Ever wonder if Mitch is *trying* to split his own party in Indiana?

[salin]

I am not even talking about the strange approach to DayLight Savings (I'll get it passed - but won't designate a zone... creating a possible patchwork of mini-time zones across the state) I am talking about his "My Highway or No Highway" proposals for I 69.

For those not familiar with the I 69 story - it probably started in the late 1980s with a push for an interstate to connect Evansville (in the south western part of the state) to Indianapolis. There are several state highways that can be used to make the route but it is a little like driving the two legs of a triangle instead of the hypotenuse. One has to look at a map to realize why Indiana has a nickname as "crossroads of America" - as we run connectors of many east west and north south interstates. The problem is that this would involve a major new-road construction (that is - not rebuilding existing roads and upgrading), that it is hugely expensive, that it would have big negative environmental impacts and the new highway would save only 10 or 20 minutes total drive time. So it has been debated, studied, debated, studied for nearly 20 years.

The debate pitted two cities against each other - Evansville which was behind the project and Bloomington (college town partway between the two cities - and lying upon another stateroad that some plans used for the last leg of the new terrain highway) which was heavily against it. The last administration(s) used muscle to push the highway forward under the guise of "economic development" - (which was met with derisions that led to the monicker of the project becomming "the NAFTA highway") but questions of HOW much it would cost lingered when Mitch came into office as gov. For years the push for the Highway included "fed highway dollars are committed and we will lose the money if we don't use it" - but in more recent years Hoosiers woke up to realize that it would require a whole lot more money than the fed. money meaning more $ would be lost by spending the fed $ on the highway than would be lost by getting the $ and building the highway).

This fall Mitch started pushing a way to "pay for the highway - and get it done faster than under the last admins plan." - It involved privatizing the project - making the new road a toll road. Better yet - it would be sold to foreign investors (to be honest - I do not know why the foreign investors part - but it is now stated in almost every news item about Mitch's proposal - so it seems to be a given.)

But here is the rub - the great splitter of Hoosier republicans that I predict will materialize - to get the land for the highway - there as to be a whole lot of land taken through eminent domain. A whole lot of farms carved up - including (for the most recently approved plan) some land owned by the family of Senator Lugar. Mitch is so glued to his "brilliant idea" that he has told the state house - and the public, that it is HIS way or NO way. So to get "his" highway - there will have to be govt land-taking - to be given to ... a foreign corporation... so that we hoosiers can PAY to drive the road. Better yet - the last leg of the road to Indy will use an existing state highway that connects Bloomington to Indy (and a whole lot of growing suburbs between) - will require people who drive it for free today - to pay the toll. Oh, and he is going to raise the tolls on the existing tollroad across the northern part of the state - by a huge amount over the next couple of years.

Almost like he WANTS to break the libertarian type hoosiers, the small govt hoosiers, and the anti-tax folks, and the militia types (there are a lot of them around - and they HATE the idea of eminent domain for any reason, let alone for corporate benefit, and I can't even begin to imagine how much they will relish the foreign corporation aspect of it) away from the hoosier GOP.

Popcorn anyone?

[Chiyo-chichi]

1. Nice summary.

I hope that I69 will be his undoing. I am stymied by Mitch in general lately.
I'll have some popcorn.
:popcorn:

[salin]

2. While the issue of eminent domain was raised under OBannon/Kernan

administrations - it hasn't really been discussed much when talking about Mitch's foreign owned toll way or no way proposition. But it is still there - no way to get the land for the highway other than that.

If he pushes this through the GOP state house - before that discussion (esp in light of the Supreme Court ruling in Conn) - I predict that there will be a political price at the statehouse for GOP supporters.

Wasn't there also a brief push after the Supreme Court ruling to prevent land taking/eminent domain for private companies with "economic development" as an end goal? Wouldn't that put an end to Mitch's plan as there would be no way to get the land? Or is that why he talks about a "lease" deal - so that technically the state still owns the land so it wouldn't fall into that category? Thin ice, Mitch... thin ice...

[SpeedwayDemocrat]

3. The whole thing isn't legal...

according to some of my attorneys (yeah, I know, I need to get a better group of friends). They argue that his grabbing the land, knowing that he'll be turning it over to private foreign enterprise companies (even under the premise of calling it a "lease"), won't pass the smell-test in the courts. One example: suppose a town wants to put an exit interchange onto the existing highway; who pays for it (locals, the state, the company selected to run the thing?) This whole issue is fraught with legal perils, any one of which can derail it completely.
I agree that Mitch is dividing his own party and there is a lot of grumbling about this within the private confines of the statehouse committees. I'm also hearing from die-hard Republicans that they don't like the "bull in the china shop" approach Mitch is forcing upon them; two have openly told me that they should have never voted for the egomaniac. My state rep (a Dem) feels pretty strongly that the whole process will be mired in legal controversy for years and probably won't happen, as there are just too many obstacles and too many lawyers involved. And we all know what happens when you get too many lawyers involved in something: NOTHING!
I'm popping the popcorn now, and have my lawn chair at the ready to watch the fireworks...

[salin]

4. Interesting issues

I have read about the likely problems for years - being tied to the news and dems in Bloomington who at the ground level have been against this since the late eighties, I have heard a lot of arguments against the highway. The legal problems per costs per exits and interchanges... that is a whole new one to me. Very interesting indeed - and even more fraught with problems for the GOP.

When I moved back to the state and the issue was still being discussed and "studied" - after at least 11 years - it seemed to me that it was unlikely that it would ever really come to pass. Mitch certainly is showing some egomaniac tendancies - and pushing this - at the peril of his party due to the details of what he is pushing... just down right interesting to watch.

I was at a meeting with folks from around the state today - at one speakers comments (lack of funds to do x and y) I thought to myself "ya, my man mitch!" - but since it was not a political gathering, and these were mostly folks I had just met - I bit back the impulse. No more than 60 seconds later the woman next to me muttered "My Man Mitch" I laughed and told her I had thought the same thing... five minutes later during the presentation, the next person over at the table muttered "My Man Mitch" (again with disgust). I thought it was hilarious - not only that the sentiment was so universal - but that the dang campaign theme was so indelibly stuck in our minds that every time we were irritated the whole phrase just spilled out. How is that for "brand" marketing.

[izzybeans]

5. It passes the smell test in NJ where I used to live.

The difference comes in the form of a "ghost contract" where it appears public right of way is upheld, but the capital is accumulated in private. 100 miles of NJ turnpike will attest to that. There will be a loophole created if it does not exist already... watch Bosma. He's not really praying at the start of session he's silently measuring the GOP pyramid scheme.

[salin]

6. heh

hilarious description of Bosma.