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Billboards sponsored by the road building industry, up since March, have had little effect.

WINDSHIELD FACTOR: Dump Michigan Legislators Who Fail to Act on Roads

Motorists Willing to Pay More Fees & Taxes, But Lansing is Stalled

June 29, 2014       1 Comments
By: Dave Rogers

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What we motorists see out of our car or truck windshields should be a motivating factor in the upcoming elections.

The Windshield Factor it could be called.

A couple of weeks ago the Michigan Legislature headed for summer break without attending to a high priority need -- road repair.

The legislators should be asking themselves: Why pour money into the Pure Michigan campaign, attracting tourists who have to contend with obviously neglected roads when they get here?

The windshield factor, again.

Assessing blame is difficult: both parties are derelict but, as the sign on Harry Truman's desk said -- "The Buck Stops Here."

In Michigan "the buck" stops at Gov. Rick Snyder's desk and he obviously has not been forceful enough to ramrod his proposals.

Democrats criticized Snyder for leaving the state during ongoing legislative negotiations about road funding.

At a critical junctures earlier this month the governor was in New York visiting credit rating agencies and participating in a "site selectors" outreach event, according to his staff.

Last Tuesday, standing in a driving rain near a bad stretch of road in Burton, Democratic challenger Mark Schauer beseeched Gov. Rick Snyder to cancel the legislature's summer break and return to find a long-term financial solution to the state's road funding that he said should include an end to some of the $1.8 billion in corporate tax breaks.

"The failure rests clearly on the shoulders of Gov. Rick Snyder," said Schauer, who took time to rail against Snyder for two trips to New York City, including attending a fundraiser for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and visit to Fox News, during talks that dissolved in the state legislature. "He should have been leading those critical bi-partisan talks."

Has Snyder given Schauer exactly what the underdog campaigner wants: a meat and potatoes issue to get voters' juices flowing?

Unless Snyder bites the bullet and calls the pols to Lansing for an emergency session, that could be the case.

When Snyder wanted Right to Work he didn't spare the horses. Now it's elephants who need to be corralled.

"The efforts of a statewide coalition, widespread public outcries for legislative action and a harsh winter that left already deteriorating roads in horrendous shape, were not enough impetus to get the Michigan Legislature to pass a much needed increase in transportation investment," stated one critic.

MLive reporter Jonathon Oosting wrote: "Democrats are demanding some form of tax relief for lower-income workers if they are going to support increasing fuel or sales taxes, which they view as regressive. They've noted that the Republican-led Legislature scaled back the earned income tax credit as part of a major tax code rewrite in 2011."

Several attempts to increase infrastructure funding failed in the Senate, and a crisis situation has been left until legislators return from summer break in the fall.

"We will miss another construction season to adequately maintain our infrastructure," said Lance Binoniemi, vice president of government affairs for the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, a leader of the Michigan Transportation Team, a statewide coalition of groups that have been calling for increased state funding for roads, bridges and public transportation.

"Michigan loses $3 million a day or $1 billion annually in transportation asset value by not doing anything. This is a funding crisis that we can no longer ignore."

Binoniemi said that every study that has been done on the issue of Michigan's deteriorating infrastructure points to the fact that the state needs at least an additional $2 billion annually just to maintain our current roads and bridges. Every year that the legislature does not act, that funding need grows by over $100 million.

"Lawmakers literally are letting the roads crumble while they take a summer recess," Binoniemi said. "These legislators are elected to make tough decisions and again, they've put it off, even though a recent poll shows that fixing the roads is the number one issue for voters, and they are willing to pay higher user fees to get the job done.

- See more at: http://justfixtheroads.com/legislators-go-on-summer-recess-without-road-funding-solution/#sthash.6OVYmLWJ.dpuf A recent Detroit News poll shows 85 percent of respondents say state spending on roads is "too low," while 68 percent voiced support for paying $10 more per month in fees and taxes for road repairs.

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce is lobbying the Senate to impose additional vehicle registration fees and a higher gasoline tax at the wholesale level that would replace the 19-cents-per-gallon gas tax and 14-cents-per-gallon diesel tax.

?This is the first indicator we have in a big and dramatic shift in public opinion,? said Rich Studley, president and CEO of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce. ?The (legislators) who will be on the wrong side of this issue going forward are the people who vote no, who do not participate in the debate and do no have a constructive alternative.?

When a question framed the wholesale gas tax as being levied on "oil companies," support for a higher fuel tax registered at 64 percent, according to the poll.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140519/METRO05/305190069#ixzz35xlCiDff

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"The BUZZ" - Read Feedback From Readers!

tennis1960 Says:       On July 01, 2014 at 11:00 AM
Maybe they should utilize the prison system to help with the funding. I thought was Detroit was broke not the "entire state"!!!. Its sad.....just sad!!!!
Agree? or Disagree?


Dave Rogers

Dave Rogers is a former editorial writer for the Bay City Times and a widely read,
respected journalist/writer in and around Bay City.
(Contact Dave Via Email at carraroe@aol.com)

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