Did you ever try the butterscotch pudding at Ponderosa?
I’m betting most did not even know of the steakhouse’s talents in the instant-dessert field. I always grabbed one moving down the dinner assembly line as a kid. Now I’m wondering if I should have two-fisted the sugar-filled goop. Places like Ponderosa and Sizzler ruled the family feast night back in the day. Most are mere parking lots now, victims of the mighty Outback chain.
Australian flavor on my steak I can take, but I’m not so sure about this Aussie kick on the American highway. It’s official in the state of Indiana. After months of deliberation the state broke out of its no-frills mentality by passing frilly legislation sexy enough to hang in one of those specialty lingerie shops. Governor Mitch Daniels signed “Major Moves” into law in mid-March, which gives a great big hug and kiss to a $3.8 billion leasing deal involving the Indiana Toll Road. I guess you could now call the Macquarie Infrastructure Group of Australia the parent of this love child. Partnering with Spanish company Cintra, the international toll authority has control of the 157-mile road for the next 75 years. And Daniels hasn’t wasted any time picking the fruits of his labor. The governor pushed, pressed and pulled for the deal to make it through state legislature, and has already designated $2.8 billion of the Macquarie/Cintra payment for more than 200 road construction and expansion projects across Indiana.
The Australian outfit, however, was never fully embraced like the warm and fuzzy Crocodile Dundee character. Some in the Indiana political scene wanted to squeeze it to death. The public also dug in for a fight, as hundreds showed up at the statehouse to protest the leasing of the Toll Road, fearing the move would result in the hiring of non-union labor at low wages.
The situation became so concerning that Macquarie’s chief, Stephen Allen, dropped in on Hoosier land to persuade the masses.
“We bring investment and we bring some expertise in helping to improve transport systems,” he reassured Republicans and Democrats. He also said his investment group was ready to come in with electronic tolling and new lane construction.
Allen, however, keenly twisted his ambitions, acknowledging that higher tolls will drive profits versus increased traffic or operational efficiencies.
Why do I feel a hidden agenda is lurking between the lines of this official contract? Allen confronted the fee increase possibility with the guarantee that the service also will elevate. After all, if the warm dish of international business goes cold nobody will want to be a customer. But what if the price doesn’t match the quality? Will the hundreds of thousands of disgruntled motorists then clog other arteries?
The job situation with this deal also is bothersome. Lets face it, Macquarie/Cintra probably has its own farm system of players ready for the big leagues, and I can’t see the group hiring a contractor with a roster full of union workers. The new name of this game is the bottom line, and it’s not always fair.
Is privatization needed in this country? Yes. Is this country ready for privatization? I think the resistance in Indiana answers that question. Acceptance should be more like reaching for that butterscotch pudding—quick and decisive.
