Mary Peters, Transportation

One by one I am going through the women who are in GWB's cabinet. There are many links and references to Condaleeza Rice, so I don't need to bring anyone's attention to her. I did a piece on the Department of Education Secretary - Margaret Spellings. Here is my closing comment:

Does it surprise you that she graduated from the University of Houston with a bachelor's degree in political science? Why wouldn't we have someone who is familiar with education? And she followed GWB to Washington. Yuck.

Now it is Mary Peters turn. She is a cabinet member as the head of the Department of Transportation. This department's

mission is to serve the United States by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient transportation system that enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future.

This is her mandate. Yet there is nothing about public transportation, nothing about reducing the number of vehicles on the roads. Most of the pronouncements have been restating her positions:

As federal highway administrator, Ms. Peters helped push through a highway authorization bill that allows public highways to be turned over to private companies for maintenance and toll collection. She has also advocated time-of-day pricing at tollbooths and construction of roads by private firms.

In 2002, when she was the FHWA Administrator she said this:

"Choose other modes of transportation, such as sharing a ride, car or van pooling, taking mass transit, biking or walking, to reduce congestion and air pollution.

These are transportation choices each of us can make."

Yet where are the budget allocations to aid this vision? I couldn't find them.....