Dear BeyoundLeft,

Thanks for the "spout", I worry that I am the only one on the impeachment soapbox some times. However, I usually get over it.

Forrest Erickson

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Debt, n. An ingenious substitute for the chain and whip of the slavedriver.
Ambrose Bierce
From: (link...)

"On the Local Level, if these Tennessee Whackos think that pouring more asphalt as part of some Pellissippi Parkway Extension will help us, then they too are equally Nuts. If the State is so dead set on spending more money here in Blount County, then they should get us a Light Rail Transit system going"

Funny....I was thinking about this too sometime in the middle of the night. Imagine what we could do with that money for the rest of our Blount County roads. Billions and billions of dollars planned for the PPE would easily go towards much needed improvements ALL OVER Blount County. Morganton, Ellejoy, and so many others that have become so dangerous could easily be widened, many of the improvements recommended by Hunter could be accomplished.

We'd even have enough to add bike lanes on major arteries...With that addition, there'd be less traffic on the roads, and healthier citizens on their bikes...

Jolly Ox your point remains valid despite the fact that it is "only" millions of dollars to extend the Pellissippi (not billions). The money would go a long way to solving some actual road problems as identified many times by the Highway Superintendent. The PPE is not being pushed to help "us" but rather the developers and Pavers. TDOT's own traffic projections and studies show that it will not help with traffic. People should come out to the TDOT public meeting Feb. 19 (link...) and be heard.

millions and billions and trillions all add up to real money.

Thanks, Yellowdog, for the correction. I got carried away with the fantasy of a well-funded COUNTY road system... :)

Extending Highways, fixing existing Highways are all fine and dandy, but ... what are the chances that YOU or WE will own one of these: Compressed Air Powered Automobiles, Electric Automobiles, or Hydrogen Powered Automobiles? Chances are ... none. The ability to fuel one of these vehicles is just as remote. We can speak of modifying or extending existing roads, all we want, but the end of being able to fuel the vehicles we currently own is drawing nigh--much quicker than you'd think. We have no infrastructure to build fueling stations for the alternatives--as a matter of fact at -$9.2 trillion in US funds, the chances are zero. So, since there are existing rail in the county, the most COST & TIME-effective solution would be to get us all some form of inexpensive transport--something that's been proven to work, for close to 200 years. Locomotives can be powered by any number of domesticate resources, and the cost of transporting people per mile is very very inexpensive. Mass Transit and all forms of Energy have to be Nationalized to get the correct things done--other countries in the World already know that; unfortunately, it will be a MAJOR struggle to set our ways right, in this Nation. As Michael Dukakis said, "We can pay for passenger rail now, or pay more later."

viva Evo Morales