Saturday, September 17, 2011
A Republican president created the Interstate Highway System
And our generation of Republicans think they will repair themselves. Certainly the collapse of our road system is no reason to upset the Koch Brothers or their corporate masters with increased taxes.
Despite the sense of urgency, federal highway and transit programs that underwrite about 40 percent of transportation construction have been in a kind of legislative limbo for two years, limping along under a series of short-term extensions because Congress can't figure out how to pay for them.If we are going to ship all our jobs overseas, who needs a transportation system.
Republicans want the programs to be funded almost entirely through existing transportation taxes, primarily the 18.4 cents per gallon federal gas tax and 24.4 cents per gallon federal diesel tax. But revenue from the taxes is declining as people drive less and buy more fuel-efficient cars.
GOP Rep. John Mica of Florida, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has proposed a six-year, $230 billion plan that would slash annual transportation spending by about 30 percent.
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