With Mike Morrell: The Effects of Progressivism Part 6

ALL >> Without roads and highways, our economy could not function. From commuters to truckers, these arteries are the lifeblood of our society, getting each of us from one place to the other so that we can lead productive lives and do our part to build a more prosperous nation. Since the Roman Empire, which constructed some of the world’s longest-lasting streets and roads, facilitating commerce has been recognized as a core function and responsibility of government. Yet this straightforward notion is often needlessly challenged in California. Years ago, voters took action to ensure that gas taxes would be dedicated to building and maintaining our state’s highways, but progressives have still found ways to override the will of the people through complicated budget actions, using much of the money in other areas. Now there is more traffic, but fewer roads being built, and infrastructure is deteriorating – creating safety hazards, decreasing productivity, and making us less competitive with other states. Both progressives and conservatives acknowledge this fact – we all drive the same streets. However, if you were to ask either side how to fix our transportation problems, you would get very different answers. For those of us who hold to the principles of limited government, the solution is a simple one. We take a step back, look at how our money can be better used by identifying any waste and put the taxes we pay on gas and for driving back into funding roads and highways. For progressives, there is little willingness to acknowledge that any waste exists. Their solution is always the same – to first ask taxpayers for more of their hard-earned money. A recent proposal would go as far as adding an additional 17 cents in taxes to the price of a gallon of gas, which is already among the nation’s highest, and index the increase to inflation. Rather than focus on the roads that power our economy forward and play a key role in keeping people mobile and able to rise out of poverty, they seek to expand vast entitlement programs at a time when our state already has 34 percent of the nation’s welfare load and perpetuate debt that threatens future funding for priorities like public safety and schools. Progressives also attempt to change the topic from roads to the unrealistic benefits of projects such as the planned high-speed rail line between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Proponents claim it will eventually pay for itself as it gets up and running, but the reality is it will likely always be subsidized by taxpayers. Once promised at a total cost of $33 billion, some estimates now peg the price at more than $100 billion. In a recent poll, over half of voters would approve scrapping the project in favor of using the money on water. Before it takes on projects that dig taxpayers deeper into debt, government should first do well its current tasks. With recent numbers indicating that “deficient” roads and highways cost drivers in the LA area around $2,800 per year in added maintenance costs – a total of $53 billion statewide – it would seem our streets should be near the top of our priorities. The problem we now face is proof of what happens when big government gets too involved and is distracted from its primary roles. As progressives continue to try to grow government at faster rates, we need to reflect on the limits laid out by our Constitution, ensuring every tax dollar we pay to the government is spent efficiently so that our economy can thrive and our way of life can continue to improve. At its most basic, this means building and maintaining roads so that commerce and trade can freely flow.