From a press release out of Rep. Peter Welch’s (D-VT) office, via Green Mountain Daily (VT’s liberal group blog, see VT blogroll):
In order to stimulate the economy and meet pressing infrastructure needs, the Vermont congressional delegation is seeking to waive the state and local match requirement for all federally-funded highway, transit and rail projects through September 2009.
The move would give Vermont and other states facing tight budgets a much-needed boost to improve roads and bridges, support public transit agencies and upgrade rail lines at no additional cost to the federal government.
Transportation officials have reported that because of growing budget deficits at the state and local level, many ready-to-go projects simply cannot move forward without untying the strings of the required match. Under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act, states are typically required to meet a 10 or 20 percent match for federally funded projects.
This is a really bad idea. As it is, these projects never should have become centralized, thank you FDR. True, that policy in general helps small states and may have some merit, but to completely remove the local factor is just wrong.
For one thing, the states should have some stake in their own infrastructure.
When my oldest son was having problems in the public school, I was looking at private schools. There was one school I looked at that I really liked a lot. They had a rigorous academic program and were not afraid to challenge a student who was looking for more work. (That was one of the problems we had with the PS.)
When I sat down with the principal to discuss financing, she told me that even the poorest families had to make some kind of contribution, even if it ended up being a small amount, because they wanted the parents to be personally invested in their child’s education. They understood the importance of having to make a personal monetary contribution in order to fully take the matter seriously.
This story illustrates why I oppose so much of what the government does, including our ridiculous income tax structure where people in the lower-middle class income bracket on down actually get money from the IRS above and beyond what was withheld from their paychecks.
The same principle applies to this transportation funding scheme. The states need to have some sort of investment in order to take seriously the responsibility of maintaining their own infrastructure.
If you think the infrastructure is neglected now, wait until the states learn that they can hold out for the Federal government to pay for all of it.
The second problem with this has to do with control. Once we cede power to the Federal government, we lose local control. Well, what’s left of it.
Sure, we will still have the ability to raise money for local projects that the Federal government won’t fund, but we will be so dependent on Federal funds, we won’t even go there.
As it stands, the likelihood of a project getting the go-ahead is based largely on whether or not it will get Federal funding. Let’s not make it 100% dependent on that.
I know, this is only going to be a temporary program, so it’s no big deal.
It’s kind of like when crack dealers give out a free sample. They know you’ll be back.
This is what we can expect more of over the next few years. The Federal government will use our economic hard times to push through any legislation that furthers their agenda of creating a more powerful Federal government under the guise of stimulating the economy.
President-Elect Barack Obama’s Chief of Staff-Designate, Rahm Emanuel, put it best.
“Rule one: Never allow a crisis to go to waste. They are opportunities to do big things.”
Expect big things. Big government things.
(Something tells me this category will explode in the next year.)
