Goldman Sachs’ Road to Riches

Like a real estate agent representing both buyer and seller, Goldman Sachs simultaneously urges governments to privatize highways, advises them as they structure the deals, and buys a piece of the action.

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Number of city and state governments that have hired Goldman Sachs to advise them on privatizing highways: 4

Amount that Goldman Sachs clients recently put into a fund that invests in infrastructure such as highways: $3 billion

Amount that Goldman Sachs gave to a PAC established by its lobbying firm, Hillco Partners, to push a 2001 Texas ballot measure allowing privately operated roads: $10,000

Minimum amount Goldman Sachs paid Hillco lobbyist J. McCartt, a former aide to Texas governor Rick Perry, between 2002 and 2005: $95,000

Difference between the amount Goldman Sachs offered for Houston’s 83 miles of toll roads in 2005 and what a subsequent study found they were really worth: 86 percent

Number of county commissioners who voted to privatize: 0

Number of Goldman Sachs funds that invested in Australian toll road operator MIG while the bank was advising Indiana on its privatization deal with MIG: 3

Amount it would cost to drive through NYC’s Holland Tunnel if a MIG-style toll pricing scheme had been put in place at its inception: $185

Back to “The Highwaymen”

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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