Who's Delusional?

No surprise that the Ragister is calling for higher taxes in the wake of the I-35W bridge collapse.

Their editorial specifically called for an increase in the gasoline tax.

If I recall correctly 39 cents is the current tax per gallon, with the feds taking 18 cents and the state 21.

The Ragister resorts to name calling with...

Anyone who says we can shift a few dollars around here and there to pay for all that without raising significant new revenues is delusional.

You may be right, I may be crazy.

However there is a one word solution...

Earmarks!

Earmarks in the House have increased from 3,000 in 1996 to 15,000 in 2005 to 36,000 in spending bills for this fiscal year.

The Ragister asks...

If current state and federal gas taxes won't cover all the roads and bridges needing attention, where will the money come from for the rest of it?

Per the Sunlight Foundation they found $503 Million earmarked in one appropriations bill and $132.3 Million in another.

That's just $632.3 Million in just two spending bills!

Clean up wasteful spending before you come to me for higher taxes.

The infamous "bridge to nowhere" in a remote part of Alaska received over $200 Million.

To paraphrase Everett Dirksen, you're almost talking real money and the scientific community is united in that fact.

If a bridge to nowhere falls, does it make a noise or even matter?