Fellow Travelers

Opposition to highway privatization has cut across political categories, producing a few strange bedfellows.

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“Why the rush to sell our transportation systems to foreigners? ‘Follow the money’ explains all. State and local governments pocket the money upfront and get to spend it here and now, so politicians can cover their runaway budget deficits and enjoy the political rewards of spending for new facilities.”

– Conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly

“It may be indeed like the Louisiana Purchase, only Indiana is the France of this deal. You are taking a minuscule up-front payment in return for a large downstream profit to a foreign company which is being handed a captive customer base.”

Ralph Nader (in a letter to Indiana governor Mitch Daniels)

Daniels “just screwed the state of Indiana and the people of the state of Indiana. [Private companies] have a license to print money here. It’s a scam, basically. And you lose control of your transportation infrastructure.”

– Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), incoming chair of the House Subcommittee on Highways, Transit, and Pipelines

Back to “The Highwaymen”

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This is how change happens.

One story at a time.

This investigative reporting takes time too. Months of research. Weeks of writing, editing, and fact checking—and putting together the photography, art, video, and audio that tell the stories in a new way, illuminating new perspectives and voices.

We can afford to take our time because we don’t report to oligarchs or corporations. We report to you, and for you.

And the stakes are high. Democracy is on the defense. We’ve been exposing corruption and scandal for five decades, and this is a pivotal moment in our country’s history. Will democracy prevail? We won’t wait for time to tell—independent journalism is essential for democracy, and we’ll keep doing our part to amplify the free press.

So, we’re asking: Will you join the fight? Mother Jones has been here for 50 years, and we need your support to fuel the future of investigative journalism. Mark our 50th anniversary with a gift of any amount.

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