Even some of the most conservative limited government thought would include transportation as a common need worthy of government support. But today’s big government has that area on the low end of the totem pole:
U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters stunned some with the announcement Friday that the federal highway trust fund will run out of money this month.
The trust fund - a federal account used to help pay for highway and bridge projects - will run about $200 million short by the end of the month, Peters said.
The shortfall will mean short delays - and in some cases, a temporary reduction - in payments to states for infrastructure projects.For South Dakota, the shortfall will amount to $2 million to $4 million a week, according to Gov. Mike Rounds. It's estimated that states may expect a 60 percent to 80 percent reimbursement of payment requests each week, Rounds said.
"With Congress in session, this forces South Dakota into a position to pick up the balance when cash flow is at a premium in the state's highway fund," Rounds said. "We cannot delay our state's payments to contractors."The state's highway trust fund might be forced to borrow from the state's cash-flow fund to make full payments with interest to contractors, Rounds said.
Unfortunately the Governor’s priority is economic development through socialism and not providing the infrastructure for free markets to use. And Senator Thune, who has placed free market interference in the energy industry with subsidies to ethanol business, reacts to this problem:
U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said the shortfall in the highway trust fund is related to motorists driving less because of record high gas prices.
"I believe that Congress will act swiftly next week to provide the necessary funding that states were promised under the 2005 transportation bill," Thune said.
And then Senator Johnson could not respond, so his spokesperson goes partisan and blames Republicans:
Julianne Fisher, spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., said Johnson is working to get $7 billion transferred from the U.S. Treasury into the fund to keep it solvent.
Fisher said earmarks have gotten to be a dirty word, but these projects provide an investment in infrastructure."Last year, a bridge fell in Minnesota and people died," she died. "It's money for new bridges and money for new overpasses."
A shortfall fix for the highway fund was attached to a bill to extend Federal Aviation Administration programs but was blocked by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., and filibustered by Senate Republicans, Fisher said.
There is another piece that supports Joel Dykstra’s premise that things are broken in DC under the leadership of the Senate Democrats. Instead of working across the isle and getting things done, they instead just point fingers. And Chris Lien has pointed out that a problem is not keeping the issues separate. So attaching good legislion to bad legision is the kind of policial moves that fail to get things done.
But Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin criticized Lien at DakotaFest for that reform and can only say that transportation is a priority for the do-nothing Democrat lead Congress:
U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., said fixing the shortfall in the highway trust fund is one of her priorities when Congress returns. Herseth Sandlin, who co-sponsored a bill to fix the shortfall, said she hoped Peters' comments will urge the Senate to act quickly on a similar measure.
"South Dakota relies on federal funding to support transportation and infrastructure projects," she said, adding she will continue to work with her colleagues and state DOT to ensure the shortfall is covered in the short term and when Congress takes up the highway bill next year.
It is time for a change in DC. Time to get rid of the liberals in both parties and put some real conservatives who understand what priorities a limited government should have and what needs to be cut.
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