Posted on 04/28/2019 6:51:03 AM PDT by Twotone
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WJAC) — A state audit of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has found that billions of dollars have been diverted over the years that could have been spent repairing roads and bridges.
Auditor General Eugene DePasquale announced the findings of his new audit Thursday, saying that PennDOT could be further along in repairing rough highways and fixing 2,829 structurally deficient bridges had it not been forced to pay state police.
DePasquale said that the transfers from the Motor License Fund to state police totaled more than $4.2 billion since the 2012-2013 fiscal year.
“More than 2,800 state-maintained bridges across Pennsylvania are structurally deficient and our bridges average over 50 years in age – beyond what they were designed to last,” DePasquale said. “That $4.25 billion could have cut that list in half and if PennDOT could use all of the gas tax money for roads and bridges we could get that number to zero in about five years.”
(Excerpt) Read more at wjactv.com ...
Sounds like wall money to me.
EVERY time they want the public to cough up money:
1. “It’s for our cops and brave firemen”
2. “It’s for crumbling schools, our kids’ futures”
They always SAY it’s for some really noble and basic function of gummint that even Libertarians agree on.
But we know the truth.
I heard that LA County used it’s share of the old Tobacco Settlement money to REPAIR SIDEWALKS.
I like sidewalks, but...how did smoking injure sidewalks..?
I was prepared to scoff at the notion of not paying state police from state funds until I read the article.
“DePasquale says that under the state constitution, proceeds from the Motor License Fund are only supposed to be used for the construction, repair, maintenance and safety of public highways and bridges.”
‘Splain that, Lucy.
Repair?? Or make ADA compliant?? That's costing us a bundle here in WV. Supposedly the ramps aren't wide enough and they have to put in those plastic bumpy things that my cane slips on when wet.
There are at least 30 countries in this world who spent less on their military then PA spent on their state cops...
Yep. Governor Walker worked hard for EIGHT YEARS to get Wisconsin roads and bridges repaired; he made some progress, but the WI DOT moves as quick as hardening cement.
Now that we have a Socialist Governor (Evers, D, In-Over-His-Head!) who ran our schools into the ground, he’s already proposing additional gas hikes to ‘fix the roads’ but that money will be diverted!
Our road are really for Shiite. There are some I refuse to drive on; I’ll take the long way home to avoid the potholes and crumbing bridges, etc.
Our previous Governor, before Walker, ‘Diamond Jim’ Doyle (D, Lawyer) diverted 80 BILLION from our roads to schools; and our kids are still dopes!
Our State DOTs have GOT to be the most corrupted agencies of any of them. It’s maddening! Grrrr!
Oops! 8 billion, NOT 80 billion! ;)
Part of the reason the State Police cost so much is that over half the jurisdictions in the state don’t have a local police force, so the State Police have to fill that role. There’s talk of instituting a head tax in those places to help pay for it.
What is the name(s) of the folks that authorized the transfers.
“Our State DOTs have GOT to be the most corrupted agencies of any of them. It’s maddening! Grrrr!”
You think you got it bad? When I cross the state line from illannoy into Wisconsin I always tell my wife it’s good to be in America again! Like going from Haiti to Denmark.
Likely what it’s really going for are insanely generous pensions and cadillac health bennies.
This has been going on since the Israelites asked God for a king. Man is NOT able to govern himself due to sin. EVERY government due to the shortcomungs of man, not necessarily the form of government.
Union money laundering.. i doubt their families are seeing the dollars.
Forgot to put “fails” after government.
“What is the name(s) of the folks that authorized the transfers.””
At least it’s going to a worthy cause. In criminalinois the funds are “transferred” to the pockets of family members, patronage workers, connected contractors, junk concrete and asphalt manufacturers, corrupt politicians, bike paths, intentionally dragged out cost overrun shoddy projects etc.
Moneys are diverted to entitlement programs and illgals
“Part of the reason the State Police cost so much is that over half the jurisdictions in the state don’t have a local police force, so the State Police have to fill that role. There’s talk of instituting a head tax in those places to help pay”
This is horse hockey. Most of those areas are so rural there is almost no need of cops. How many extra officers were specifically hired and outfitted to cover the areas in question?
I have noticed in our state (California) that there are police cars at every highway construction site, lights flashing. I wonder is that is not at least some of the transfer. Seems like easy duty for the cops—sitting in a car watching the workers work and commuters commute.
“EVERY time they want the public to cough up money:”
and if you don’t give us more money, we’re closing the libraries ...
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