[saganite]

It isn't private enterprise. It's the govt leasing assets already paid for with taxpayer dollars to private companies so you can pay twice for the privelege of driving on roads you already paid for.

[1rudeboy]

I remember when Ronald Reagan and other conservatives were in favor of privatizing non-essential governmental functions. [misty-eyed sigh]

[JustRight]

As opposed to paying to doing the same thing via taxes, whether you use that road or not.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Yep. That's exactly what Fast Eddie Rendell is trying to do with the Pennsylvania Turnpike...

[DustyMoment]

It isn't private enterprise. It's the govt leasing assets already paid for with taxpayer dollars to private companies so you can pay twice for the privelege of driving on roads you already paid for.

EXACTLY!!!!

Say it again - "It isn't private enterprise. It's the govt leasing assets already paid for with taxpayer dollars to private companies so you can pay twice for the privelege of driving on roads you already paid for."

And again - "It isn't private enterprise. It's the govt leasing assets already paid for with taxpayer dollars to private companies so you can pay twice for the privelege of driving on roads you already paid for."

[Alberta's Child]

In most cases these assets aren't "already paid for" at all.

Sure, U.S. taxpayers may have already paid to have these roads built years ago doesn't make them "already paid for" at all. An asset must be maintained, rehabilitated, and (often) upgraded (or replaced) over time. The fact that you've already paid for your car doesn't mean you'll never have to change the oil, replace the brake pads, or even replace the car in its entirety.

2006 was a milestone year in the history of U.S. transportation, for it marked the 50th anniversary of the implementation of the Interstate Highway System. Much of that system has passed or is approaching the end of its useful life, and the cost of rehabilitating/replacing it is enormous. These public-private ventures may very well be the most cost-effective mechanism for building and maintaining highways over the long term.

As is usually the case, Lou Dobbs has no idea what he's talking about. If it weren't for the fact that television by definition is aimed at an audience of people with two-digit IQs, he'd barely be employable.

[RockinRight]

Aren't they just MAINTAINING them? Something that either the government or the private company is going to do one way or the other?