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For Immediate Release
August 5, 2006
TRANS TEXAS CORRIDOR REMINISCENT OF ROBBER BARONS OF OLD
Kathleen "Kathi" Thomas, candidate for Texas Senate, SD 25, calls for a moratorium on the Trans-Texas Corridor, which includes a large portion of Guadalupe County in its "preferred path."
"The people of Texas have virtually no say in this Texas-sized land grab, and it is wrong. If this was about making driving easier for Texans, I might have a slightly different view, but this is about turning Texas into a superhighway for imported goods made in other countries, some of which took away good US jobs to move overseas. Because of misleading legislation and Constitutional Amendments passed, private companies will make the decisions, with virtually no public or governmental oversight. These private companies will have all rights of all the lease space along the corridor, to develop and lease out as they see fit, after the land has been taken from good Texas citizens, many of whom have owned the land for generations."
The companies involved in the Trans Texas land grab made contributions of hundreds of thousands of dollars to lawmakers, including our current Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller and the Speaker of the House (a total of over $1 million for the 5 of them.) Is it any wonder they're such strong supporters of this travesty?
Kathi Thomas calls for a moratorium to the TTC, and to allow the voters of Texas to make a decision if they want this monster system in their state with a straightforward worded ballot issue. The TTC will cost hundreds, if not thousands of people their homes, (it will take approx. 146 acres of land for every mile of TTC), it will cost us in terms of communities lost, and increased rents to those who want to lease land that once belonged to them to make a living. "It is reminiscent of the robber barons of the old railroad days. It was wrong then, and it is wrong now!"
For more information about Ms. Thomas' campaign, www.KathiThomas.org
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Senate District 25 candidate encourages real investment in education
Austin, Texas April 16, 2006. Kathleen "Kathi" Thomas, candidate for the Texas Senate, SD 25, is encouraging legislators to consider real investment in Texas' public schools when they meet for special session beginning April 17 in Austin.
"In the newspaper on Sunday was an article about how Texas students don't go to college at the same rate as many other states. The paper validates something I'm saying in my speeches-that a better educated workforce is easier to employ and will bring businesses to Texas," says Ms. Thomas. "It is amazing to me that the Governor and "leadership" don't seem to really value the importance of tax investments in Texas public education, as well as in higher education."
"It is clear that Gov. Perry is content to have us spending over $1,100 less per student than the national average, and content with graduation rates that are among the very worst in the country. He is content to have our schools in the bottom of the barrel, rather than doing the hard work to find real tax reform and real investment."
According to Ms. Thomas, the best hope for true tax reform and investment in our public schools is a state income tax. With the Bullock Amendment to our State Constitution, not only will a state income tax have to be voted out of the Legislature, but also voted in by the majority of voters. Ms. Thomas believes that Perry will never let it get voted, because his rich supporters would have to pay more in income taxes than they are paying right now in property and business taxes, in spite of the fact that 60% of Texans would pay LESS in taxes overall if a Texas style income tax was instituted.
According to the Bullock Amendment of the Texas Constitution, the first 2/3of Texas income tax would have to go to lowering property taxes, which could result in property tax rates as low as .50 per $100 valuation (for those who are currently at $1.50 per $100 valuation), and then, (again according to the Constitution), the remaining 1/3 must go into funding education, which would mean a real influx of money that could truly help our schools get better. Ms. Thomas encourages everyone to read the "Texas Trilogy on Texas Education and Taxes", by the Center for Public Policy Priorities. This trilogy of papers can be found at http://www.cppp.org/research.php?aid=482. "Many legislators will admit, at least privately, that the time is coming when we'll have an income tax. Why not do the right thing by middle and lower income families, as well as for our public schools, and do it now, rather than later, when we're in even worse shape?" asks Ms. Thomas.
Ms. Thomas says that many people are afraid of a Texas income tax because they believe they will continue to be property taxed at the current high rate AND pay income tax, but under our state Constitution, that simply isn't possible. "The other beauty of a Texas style income tax under the Bullock amendment is that it is the only tax that the legislators would have to come back to voters in order to raise- the amendment states that after the original passing, in order to raise the rates, the voters have to vote it in. This puts the tax rates in the hands of the voters to make the decisions, and I trust the Texas voters."
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