year lease to build and operate a 40-mile toll road running south from Austin.
Australian toll road operator Transurban signed a $611 million contract to gain control of the Pocahontas Parkway in the city of Richmond, Virginia.
In New Jersey alone, facilities already contracted or under consideration of privatization are the NJ Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, and Atlantic City Expressway. In Texas, a 4,000-mile network of toll roads is up for sale. In Pennsylvania, both the 537-mile Pennsylvania Turnpike and Philadelphia International Airport are in the process of being sold to large corporations.
Why is this happening?
First, elected officials and government bureaucrats have spent much of their highway and bridge repair funds on new “vote getting” projects and are reluctant to raise taxes or toll fees for fear of being replaced by voters. Money from the sale of taxpayer funded infrastructure gives elected officials an instant influx of new money to spend and impress voters.
International corporations are delighted to get control of prime routes of travel with a guaranteed cash flow. Business Week magazine reported that CINTRA-MIG’s investment in the Indiana Toll Road “could break even in 15 years. That leaves the investors with a potential for an estimated $21 billion in profits over the next 60 years. State officials got $3.8 billion to spend now and the citizens of Indiana will be paying higher tolls with no political leverage for the remainder of their lives.
One by one, readers of independent newspapers, listeners to independent talk radio and those who seek the truth on the internet are becoming informed and alerting their friends and relatives. At some point the sleeping giant will awaken to the stunning realization that he has been duped.
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