A Homo's Thoughts

The new oil boom in Texas has come at a steep price – the state can no longer afford to maintain the roads. Plans to convert miles over to gravel.

The new oil boom in Texas has come at a steep price. Heavy trucks and industrial equipment have destroyed miles of roads. Texas’ failure to collect taxes, fueled by anti-taxation rhetoric given out by corporatist puppetmasters. To resolve this issue, the state of Texas has decided to eliminate paved roads over 80 miles of state highway.

This will reduce the top speed of these roads down to 30 miles per hour, along with increased wear and tear on vehicles. Texas automobile owners, already having one of the highest costs for auto insurance in the nation, will now be facing rate increases over and above the 13% increase they faced last year alone. This failure to support the states infrastructure will further drive businesses away from Texas as the businesses cost to operate in the state continue to climb into the stratosphere. We can thank Rick Perry’s push for deregulation for much of these increased costs, as cutting corners pays off in the short term, but harms the companies long-term profits.

While it may sound like a smart solution, the truth is the construction of a gravel road is something which takes a lot more work overall. Instead of a one-time paving effort with routine maintenance, gravel roads require almost constant attention, and fall apart quickly if not maintained. This is normal for the GOP, who regularly engage in short-term ‘solutions’ which cost a fortune later on.

The real fear of this move is that the GOP may be forcing a return to the auto-trail, the era before there was a national highway policy in the United States. Roads then were rough, and were incredibly difficult to travel over. If you check out an original Ford Model T suspension against a modern cars, it is clear that the cars of that era were designed for what is little better than off-road travel. Only those who purchase off-road vehicles will be able to drive on these roads with any degree of comfort or safety.

This is part of the purposeful plan, to de-industrialize the United States. A powerful lobby has fought for years to turn the United States into a third world nation, exploited for its natural resources while lacking even basic infrastructure, or even human rights. The Republican Party will not rest until their goal, to destroy America, is complete. This move, to turn the roads of Texas into those not befitting a great nation, is just the latest move designed to pick the pockets of the middle and lower classes, to turn us all into serfs.

The decision to de-pave roadways is a clear sign that the Republican Party has no intention of governing. To let the roads fall into disrepair is a sign of a failed state. Texas is only delaying the inevitable. We may be looking at the first state bankruptcy. Despite cries to the contrary by the right-wing media, this is precisely what Paul Krugman warned the state back in 2011. The state, to attempt to hide their bankrupt state, has been raiding their rainy day fund which has lost a third of its funds since the last session. Yet, regardless, the state GOP passed billions in tax cuts for the top 1% in their state. This is not sustainable.

In short, this move by the state legislature is a simple statement:

Texas Is Broke.