"I fail to see how the expense of building such a highway would benefit anyone except the companies building the highway."

Letters to the Editor:

Highway question

12/14/05

The Navasota Examiner
Copyright 2005

I just got through reading an article where Gov. Rick Perry has announced plans to seek private dollars to upgrade a U.S. 59 as Texas' portion of the proposed Interstate 69 rather than wait for federal funds that may never come.

According to the article the federal Highway Trust Fund is headed for bankruptcy. With our manufacturing and jobs going overseas and even Mexico's cheaper labor not being able to compete with China; I fail to see how the expense of building such a highway would benefit anyone except the companies building the highway and anyone else profiting from a lucrative deal. If all our products are going to be made in China and India; i wonder what will be shipped on the highway. Why do we have a trend toward toll roads and getting private investors involved?

It looks like our tax dollars aren't being used wisely because the hefty taxes on gas have done well in the past.

The last time i checked we had a 20 cent per gallon state tax on gas and an 18.4 cent per gallon federal tax on gas.

In other words when you put 20 gallons of gas in your car; you are paying $7.68 in federal and state tax. Along with the environmental studies for these highways they need to do some economic studies that state in detail the effect on the local economies, schools, and tax base. In my opinion the approval to build any major highway should be voted on in a special election. Grimes county is a beautiful place that will grow regardless of the highways; so hopefully, these huge land eating concrete scars will be pointed in a different direction.

Larry W. Lynch,

Plantersville

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