Dear Friends and Members: [Indyfriends Newsletter]

         I had a personal one-on-one 90 minute discussion very recently with  
presidential candidate, Congressman Dennis Kucinich.  We focused on  
the corruption schemes going on in Texas, otherwise known as the  
Trans-Texas Corridor and freeway-toll road conversions.  He listened  
intently, pledged his active support and just sent me a statement  
(pasted below), that has made it clear that he intends to take this  
issue smack dab in to this presidential campaign -- not just in  
Texas, but to the nation.

        Independent Texans has not endorsed a candidate yet in this  
presidential election.  (Many members have been very active on Ron  
Paul's campaign, for example.) All members get to vote on the  
endorsement at a convention being planned for next January or  
February.  It is free to join -- which you can do online on our web  
site.

        That said, I do want to show our reciprocal support for Congressman  
Kucinich's bid for the Democratic nomination by registering a  
supportive "vote" on the e-poll being conducted right now by the  
Texas Democratic Party.  You can do so by going to this site:  
(please do this today or Thursday as it's not clear how long on  
Friday the e-poll will be taking place).

http://www.txdemocrats.org/page/s/eprimarypoll

        Hold on to your hats -- there's much more in the works to impeach  
Rick Perry (along with some of his friends).  Watch for more news  
very soon!

        PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO ALL!

Linda Curtis
Independent Texans
http://indytexans.org
http://ImpeachPerry.com
P. O. Box 14294
Austin, TX 78761
512-535-0989 Austin
512-657-2089 cell

PS  For those of you who are new to this list, Independent Texans is  
not a political party and we endorse candidates and ballot measures  
of all hues that help us in our goal to open up and clean up Texas  
politics.

The Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC 35) and the privatization of public  
assets:

Statement by Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH), candidate
for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States

September 5, 2007

Almost thirty years ago, as mayor of the City of Cleveland, I  
confronted the money, the power, and the arrogance of private  
corporate interests seeking to rob our citizens of one of their most  
valuable public assets: a municipal electric system that provided low-
cost power to much of the city, Muny Light. As I observe the  
political machinations regarding the Trans-Texas Corridor and related  
attempts to turn publicly financed highways into privately controlled  
profit centers for giant corporations, I find the similarities chilling.

In Cleveland, despite unprecedented political and financial pressure  
from the investor-owned electric utility, its banking allies,  
powerful law firms, and other willing accomplices in the city’s  
leadership, the public interest prevailed. It was an historic fight,  
but it had to be fought and won, whatever the price. And the price  
was high: The banks refused to refinance a paltry $15 million in  
credit to the city, forcing Cleveland into fiscal default. Our  
ability to finance major public improvement projects suffered. We  
reluctantly had to ask voters to dig into their pockets to support a  
tax increase, and they did. And a year later, I was defeated for  
reelection by a candidate heavily financed by those same interests  
who had failed to blackmail and coerce us into submission.

What I see here in Texas is the latest incarnation of that same  
public-good vs. private- gain struggle, and I want you to know that  
I’ve never shied away from a fight when the public interest is at stake.

Special interests have controlled government and dictated public  
policies far too long. The fault certainly lies with the White House,  
but the responsibility also rests with members of Congress, Democrat  
and Republican, who have supported those policies, such as the North  
American Free Trade Agreement, which facilitated the outsourcing of  
millions of American jobs overseas. Now we’re talking about a “NAFTA  
Superhighway” through Texas and the heartland of the United States –  
another corporate grab..

What’s happening in Texas with TTC 35 and the efforts of the Governor  
to turn public highways into private toll roads is a national issue.  
The same push for privatization is quietly being advanced in two  
dozen other states. Americans have a right to know what’s going on,  
and as a Democratic candidate for President, I have no reservations  
about telling them and supporting them as they fight against the  
corporate takeover of America. Unlike other candidates, I am not  
funded by those corporate interests. I owe them no loyalty, and they  
have no influence over me or my policies.

Schemes like those being hatched in Texas and other states demand the  
highest levels of public scrutiny and public exposure. I will use  
every resource at my disposal to ensure that that happens. I don’t  
hear any other candidate saying that.

Whether you’re a Democrat, an Independent, or a disenchanted  
Republican, I hope you will support me so we can take on this fight  
together. And win.