Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Transportation Funding Debacle just a peek into the jumbled, confusing, unprincipled, scattershot thinking of the Republican Party in Wisconsin.

To be honest, I'm not even sure how anyone can explain the Republican legislatures schizophrenic, outrageously irresponsible in your face hypocrisy. As confusing as it may be, having it both ways is now normal GOP policy, and a "we won" reward for voters who don't seem to give a damn. Like my conservative friend in Milwaukee, who texted me the following after I mentioned the story below...
"yeah yeah who the hell knows what they're doing?"
While Republicans unashamedly grovel at the feet of Foxconn handouts...
The GOP transportation plan would fund ... more than $250 million in new state borrowing as part of Wisconsin's Foxconn bill.
....they're trying to sabotage Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's street car project. Do Republicans hate Milwaukee so much that they'll kill the street car tourist attraction that basically runs right past the new sports arena paid for by taxpayers?
Under the GOP deal, Milwaukee could not spend any of its state transportation aid money to operate the streetcar. In addition, a City of Milwaukee tax-incremental financing district and Milwaukee County could not fund the operation of the streetcar.
...while crippling transportation upgrades in the states biggest city and business hub...
The state won't move forward with an expansion of Interstate 94 west of Milwaukee between the Marquette and Zoo interchanges, a project that many southeast Wisconsin Republicans and business leaders wanted.
...while Republicans delay major road repair/replacement projects statewide, they've decided to make things even worse...?
Allow for more overweight trucks on Wisconsin highways, which is significant because heavy trucks do considerably more damage to roads than cars. The GOP plan would let trucks weighing more than twice the legal limit travel on stretches of state highway in Ashland and Vilas counties they're carrying raw forest products and lumber. It would also allow some garbage trucks to exceed state weigh limits and extend a state law that lets agricultural vehicles exceed weight limits.
All the while turning down hiking fees on trucks, Republicans aren't afraid to attack very light electric or hybrid energy saving cars because what the heck, their owners don't vote Republican:
They will create a new $100 annual fee for electric cars and a $75 fee for hybrids.

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