Man, this story makes me feel like I am 14 and in Mexico again!

Back then, Mexico started selling a lot of its public property. That was okay since it owned many non essential businesses. It was ridiculous.

Then they started to sell all of the essential parts. Rather than setting up competitive markets, it was deemed a lot better to transfer the government monopolies and turn them into private monopolies.

The end result? Mexico has the richest man in the world! (Yep, more than Gates or Buffet.) It has many people listed in the Fortune 500 richest people in the world.

Mexico became a post-modern feudal society. The majority of the population lives to give money to the guys who own everything. Rather than have territorial feudal states, they have economic ones: this guy controls tortillas, this guy telephones, this guy gas, this guy roads... and to make sure that things stay this way, they control the government as well.

And here I always thought that the U.S. was a role model for Mexico, while in reality it is the other way around.

Didn't Michael Moore show extensive ties between GB I and Carlyle?  Don't they have extensive connections to the Saudi Royal Family?

Does anyone else have a problem with foreign investors owning a mojor transportation link between the Capitol and the closest International Airport?

for more information on "the Carlyle Group and Saudi money in the United States and its connection to the Bush family, their friends and associates."

We all here want a tunnel through Tysons. Does it matter if an  equity firm does it - shady or not? I think all this conspiracy talk is interesting however it's just that.. What I'm trying to figure out is what's more important - Privatization of the rails (hopefully reopen tunnel option) or nothing? I think it's one or the other at this point.

My point was that this was tried in Mexico with terrible consequences.

Public projects should serve the public, not investment groups. Government doesn't have to turn a profit for shareholders, investment groups do.

The cost of living in this area is already high enough. I don't see why we should make it higher by making our road a money machine for investment groups.

I frankly believe that nothing would be better, rather than fall in what is a classic negotiation trick: take an offer off the table and offer a bad deal in turn.

But like I said, it's either private equity or nothing... I'd love to be able to see some other way to get $900 million but I don't see the rest of VA going for higher taxes to cover it. I also don't see where else the money would come from, more bonds perhaps?? So where is this money going to come from is the question?  

This is turning into such a ClusterF.  With this, the Bush administration position starts to make a bit more sense - they made the right decision (at least temporarily) for ALL the wrong reasons.  Corrupt bastards.  Is it better than their usual approach - make the wrong decision for the wrong reasons?  

Aside from all that, could there also be some fear tactics going down in order to promote the rail project?  To wit: Get the public all wound up and worried that a greedy private interest will be controlling public transportation and a major highway and said public will be screaming for a government owned rail project.  After the WAPO's love fest with the rail plan yesterday, I'm seriously skeptical of this sort of reporting.

In fairness I am not up to speed on the whole Carlyle Group association, I had always though Carlyle was a restaurant in Shirlington frankly, but that aside many jurisdictions are looking into having private over public funding to solve the transportation woes. Down here Pocohontas Parkway  which I believe is owned by a German company is looking to expand into other roads and has raised the toll just recently for its Parkway in and around 95/295 outside Richmond. Is the issue Carlyle per say or "private" companies owning roads that is at issue here. Seems to me if private firms can help the situation as they have here that may be a potential solution. Again I am not entirely up to speed on Carlyle Group.

Back in the beginning of the county we had private toll roads -- Little River Turnpike which went from Alexandria to Aldie is a local example.  The company running the road went belly up. Heck the original company that built the Greenway to Leesburg very nearly went belly up in the early 1990s.

But given the boom and bust nature of the country back then, it soon became apparent that public investment in infrastructure was needed -- Dewit Clinton, governor of New York for instance built the Erie Canal.