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From: "Tom
Bazan" <tbazan@houston.rr.com>
To: <viewpoints@chron.com>, <opinion@semananews.com>
Cc: "Wall, Lucas" <Lucas.Wall@chron.com>,
"Paula J. Alexander" <PA04@ridemetro.org>,
<paul_bettencourt@co.harris.tx.us>, <patrick@ksevradio.com>,
"Palmer, John - CNL" <John.Palmer@cityofhouston.net>,
<oreilly@foxnews.com>, <newsdesk@eldiausa.com>,
<michael.moore@cityofhouston.net>, <mayor@cityofhouston.net>,
<judge_eckels@co.harris.tx.us>, <josh.harkinson@houstonpress.com>,
<jcolley@bizjournals.com>, <houstonreview@hotmail.com>,
<edd@ksevradio.com>, <districti@cityofhouston.net>,
<districth@cityofhouston.net>, <districtg@cityofhouston.net>,
<districtf@cityofhouston.net>, <districte@cityofhouston.net>,
<districtd@cityofhouston.net>, <districtc@cityofhouston.net>,
<districtb@cityofhouston.net>, <districta@cityofhouston.net>,
"Dimond, Lisa - CNL" <Lisa.Dimond@cityofhouston.net>,
"Dan Monaghan" <mobdaldm@ont.com>, <chrisbaker@clearchannel.com>,
<carlw@ktsa.com>, <bballeza@kprc.com>, <atlarge5@cityofhouston.net>,
<atlarge4@cityofhouston.net>, <atlarge3@cityofhouston.net>,
<atlarge2@cityofhouston.net>, <atlarge1@cityofhouston.net>,
"Alan Clark" <alan.clark@h-gac.com>, <aframnews@pdq.net>,
<11listens@khou.com>, <tgattis@pdq.net>
Subject: OP
ED IN OUR CHRONICALLY BIASED PRO-RAIL DAILY
Date: Sun,
20 Jun 2004 14:45:45 -0500
Mr. Gattis
writes an interesting essay but glosses over the crushing debt
the City will have if the policies and commitments made under
the Brown Administration are not addressed. The jury is still
out on Mayor White as, after six months, not a single Brown
Administration hold-over Department Director has been fired.
The Department Directors should be held responsible for putting
Houstonians in this precarious position, as Lee. P. Brown let
them rule their fiefdoms.
There is no mention of the huge subsidies the METRORail will
require after they squander another $8 billion in bonds to extend
that demented "Demolition Derby" (now at 45 collisions)
on Main Street. By then METRO will have likely banned cars in
ALL from the tram corridors. We could be forced to ride
CHICOM built bicycles issued by our kind METRO comrades.
It is clear, even from this writers view of the future,
that cars will be taxed more, and that these individual drivers
will pay, yet the same can not be true of the Socialist-style
transit modes such as the tram.
Also, the current City and METRO redevelopment schemes rely heavily,
if not entirely, on METRO's Police Power and taxpayer subsidized
bonds, grants, and abatements as incentives to the developers.
As in George Orwell's vision depicted in "Animal Farm,"
some are more equal than others, and the workers shoulder a greater
load. Here on Houston's "Animal Farm," many want our
Main Street back! We never were allowed a vote on the boondoggle
Main Street Tram!
Many think it is unfair for the residential property taxes to
INCREASE 10% EACH YEAR, yet the Mayor's home is only assessed
at $100.00, and the huge office building owned by the corporation
he is still benefiting from has had their taxes drop over 30%
in the past three years.
Who is watching out for whom? If we do not get a handle on local,
state and federal wasteful spending NOW, 2025 will not be the
Central-planned UTOPIA the bureaucrats and their pro-rail
lemmings have promised.
Tom Bazan
P.O. Box 2786
Houston, TX 77252
832.673.0018
BAZAN, a long-time
real estate broker, appraiser and environmental consultant, is
the Independent Candidate for the 18th Congressional District
of Texas, running to replace Sheila Jackson-Lee
www.BazanForCongress.com
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Original article:
June 20, 2004, 12:09AM
What future Houston could be like in 2025
By TORY GATTIS
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