#7: THE REAL KBH…TAKING TEXANS DOWN A ROAD TO NOWHERE
October 22nd, 2009
The Dallas Morning News’ transportation blog recently asked, “Where is Kay Bailey Hutchison on Transportation?” (Source: Dallas Morning News)
The answer: through her decades of traveling between Texas and Washington, KBH’s transportation policy has taken Texans down a road to nowhere – leaving us stranded and snarled in traffic congestion while her transportation policy went around in circles driven by her political ambition.
The Real KBH record shows that the one road Hutchison always follows is the road that benefits her politically:
Toll Roads: For and Against Them
- FOR: In 2005, Senator Hutchison voted for the “Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act” which expanded the “flexibility to use tolling to finance infrastructure improvements,” thereby creating a federally approved legislative on-ramp for Rick Perry’s 600-mile Trans-Texas Corridor scheme. (Source: U.S. Department of Transportation)
- AGAINST: Yet, when she returns to campaign against Rick Perry’s failed transportation policies in Texas, she attacks toll roads – ignoring her long-time family involvement in their creation. (Sources: Houston Chronicle; Corpus Christi Caller-Times)
Federal Earmarks: For and Against Them
- FOR: This week, Kay Bailey Hutchison was awarded the title of “Porker of the Month” for her excessive reliance on Congressional earmarks – including countless earmarks for transportation projects in Texas. (Source: KXAN)
- AGAINST: Yet, despite her complete reliance on earmarks as a substitute for real policy, she has promoted and pushed for proposals in Washington to have Texas “opt out of the federal system that funds highway construction.” (Source: Dallas Morning News)
High Speed Rail in Texas: For and Against It
- FOR: Hutchison is often quick to tout her support for high speed rail in Texas, and is quick to take credit for any work towards its creation. (Source: Temple Daily Telegraph)
- AGAINST: Yet, Hutchison voted against President Obama’s stimulus package, which contained over $8 billion for high speed rail and plans for two high-speed rail corridors in Texas. (Source: Austin Business Journal)
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison’s transportation policy has flip-flopped with every bend of the road. After two decades as a career politician, KBH should have found a route that gets Texans moving again, by road and by rail. Although Hutchison’s compass pointed her to what’s good for her politics and her family’s income, the real KBH has taken Texans down a road to nowhere, leaving us stuck in traffic while she created her own “KBH lane” to political power.
Next: #6: The Real KBH… One Foot In, One Foot Out Politics Fails Texans
Previous: #8: The Real KBH… Leading Cheers for the Status Quo is Bad for Texans’ Health
To read more about the real KBH, visit the TDP’s “Who is the Real KBH?” campaign by clicking here.