Declared dead by TxDOT Executive Director Amadeo Saenz and Governor Rick Perry on Tuesday, January 6, the Trans-Texas Corridor was then immediately born again — under an assumed name.

They must have had their fingers crossed behind their backs when they declared the NAFTA Superhighway defunct, because in typical governmentium nauseam verba they acknowledged that the original plans will be built as stand-alone smaller projects with their very next breaths.

The Interstate 35 tollway twin from San Antonio to Oklahoma and Interstate 69 from Brownsville to Texarkana, and the 130 toll road’s construction will move forward. Governor Perry said, “We really don’t care what name they attach to building infrastructure in the state of Texas. The key is we have to go forward and build it.” Saenz seconded that saying only a name change is occurring: “We’ve decided to put the name to rest.”

But the San Antonio Express-News reports that the corridor remains intact. “Toll roads, truck-only lanes and rail lines are still in the works,” and the environmental impact studies, meetings, and consulting agreements with private contractors go on as well.

Senate Transportation Committee chairman John Carona, R-Dallas said after the name-change announcement, “We can now focus on the real issue, which is additional road capacity and the means to finance the same.” Saenz said his agency will try to keep the corridor widths to 600 feet, as opposed to the original 1,200 feet — a concession to farmers, ranchers, and small-town mayors who stood to lose entire livelihoods. 

Of course the TTC was never really dead. It still existed in the Texas Transportation Code and in the well-laid plans of Texas State officials. But a bill eliminating that entire section of law has been filed. If the bill is passed, TxDOT would no longer have the authority to build the road/rail/utility corridor. So, Governor Perry and his toll road backers have to move quickly.

The Spanish and American consortium that developed the plan, Cintra-Zachry, signed a contract for $3.5 million with the TxDOT, and later this year will indeed start construction on two segments. TxDOT still plans to partner with private companies to build and lease the toll roads.

The connotation that the Trans-Texas Corridor/NAFTA Superhighway suffered after the realities of the land-gobbling, sovereignty-sapping, private property-trampling plan was exposed through grassroots activists’ efforts is seen as all that needs to be repaired by the powers that be. Perhaps they think that the good people of Texas who saw right through the plans the first time will be put to sleep by the benign title chosen for the very same project — Innovative Connectivity Plan.

Perry’s $183 billion 4,000-mile-long project that he continues to push for might just be his political undoing. He’s got to pay for the project somehow, and raising taxes is not going to be a good idea in a tight economy, for a project in a state where people have already demonstrated that they do not want said project — under any name. He already knows that he’s facing possible opposition in his bid for reelection from U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who would, most likely, use his continued arrogance in this matter to her advantage.

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MarkGlen said:

NAFTA and Beyond NAFTA and Beyond, Written 1994 An article in Foreign Affairs, Jan./Feb., 1994, titled “Time for a Global New Deal” by Jerry Collingsworth, F. William Goold and Pharis F. Harvey said: “In the future, achieving real economic growth in the U.S. will require policies to attain coordinated growth in the global economy.” NAFTA is a beginning. What we need, they think, as the next step into one worldom is a tax/spend/tax world bureaucratic authority. Their reasoning is that the class of workers to be created by NAFTA and also laborers of other Third World countries will not earn enough money to buy all the TV’s, VCR’s, Hula Hoops and Pet Rocks that will be manufactured by Third World countries. Now, this threesome is convinced that global socialism, or “a Global New Deal” is the plan that will achieve “real economic growth in the U.S.” Most people are familiar with this deal, but for the sake of some I will explain: The Global New Deal, like the old New Deal, is like a father who spends the family fortune and dies, leaving the family deeply in debt. In other words “a Global New Deal” will take money from people who have money, borrow more, and give to those who have less, or none, (creating professional welfare recipients) until the whole world is bankrupt. It will give labor unions a free hand to strike for higher wages so Third World workers will be able to buy more TV’s, VCR’s, etc. Envision all this on a global scale. I think most American do not really want what they are about to get.

