6079 Smith W says

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120213/METRO01/202130329/1409/metro/Detroit-crisis-may-force-sale-crucial-assets

You libbies keep telling yourself: It can't happen here.

Kimo says

Jerry Wray is a musical chairs republican hack appointed by Kasich. Cross Kasich his a## is grass and Kasich is a lawnmower.

Wray hired a company to give him what he wants, a guarantee that his job is secure..

It is what it is.............

6079 Smith W says

@ pntbutterandjelly:

If the Turnpike were truly in "taxpayers hands," it would be free access, not a thoroughfare for the privileged that can afford to pay for it and often deduct the cost as a business expense.

"How Government Coddles the 1%":

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204652904577192661303150588.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

pntbutterandjelly says

@ SamAdams: "My "oops"! * Thank you for correcting my oversight. Then again...too many Yuan, Yen and Pesos are invading our country for the WRONG reasons. I am ALL for capitalism but it's "how" you got rich and "what" will you do with your excess that determines the "why".

Keep the money-making Turnpike in taxpayers hands...NOT private enterprise. (If it wasn't a money maker....private enterprise wouldn't want it.) Duh.

K.I.S.S.

goofus says

Hey Winston, the crazy hilljack from Norwalk is posting you live in Kentucky? How's your horse farm doing LOL

Factitious says

Just when you think there couldn't be anything dumber than selling the Turnpike . .

FruGalSpender says

leave the turnpike the way it is. don't try to fix what is not broken. the tolls are a fair user tax. you use it, you pay. many out of state people pay the user tax on the turnpike. if it goes private, investors will expect a profit on their investment. higher prices or cut back on services and maintenance for sure. private investors will gouge the public with their own towing service and maybe even private security police to patrol the turnpike. pay toilets for sure and pay to park to use the service plazas. higher gas prices at the service plazas for sure along with car repairs that are not needed. there are many ways that private investors will gouge the public. then look for a government bailout when they have all got a hefty return on their investment after allowing the turnpike to look like old route 66 and then declare bankruptcy. who will pay then?  http://innovationohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Turnpike-Privatization-unanswered-questions.pdf  there are other ways to save money. how much does it cost to send people to prison if they are not a threat to society? how much does it cost to pay kasich for not living in the governor's mansion? how about kasick selling himself and his ideas to china to raise funds? how about stopping the war on drugs in ohio? look at how portugal handles their drug problem. go after the violent criminals instead and leave granny and her medicine alone. if prisons go private, the investors will demand that more people go to prison.

kURTje says

Apparently some from St.Paul are vain & stupid.             People along route 20 & nationwide prospered after WW2.  The turnpike was derieved for many reasons; though imo, rapid military deployment. Germany proved that fact. It functions well......let it alone.           now find fault with my gramer.

DGMutley says

Yep, you're right, pntbutterandjelly!  If we all play our cards right and Kasich has his way, it will be just like the good old days with all of  us living  and working for the "company store".  I bettcha he goes home every night and makes it "rain" just like Jimmy Fallon on the commerical.   

6079 Smith W says

FYI: Prior to the creation of the Turnpike, Rt. 20 was the major thoroughfare between NYC and Chicago.

Many small communities and businesses depended and thrived upon the dollars that the traffic brought.

Since the creation of the Turnpike, many of those communities are struggling financially and numerous businesses are gone for good.

Yep! The Turnpike was a great idea for some.

D*mn those unintended consequences!

SamAdams says

"Privitazing?" Sheesh! P-R-I-V-A-T-I-Z-I-N-G.

SamAdams says

pntbutterandjelly:

The "yen" is a Japanese currency. Chinese money is a "yuan."

Privitazing the Turnpike could be either a good thing or a bad thing. It depends on the conditions under which it would be sold. Highway maintenance ranging from repairs to plowing would have to be guaranteed, for example. But in general terms, private industry can and does do a better job than the government in no small part because it's dependent on delivering an adequate or better product to KEEP the job.

If we want the government to spend less (and anybody who knows anything about the unsustainability of continuing to raise taxes to provide more "freebies" does), then the Turnpike is one place that that should be considered. Maybe it will turn out that it would be more cost-effective to stay in government hands. Maybe not. But cutting government services is imperative, and the Turnpike isn't a bad place to be looking for such cuts.

That being said, it does sound like the cost of the study is high. The study will be based largely on statistics — revenue from tolls, restaurant/gas station leases, personnel costs, etc. as well as projected repairs and maintenance costs. That data already exists. How can it cost millions for even the most reputable of number crunchers to analyze it?

6079 Smith W says

 Why not convert all the interstates into toll ways if the Turnpike is such a great idea?

For you brain-dead libbies:

Shouldn't the poor who can't afford paying for the Turnpike receive taxpayer-funded subsidies?

@ eeriemom:

Kentucky? 

pntbutterandjelly says

With the thought in mind that, "The state needs the money" (which may or may not be true) and therefore needs to sell off assets...."If I were going broke and wanted to raise capital by selling off my assets...would I; (A) Ask an "independent/non-partisan" neighbor if I should sell off those assets or not AND offer to pay him for his thoughts/guidance with money I can't afford to spend, (B) and if the conclusion is "to sell off" those assets then I would sell them to a (1) one particular person (company) or (2) to a small audience of bidders or (3) on Ebay?" My point is, "If the state does indeed sell off the Turnpike, its plazas and other rest areas within Ohio then why not sell off on a world-wide market?" I'll bet China would be interested in obtaining some more good ol' American assets. The problem then becomes...we have to pay our tolls in Yens and I for one don't have any Yens. I'll bet most Ohioans don't have any Yens either. That would create a rush on Yens in Ohio thus driving up the price for Yens. Next thing ya know....we have a Yen Buying Bubble. (Maybe I should get my hands on some Yens BEFORE the state sells off the Turnpike!) 

