George Bush Turnpike in Plano to whore itself out to Maxwell House Wednesday

by Teresa Gubbins

PLANO — A sign on the eastbound side of the George Bush Turnpike on Tuesday night declared that Maxwell House would be covering drivers' toll charges on Wednesday November 21 from 7 to 9 a.m.

It's a promotional partnership between the North Texas Tollway Authority and the instant-coffee company whereby motorists who drive through the express lanes get their tolls paid and the promise of a free sample and a coupon.

The release says that it's drivers specifically passing through cash lanes. Which implies that drivers with tolltags do not get their tolls covered for free.

And if that's true, that the coffee sample is for people who pay cash only, does that imply that people with tolltags have better taste than to drink Maxwell House coffee? Are tolltag people also people who frequent Starbucks?

The weird thing is that this newsletter already issued on the Internet by the NTTA as of Tuesday night has an account of the event that speaks of it in past tense. (i.e., "On November 21st, Maxwell House paid tolls for motorists passing through the President George Bush Turnpike's Coit Road Main Lane Plaza cash lanes between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. Each driver was also given a free sample of Maxwell House coffee and a coupon.") Surely they know that it's a bad idea to report on an event that hasn't happened yet.