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August 2009
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The news of Monday night's CAMPO vote (to approve five new toll projects) clearly didn't escape the ears and minds of Austin band The Gourds, which threw out a special dedication to CAMPO during a Saturday night show. (These musicians are a well-informed lot.) "This is for CAMPO," said singer/guitarist Kevin Russell. "You sons of [you-know-what's]." The song was "Escalade" -- about the Cadillac SUV. I think their message was clear in the lyrics, even though the song was written years ago. Even as society collapses When the population shifts You'll still be drivin that Escalade Okay, so those lyrics are hyperbole, as most lyrics are. But this issue seems to be one that's so permeated the fabric of the community that even Austin bands are talking about it on stage. What does CAMPO chair Kirk Watson think? "I'm not surprised. This area's mobility problems and the limited funding sources we have should have us all singing the same song. I'm going to continue to work to get us there," he said via email. Since we were on the subject of Escalades, see the public officials who registered Escalades as their official state vehicle after the jump. I also provide a little background on the new toll project issue for those who would like a little more context. Ridin' in an Escalade The information is available through the vehicle registration database. The registration database shows at least eight lawmakers with at least one Escalade registered. Details about who they are and how much their rides cost are available in this handy spreadsheet. BACKGROUND But TXDOT says it's out of money. And the way it helps pay for roads in different regions is through what's ostensibly a match program. CAMPO opted with tolls to pay for its share, because it was still better than raising property taxes. And the whole indexing-the-gas-tax to inflation idea died a swift death in the Texas House. 2 CommentsLeave a comment |
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There's too much politics in Texas to fit into a newscast, so the fun continues here.
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Is there anything you won't do to pimp that band?
How did I not know you had this blog until now? Great stuff, Elise!