I vote to NOT sell off the turnpike, et. al. We paid for it with our hard-earned (non-Yen) dollars once so that particular Ohio asset seems to be working just fine and is a self-supporting, money-making OHIO entity.

As for me...I have to go find some Yens because our governor may have read my post.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 Dear Gov. Kasich,

  I know you feel our dearly beloved state of Ohio needs money "desperately" and you are trying to help "out of the goodness of your heart" so here are more SWELL ideas for you to consider;

SELL OFF; (1) our school system, (2) our park system, (3) our entire interstate system, (4) our penitentiary system, (5) our DMV, (6) Lake Erie, (7) our state colleges, (8) the Ohio River, (9) the line on paper maps that outlines the Ohio borders, (10) our lottery system, (11) all state employees, (12) the Governor's mansion and (13) anything else you can get your bloody hands on and placed into another privately-held set of hands. Yeah! "That" should work just dandy. Now then, when those privately-held companies make huge profits they will in turn sell it to China anyway and then we STILL need Yens! So...who pockets all this money that was built and paid for with tax-payer money?

Here's another brain-stormin' idea for ya...we get all the cities and townships to sell their assets to the 88 counties so they too can cash in on this money-making proposition, they in turn sell all those asset riches to the state who then sells them to more privately-held companies. Then after they have made their share of profits they then sell them to....you guessed it...China! We'll all be RICH!!! (The problem then becomes trying to learn the 2,000 symbol Chinese alphabet!)

   sincerely,

       pntbutterandjelly, c/o Sandusky Register

Ps. If you, our dear Governor, want more wonderful ideas...look for me on the state grounds as I protest your idiocracy.

kURTje says

F those who want it privatized.       Glad to pay my toll & safely travel some distance from Cleveland to home tonight.    The small amount I paid afforded me  to travel  easily after a busy week.   Similar to people going to all you can eat buffet, or paying a little extra to dine on better fare.    Its that E-z.          Those with the autobahn got it right too.

eriemom says

"What benefit do downstaters get from a northern toll way? Privatize it!"

Why would you care? I don't think that downstaters would include you in Kentucky.

My thoughts says

KPMG is an international accounting firm with offices all over the world including Ohio. The home office happens to be in Texas. Not that it makes selling the Toll Road a good idea. Where should the state raise funds to cut the budget deficit? More income tax? You people have all the answers and I will wait to here them.

OMG.LOL.WT_ says

BIG MONEY in doing STUDIES.

6079 Smith W says

As the costs of state taxpayer supported services and benefits continue to increase, all those services and benefits will need to be cut or taxes will need to be increased - there is no magic.

Privatization and leasing of state owned assets is a middle ground and should be seriously considered.

After the Turnpike bonds matured, the roadway should have been free access. The state lied to its citizens and merely created another useless and expensive bureaucracy.

What benefit do downstaters get from a northern toll way? Privatize it!

 Using an out-of-state firm helps to remove any accusations of collusion.

gilamonster says

rottnrog says

I'll bet someone at KPMG Corporate Finance LLC  in texas is a repub friend of kasicks !!!!!!

Truth or Dare says

Hmmm,  and a Texas corporation none the less.  Can someone please explain to me why it  would cost 3 million for such a study?  Wondering what it would cost Ohion's to  petition that this be voted upon, less ya suppose?  What a crock!  Also left wondering who this "LLC" is supporting for the upcoming presidential election.  Nice way to divert Ohio Taxpayer $$$$'s to another state.  No one here is able?  Doesn't say much for Ohio, I guess.  There is nothing "good" about this, and should it come  to fruition, I'll not use the Turnpike when traveling, could care less how much more time it takes.   

hit the road jack says

The toll road is self supported,If you've taken a stroll across Indiana lately you would see what Ohio turnpike will be like,tripple tolls in less than 5 years,road is a disaster and they reffuse to plow it in winter unless someone is killed or a hell of a wreck. don't let this happen to our toll road(selling off)

Kimo says

Re: The Ohio Department of Transportation has asked for $2.85 million

Jerry Wray is a Kasich appointee. Wray is a career republican that owes his soul to Kasich.

This is an expensive smokescreen to justify selling the farm for a short term benefit.

Kasich raises quick cash, future generations pay for his actions.

He and Wray retire with a good pension and live happily  ever after telling themselves how great they were for Ohio.

DGMutley says

I agree FruGalSpender!  If he gets away with privatizing it it's going to become a shambles.

We shouldn't be selling our assets to pay our bills!

FruGalSpender says

Pay toilets here we come!!! The Ohio Department of Transportation has asked for $2.85 million in state money to pay Austin, Texas-based KPMG Corporate Finance LLC to evaluate financial options of privatizing both the toll road and Interstate rest areas.  what a waste of nearly $3 million. pay toilets, pay to park, charge for Ohio road maps, higher food prices, lack of mowing will provide tall weeds in the median, lack of snow removal and lack of maintenance of the road. then when the road needs to be completely resurfaced, give it back to the state to repair. what a stupid idea. the rest areas would include I-75 and other interstate roads.

robj says

Pay toilets here we come!!!