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January 09, 2009 | url
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Peter Steele said:

RE: God hates arrogance and liars My late father was a man of action, not the least arrogant, gentle, good with animals as my late mother and I had been as I said that God knew the three of us before we were born. I have a Ukrainian woman as a friend at my dialysis center where I wear my American POW/MIA Still Missing But Not Forgotten cap saying that LBJ was responsible for firing my Dad from GE in 1963 and the missing POW/MIA in Vietnam as I personally hated LBJ as a thief of my freedom. Dad died young at 71 because he dared to tell the truth about socialism and communism as I'm carrying out his work. I do not want NAFTA, the SPP, or the TTC as they rob us of our Declaration of Independence as I asked my friend Howard Phillips to mske Jimmy Carter pay his price as my family had. My Ukrainian friend Natalya reads the Bible as I do as we discussed this as I told her the Stalin murdered her people. Peter F. Steele

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January 10, 2009
Votes: +3

Dave B said:

North American Union These treasonous leaders who want to sell out our precious constitutional republic to this New World Order are all Athiest. It will take the strength (or call it independant stubborness) of people like in the Christian Right, once awakened from their transe put on by the Bush Neocons, to have the character and guts to stop this evil movement. Revelations predicts the "Mark of the Beast". How do we wake up the Religious Right?

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January 10, 2009
Votes: +6

GaryRLewis said:

"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside of you as fate" - Jung I recently purchased the ‘Citizens Rule Book: A Palladium of Liberty’ and here it what it says near the beginning. In 1776 we came out of BONDANGE with FAITH, UNDERSTANDING, and COURAGE. Even against great odds, and with much bloodshed, we battled our way to achieve LIBERTY. LIBERTY is that delicate area between the force of government and FREEWILL of man. LIBERTY brings FREEDOM of choice to work, to trade, to go and live wherever one wishes; it leads to ABUNDANCE. ABUNDANCE, if made an end in itself, will result in COMPLACENCY which leads to APATHY. APATHY is the “let George do it” philosophy. This always brings DEPENDENCY. For a period of time, dependents are often not aware they are dependent. They delude themselves by thinking that they are still free –“We never had it so good.” – “We can still vote, can’t we?” Eventually abundance diminishes and DEPENDENCY becomes known by its true nature: BONDAGE!!! As Erasmus stated - “the main hope of a nation lies in the proper education of its youth…’

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January 10, 2009
Votes: +6

GaryRLewis said:

Re: North American Union Dave B. asked: 'How do we wake up the religious right?' I ask myself 'How have they fallen asleep?' I believe it's this mindset of indifference with everyday affairs propagated by the big media. I also believe there are many ways to arrive at the conclusion that religion plays the central role in our battle for freedom, all which is needed is that initial spark to get them started. There's an old Chinese saying that goes something to the effect: 'Make sure someone is thirsty and then only offer them half a glass of water. If they express a continued thirst only then let them have the other half.' The idea is that you don't want to dump a gallon of water on them because this will make them back away. Like Morpheus said in that movie the Matrix, 'Not everyone is ready to be unplugged.' Just my thought

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January 11, 2009
Votes: +4

Skye said:

Traitors have taken over the U.S. government NASCOCorridor, Nafta Superhighway, Security and Prosperity Partnership, Innovative Connectivity Plan - it's all the same world government garbage. The traitors who have infiltrated and overtaken our government have one agenda - world control. That means eliminating all national sovereignty, freedom, liberty, and prosperity. They want a global control grid in which we are all enslaved, at least a few hundred million of us. The rest will be murdered through any one of the number of eugenics programs currently taking place around the world (pharmaceuticals, chemtrails, avian flu, Codex Alimentarius, etc). I hope people will wake up soon - there are still so many that have no clue what's going on and barely care. But more and more are becoming aware as they lose their jobs, their freedoms, their health, and everything that makes one a free individual. We need to end the FED, end the IRS, stop the NAU, and rid our government of these thieves.

