Home of Today's Common Sense

Published Brownsville Herald Feb 15, 2010

Our leaders must be told that the economy must be the number one priority at every level of public administration. Our neighbors need to get back to work and the government must pay its debt.
In our area most work is substantially related to farm products, twin plant manufacturing, and small businesses.
An enormous number of jobs are in the transportation and logistics industry and nearly all of the others depend on it to survive.
To get products to market, to get those things we need for survival and to supply the businesses, we need trucking but that is only part of the system.
In South Texas to take advantage of our resources and overcome the long distances we must deal with we also must have a viable mix of transportation systems to reach more suppliers and customers.
That means a well planed rail facility as well as inexpensive bus service and air services for time sensitive needs.
We also have a plus that many others do not have and that is our nearness to the sea and Mexico. We are fortunate to have port facilities to take advantage of the sea resource but we need to do a lot better in coordinating the planning of our facilities with our neighbors.
Each facility spends a lot of time and resources competing with their neighbors – McAllen, Harlingen, Corpus Christi and Brownsville; competing that could be better spent working with each other and improving the potential afforded by the undeveloped Mexican port of El Mesquital in the city of Matamoros.
Cooperation could bring wonders but it must not be done in secret and care must be taken that opportunities not be compromised by individual avarice. Crucial to this, is that planning and oversight needs to be done with the joint advantages in mind. The past losses due to the irrational competitiveness and misuse of resources must be avoided.
There are growing markets and sources of products and services in Central America that could be supplied and acquired utilizing our special talents and similar languages.
The developing oil production just offshore, that has used all of Port Isabel’s port facilities will demand new transport facilities and support. The coming availability of a former Navy port facility could also provide the advantage of quick in and out to the open sea to vessel operations that need it.
In Brownsville, facilities that afford a shorter arrival and departure time to port will be necessary to reduce vessel costs and time in port and allow for better use of facilities for more security or less time sensitive cargos.
Just three years ago a team from the National Ports & Waterways Institute in Washington came to Brownsville to study the viability of an extension of the transportation corridor through Texas to Central America by sea. The resulting project would be called the Pan American Maritime Highway. I have been informed that many considered the project eminently feasible.
Had action been taken then, transportation difficulties through Mexico would have been reduced and new markets and material sources would be nearer.

In the lead to advance the maritime resources are the Propeller clubs around the World. They are comprised of professionals in the industry and those with similar interests.
The Brownsville membership has been prominently involved in improving maritime opportunities and thereby improving opportunities for their neighbors as well. Not long ago they attracted a number of representatives of the Tamaulipas State government to a regular meeting, to explore the opportunities of a developed port facility at El Mesquital, as a way of providing an alternative to the bridges for very heavy and or hazardous trailers. It is expected that it would also afford additional commercial opportunities in both countries as well.
This month the Brownsville Propeller Club has begun the political season by inviting the unopposed Libertarian Candidate for Congress Ed Mishou to introduce himself and share his ideas for a better future than our current crop of politicians have done. Contact one of the members to invite you to their dinner meeting on February 18. It will be held at the Las Palmas Restaurant on Palm Blvd. Enjoy the good food and the opportunity to meet the candidate and hear what these community leaders are thinking about that, could well provide a better future for us all.
The election this year may be one of the most important in our lifetime. All of the folks that determine how much of our hard earned resources are confiscated to be given to someone else and how much is spent by the government and for what purpose. If the House of Representatives doesn’t initiate the bill to spend nothing is spent. Believe it or not there is no Obama-money it all comes from Congress and then is signed by the President. If the President doesn’t sign it but rejects or veto’s it Congress can still pass it if enough of the Congress wants.
The forefathers of the Nation planned that Members of the House of Representatives would be citizen statespersons who would leave there farms and businesses for a short time (2 years) to consider the issues of the government in light of the ideas, needs and priorities that were important to the constituency. It was thought that members could leave their farms and business for that period of time without serious loss. It was not considered that there would be a professional Congressperson so they could be relied to bring the sentiments of the people to the seat of government. That part of the system of controls is definitely broke. Perhaps a term limit is needed to correct this but maybe just eliminating access to a retirement program other than social security might cure more than that one ill.
Most of all “We the people” need to vote and let these rulers know what is really important – don’t let the “politiqueras” decide for you.
New political players are needed to recognize these opportunities and not squander our limited resources as in the past.
The 2010 election is coming and one side you have the Republicans of the administration that brought us the poor economy and a lot of the government debt and you also have the Democrat Congress that controlled the spending in Congress during the last of the Republican period and is still in control as the debt gets bigger and we get poorer.
There needs to be a real change and the only major party left on the ballot that has always been for low taxes and small government are the Libertarians.
Learn what is really going on by listening to all the candidates, then decide which candidate you can trust with your future. Then vote!