The metaphor is not that this is the military, it is more analagous to aircraft carriers. And the military deals with aquiring one in the way I have proposed. They forecast the price and the upkeep, then ask for the money. When they get it they build it.
The cost of a road plus the upkeep can be a known quantity with a high level of certainty.
Maintenance upkeep is a highly forecastable expense. We have the departments to prove it. So why collect millions more than the known expenses of building and maintaining the road? A toll doesn't stop collecting when those expenses are met. Overages go to build more toll roads, which go on collecting. Can you see the problem here? There is nothing in CAMPO that shuts off the spigot. Why have that money sitting there waiting for fraud? Idle dollars are the devils playthings. CAMPO has already spent $700,000 more than they were given just to set up administrative offices.
I am opposed to the gas tax for the same reasons. Let's urge our government to draw a straight transparent line between gathered taxes and expenditures. No more of these taxes designed to regulate indivdual behavior. Such as use drive more fuel effiecient vehicles or control traffic or get people to use buses or light rail.
It is not insane to think the government could buy roads for us the same way we make major purchases such as a house. We had to get approval and buy off buy a number of stakeholders (the buiilder, the bank, our wives parents children and friends) and convince them we would be able to pay and upkeep the house. The process is known and scalable. If I went to those people and proposed building my house by collecting a $1 from everyone who entered and left the house I would be laughed out of the building.
In the same manner our local and state government should have to come to us the voters with a plan to build a road, the costs and rational and get us to buy off with a yes vote on the bond. Else they go back to the drawing board. CAMPO removes that review. They plow on with their mandate, build roads, regardless as to whether we want them or not. When we want to hold them accountable they will point to local governments who created them. Those officials will point to CAMPO. Sound familiar? It should because it has already started!
-- lates
-- jrawk