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January 11, 2009
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RichardR369 said:

	Education Unfortunately it looks as if proper education will need to be in the form of home schooling. My kids go to a private school and even that is lacking.
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January 12, 2009
Votes: +2

Bob Donohoo said:

	... Hummm ... what do they expect to gain by making a name change only and then stating that this is a name change only? Wouldn't it be more logical for them to make the name change and then NOT announce it? There has to be more going on. Has anyone figured that part out?
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January 12, 2009
Votes: +3

poppaw38 said:

IS ACTIVSEM,THE ANSWER? I,LIKE MOST OF YOU,BELIVE IN SOLVEING PROBLEMS THE OLD FASHIONED WAY. CONTACTING YOUR STATE AND FEDERAL REPRESENTITIVES,BY PHONE,LETTERS,AND E-MAIL. BUT AS I HAVE COME TO REALIZE,ALL YOU ARE GOING TO DO IS,CONTACT SOME FLUNKY,IN THE OFFICE,WHO ANSWERS THE PHONE,THEN HOLDS THE PHONE AWAY FROM HIS OR HER EAR. WHILE YOU TALK YOUR HEAD OFF,OR ANOTHER FLUNKY,WHO READS YOUR LETTER AND THEN PUT SAID LETTER IN FILE13 OR IN THE SHREDDER. AND YOU NEVER GET AN ANSWER,AND IF YOU DO GET AN ANSWER,IT IS NONRELATED TO YOUR PROBLEM AND / OR QUSTION.AND THE RESPONSE IS IN DUPLICATE/TRIPLICATR FORM. THEREFORE I AM OF THE OPPINION,WHY WASTE MY TIME AND MONEY ON STAMPS AND PHONE CALLS,WHEN THEY DON'T CARE,THEY ARE GOING TO DO WHAT THE LOBBYIST TELL THEM TO DO ANYWAY. SO MAYBE IT WILL COME DOWN TO DOING,WHAT OUR FOREFATHERS DID"REVOLT"AND TAKE AMERICA BACK,WITH OUR CONSTITUTION AND BILL OF RIGHTS.LONG LIVE AMERICA.

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January 12, 2009
Votes: -1

SCHNORCHEL said:

Congressional Action http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:hc40: H.CON.RES.40 Title: Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should not engage in the construction of a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Superhighway System or enter into a North American Union with Mexico and Canada. Sponsor: Rep Goode, Virgil H., Jr. [VA-5] (introduced 1/22/2007) Cosponsors (52) Latest Major Action: 1/23/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. --------------------- This ought to be supported and pursued.

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January 12, 2009
Votes: +3

Bob freed said:

	Mr. Not only is the NAFTA Super Highway going forward, but the funding is being made available by Obama as part of the outrageous stimulus package.
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January 13, 2009
Votes: +1

G-Man said:

	... We stopped the TTC and if we have to keep fighting Gov 39% we will. I'm younger, I can last longer, and I've got some famous loud friends who are more than willing to step up a public campaign against any infrastructure plan launched by this guy.
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January 14, 2009 | url
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B2 B2 said:

SPP.gov Myths vs. Facts . . . the Really Big LIE! The SPP.gov website has tried to counter We the People's opposition to the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) by publishing a rebuttal titled: Myths vs. Facts. Note that item number one on the SPP.gov list claims these two things: Myth: The SPP was an agreement signed by Presidents Bush and his Mexican and Canadian counterparts in Waco, TX, on March 23, 2005. Fact: The SPP is a dialogue to increase security and enhance prosperity among the three countries. The SPP is NOT an agreement nor is it a treaty. In fact, no agreement was EVER signed. Their 'fact' does not hold up under scrutiny. It is basically a BALD-FACED LIE! It is propaganda in its boldest form. How do I know Because on a Canadian government website there was a statement made and signed by Prime Minister Martin which declares the following: "on March 23, President Bush, President Fox and I SIGNED the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America that establishes the way forward on our continental agenda for security, prosperity and quality of life." The above quote can be found on page 2 of 5. It is the last sentence in the sub-section titled Canada in North America in a document signed by PM Paul Martin: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/c...ew2-en.asp (removed). A copy can be found here: http://www.stopthenorthamerica...olicy.html

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January 14, 2009
Votes: +1