Defund the Federal Highway Fund and return the responsibility (and costs) back to the States. - Granite Grok

Defund the Federal Highway Fund and return the responsibility (and costs) back to the States.

From Weekend Pundit:

David Starr comments on the Federal Highway Trust Fund, its original purpose, and how it is now being used for anything but maintaining our highways. He also has some suggestions about dealing with it now that the money is running dry.

Better, would be to shut down the Highway Trust Fund altogether.  Lay off all the bureaucrats who run it. Cancel the Federal gasoline tax.  Let the states, who do the roadwork, pay for road maintenance out of state funds.  The states could even hike their gas taxes if needed.  With the Federal gas tax removed, the states could take a much bigger bite without raising the price of gas.

Indeed.

Ayup.  Too often I have to say “what is happening in DC is happening in Concord”; the politicians of BOTH stripes have created this man-made crisis – set up the Fund(s) for a specific purpose and unable to exert discipline over themselves to leave the monies alone and siphoned it off in multiple ways… 

And then have the chutzpah to declare “WE HAVE TO FIX IT” and never take responsibility for causing it.  Absolute DOOM if we all don’t cough up more for their mistakes.

Look, Eisenhower started the present Highway system after seeing how useful they were to the Germans for logistics during WW II (and a lot more “durable” than railroads given its redundancy).  That was back in the 50s and under the rubric of national defense.  And yes, it worked and had a positive material effect on our national life – the freedom to travel further and faster and made it easier to have a home outside the crowded, crime-ridden, high cost cities (the American Dream and still enviro-wacko nightmare (which has spawned their Sustainable Communities Initiative to force us back to the outmoded city mode of existence (“You SHALL enjoy what ve haf decided for you!”)).

I agree with both DCE and David – there is no good reason WHY the Federales have to be in charge – let go, reassign the money back to the States along with the responsibility.  That would make it FAR easier for we taxpayers to hold more local folks more accountable.  After all, I do not believe that the Federal level is smarter than the state (or that the state is smarter than the local).  NOTHING makes one smarter just because you get elected or work for government than the folks that elect you and fund your paychecks.

While the post road (“Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 of the United States Constitution, known as the Postal Clause or the Postal Power, empowers Congress “To establish Post Offices and post Roads”.“) is a Federal responsibility, most of the roads that connect them are locally maintained.  So much for that, eh?

 

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