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July 23, 2007
I'll See Your Porous Border, and Raise You the NAFTA Superhighway
I haven't decided to be mildy outraged or completely infuriated by the thought of an enormous highway running in a straight line from Mexico to Canada. It seems to bother Ron Paul, as well.
By now many Texans have heard about the proposed “NAFTA Superhighway,” which is also referred to as the trans-Texas corridor. What you may not know is the extent to which plans for such a superhighway are moving forward without congressional oversight or media attention.This superhighway would connect Mexico, the United States, and Canada, cutting a wide swath through the middle of Texas and up through Kansas City. Offshoots would connect the main artery to the west coast, Florida, and northeast. Proponents envision a ten-lane colossus the width of several football fields, with freight and rail lines, fiber-optic cable lines, and oil and natural gas pipelines running alongside.
This will require coordinated federal and state eminent domain actions on an unprecedented scale, as literally millions of people and businesses could be displaced. The loss of whole communities is almost certain, as planners cannot wind the highway around every quaint town, historic building, or senior citizen apartment for thousands of miles.
Governor Perry is a supporter of the superhighway project, and Congress has provided small amounts of money to study the proposal. Since this money was just one item in an enormous transportation appropriations bill, however, most members of Congress were not aware of it.
It's got it all: Disregard for national soverignty, disregard for national security, widespread and aggressive enforcement of eminent domain, the intentional bypassing of union labor and Rudy Giuiani's support. Oh, and it was George W. Bush's idea.
News | By colrus | 03:00 PM
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