Dear Editor:
Our Legislature has been on my mind and not in a good way. "Elections have consequences." said G.W. Bush.
A recent trip to Colorado reminded me of this. I had last traveled I-70 west last May. In my opinion the road to Kansas City has deteriorated shockingly this winter. Long stretches are rough. Find out for yourself. Something is very wrong about this.
How long have our legislators been arguing over how to fund maintenance or improvements? Too long! Not long ago Sen. Kehoe and his cohort tried a sales tax gimmick for maintenance. Trained by conservatives to hate any form of taxes, voters rejected that. Now Sen. Kehoe is touting a new plan to use tax monies saved by cutting benefits to poor and disabled citizens which then would be diverted to maintaining infrastructure. The senator claims $1 billion to $2 billion over 10 years can be removed from the disabled, widows and children.
Interstate 70 from Kansas City to Denver is in excellent shape. Up to now stretches of I-70 in Kansas have been rebuilt and resurfaced during the past 10 years. The fuel tax in Kansas is 24 cents for gas and 26 cents for diesel. That is 40 percent higher than Missouri's 17-cent fuel tax which is among the lowest in the nation. Kansas also benefits from a 236-mile turnpike system which generates a cash flow for its maintenance.
What about 640 Missouri bridges listed in "critical condition" by MoDOT. That number is projected to reach 1,500 in the coming decade. "Critical condition" is the designation for a bridge just before it has to be shut down. Not even the Republicans in charge call any of this a hoax. What is the "real plan"? What if taking money from widows and orphans is not sufficient? Well, so far the plan is not to raise the fuel tax at a time when it would be least noticed (low gas prices and more efficient cars). The plan does not seem to be to allow toll roads. In fact, it seems there is no agreed upon plan but just more dithering.
Missouri's construction budget is expected to get so low by 2017 that the state could lose federal matching funds ($4 for every Missouri $1). MoDOT says we only have enough money to adequately maintain 24 percent of our roads.
Why are politicians elected who cannot or will not govern?
Movie title
Grade: grade here
Cast: cast here
Director: director here
Rating: rating here
Running time: minutes
Showtimes and Ticket Info