Time to Dismantle TxDOT And Rebuild A More Responsible Community-Friendly Agency
TxDOT Has Outlived Its Usefulness To Most Texans

After attending the May 5th 2007 meeting with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) at the Capitol re: the unacceptable roadwork performed on FM 1826, it became crystal-clear to many of the attendees that we need a new agency that is more in tune with community needs. The unprofessional roadwork performed and the unaccountable nature of those in charge of the transportation agency underlines the current dictatorial now in place --- what used to be a community-friendly agency no longer is one.

TxDOT area representatives Bob Daigh and Don Nyland showed us why TxDOT is incapable of doing the job responsibly that the agency was built and hired to do by the people of this state. Years ago TxDOT performed its community role admirably, but in today’s Texas the agency has become bogged-down in an endless sea of politics and profiteering power-plays that have made it obsolete as the State’s road central road warrior.

There no longer should be any doubt that TxDOT must be dismantled and recreated to be a responsible, apolitical, and community-serving agency.

TxDOT’s top-down management from Perry-appointed head Mike Behrens on down the line appear incapable of working in the best interest of the state and of the communities they are supposed to work for.

At the Capitol meeting apparently Mr. Daigh brought along his "dancing shoes" so that he didn’t have to come up with a real, tangible solution for all the ills created by a TxDOT "reseal" job six months ago on FM 1826. He danced around the issues for the entire meeting, crying poverty. According to him and everyone else at TxDOT, the agency is poor.

And if you believe that, I have some beachfront property in Central Texas for sale and will give you a great deal on it!

The worst part of this tragedy is that TxDOT and its employees are no longer held accountable to the people of Texas. The Attorney General and District Attorneys can’t touch TxDOT. Voters don’t vote for those who manage and operate TxDOT. The governor appoints the agency chief and then it’s a political favoritism that hires throughout the agency. Only Texas lawmakers can stop the beast. It’s time to stop the transportation monster living in our midst and devouring our tax dollars.

Urge legislators to dismantle and rebuild a Texas Department of Transportation that Texans know will work in their interests with more direct accountability to the voters.

Encourage lawmakers to enable 100-percent of the gasoline taxes collected go to building and maintaining Texas roadways, the reason Texans voted for the tax in the first place. Currently TxDOT reportedly receives only 50-percent of those tax dollars, while the rest go to other legislative interests. Let all those tax dollars do what they were supposed to do.

If Texans don’t take their transportation department back, we will pay ENDLESS taxation via local road bonds (more property taxes) and with toll roads (toll taxes) and we will pass along this ongoing irresponsible tax system to our children’s grandchildren.

The first step towards improvement begins with us.

FYI, since that meeting on behalf of 50 members of the Hays County community, I filed a formal written complaint with the Senate Committee on Transportation & Homeland Security against TxDOT, Daigh and Nyland. Recently, a PR message was sent to media from Rep. Patrick Rose's office that he and TxDOT "arrived at an agreement" that would repave FM 1826 with quality hot mix road materials and that the work is scheduled for completion at the end of Summer 2007.

I mention this because Texans need to know that you CAN fight "city hall", in this case, the Texas Department of Transportation and that citizens don't have to accept what the agency dictates. If you disagree with TxDOT, fight it. No one in the state gave our community "an owl's hoot" of a chance in winning this battle, but we persevered and we did win.

The same is true of the toll road crusade. According to a Texas university study, Texas does NOT need toll roads to acquire financing needed to build and maintain our roadways. The toll agenda has been developed and pushed by Gov. Rick "39-percent" Perry, TxDOT, Rep. Mike Krusee and their special interest profiteers. We all must fight this group of brigands so that our children's grandchildren do not have to pay infinite toll taxes that make privateers wealthier and Texas taxpayers poorer.