Free Republic

hether one observed Christmas or Hanukkah — or any other seasonal festivity — there was a nice little gift included for the drivers of this nation. Gasoline prices, in case anyone hasn't noticed, are down, way down. The average price of a gallon of unleaded in Maryland by Christmas week was in the neighborhood of $2.53, according to AAA, and there were some stations in the Baltimore area selling it for as little as $2.22. lRelated The cheap oil dividend One year ago, average gasoline prices were about $1 per gallon higher, which means a typical fill-up is saving drivers...

It is rare for conservatives to score a federal policy victory these days, especially with a Democrat in the White House, but as Michael Barone reminds us, just by playing defense conservatives have done exactly that on transportation. Unfortunately there are some in Congress who want to reverse these gains. The big win for conservatives on transportation comes from two sources. First, when the gas tax was last raised in 1993, it was not indexed for inflation, so the 18.4 cents a gallon collected today doesn't go as far today as it did more than two decades ago. Second, thanks...

Even if it's just for a moment, let us give credit where credit is due. The Texas Department of Transportation has realized — finally — that it has an image problem when it comes to convincing Texans of the need for a vast network of toll roads and the Trans-Texas Corridor. The realization, however, comes with a price tag of $7 million to $9 million that, rather than going to build highways, will fuel an advertising campaign centered around a memo titled, "Keep Texas Moving: Tolling and Trans-Texas Corridor Outreach." This is where I get off the track. Outreach? The...

SACRAMENTO – From Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, politicians at all levels are complaining about a transportation commission staff proposal to allocate the first highway funds from a record $19.9 billion transportation bond approved by voters in November. As a result, the California Transportation Commission may make major changes in the staff recommendation before making a decision next Wednesday to allocate $4.5 billion in bond funds designated for highways to improve “corridor mobility.” The harshest criticism came from Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, D-Los Angeles, who said the staff plan would give Los Angeles County only 12...

January 8, 2006 $5.5 Billion in Cal Highway Funds Ripped Off ...a French detective (real life) when asked about the money that "disappeared" in a fraud commented, "Money rarely disappears, but frequently changes pockets..." -- Quote submitted by Charles Warren, San Francisco Wonder why California needs a mega-billion dollar infrastructure bond of which $12 billion in bonds would be allocated for new freeways? In part we need it to re-fund $3.4 billion shifted from the State Highway Fund to the General Fund to make up for budget deficits. The State Highway Fund will have a $5.5 billion deficiency by the...