Oklahoma Gazette

Letters, Feb. 28, 2007

'What's Conservative About It

In response to "'MAPS 3: Revenge of the Myth'" (Commentary, Ron Black, Feb. 21, 2007, Oklahoma Gazette): What I'd like to know is why it's so conservative to have Oklahoma's biggest unnecessary pork project named the Interstate 40 realignment? What's conservative about it when you can reroute heavy trucks off onto Interstate 240 (which can handle the capacity) and re-deck the current bridge with state-of-the-art materials for a fraction, instead?

The corporate welfare leaches want this project because of the sheer amount it's going to cost, funded, of course, by us - the unsuspecting taxpayers. When this project was first announced, it was sold a $236 million project all paid by federal dollars. However, those federal dollars were paid for by "taxpayers" somewhere.

Now, after Oklahoma took it hook, line and sinker, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation announces a somewhat truthful assessment of the cost of $557 million, which is expected to keep going up. Is this a department that you can trust when it deceives you right up front? Now, after Oklahomans have taken the bait, they're being taken to the sugar well to drink more Kool-Aid and cough up the rest of the money that they never were supposed to have paid.

The only conservatives in Oklahoma are the ones fighting the crosstown realignment. It's wrong to lie to them up front by telling them that it's cheap and will be funded totally by federal dollars, and then end up with it being the most expensive plan. It reminds me of the Capitol dome fiasco, as well. Both of which we painfully will be reminded of every time the government takes our money throught the process it calls taxation.

Richard Robinson, Oklahoma City

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