Governor Dennis Daugaard deserves all the guff we can give him for reneging on his no-new-taxes promise to consider a gasoline-tax increase. Acknowledging that we don't spend enough on our roads and bridges is an important repudiation of the Republican sloganeering that would have us believe that public goods grow on free-market trees. Roads don't just happen; communities build them with taxes.
But Governor Daugaard deserves credit for screwing up the courage to focus on transportation at a time when Congress appears incapable of getting anything done. The lame-duck session is ticking away with zero accomplishments. Congress stages a cynical political ploy to express its support for one private pipeline that won't help any American drive to work, then goes home for Thanksgiving. But both parties ignore the Highway Trust Fund, which we urgently need to replenish in order to rebuild our crumbling roads and bridges:
Ray LaHood: That's the pot of money that over 50 years helped us create the best interstate system in the world, which is now falling apart.
Steve Kroft: Why? How did it get this way?
Ray LaHood: It's falling apart because we haven't made the investments. We haven't got the money. The last time we raised the gas tax, which is how we built the interstate system, was 1993.
Steve Kroft: What has the resistance been?
Ray LaHood: Politicians in Washington don't have the political courage to say, "This is what we have to do." That's what it takes.
Steve Kroft: They don't want to spend the money? They don't want to raise the taxes?
Ray LaHood: That's right. They don't want to spend the money. They don't want to raise the taxes. They don't really have a vision of America the way that other Congresses have had a vision of America [Steve Kroft, "Falling Apart: America's Neglected Infrastructure," CBS: 60 Minutes, 2014.11.23.
In at least suggesting that he'll set aside his election-year slogans and seek more tax revenue to maintain our roads, Governor Daugaard is showing a little more leadership and vision than our Congressional delegation. Let's hope our Legislature can follow the Governor's (and more importantly, Senator Mike Vehle's) lead, drop the campaign trail baloney, educate the voters as to the proper role of government, and fill some potholes.
You will excuse me if I don't hold my breath while waiting for our legislature to do anything constructive.
Tim look at the bright side! With South Dakota's deteriorating condition of roads and highways at least the automotive repair and tire shops will benefit.
The plan that the committee released had a little pain for everyone. Wheel tax, license fees for cars and trucks, extra tax for hybreds, dyed (farm) fuel, ethanol. But why reinvent the wheel. Just add more on the current gas tax. The KISS principle. Otherwise we each will protect our little exemption , including me.
For the life of me I can't understand why the opposition to fuel tax increases continues. The transients of trucking, travelers and tourism traffic our roads at less cost than their home states. Wheel taxes stop at 4 wheels if I'm not mistake, DB. Grandma who drives 500 miles annually gets hit as hard as I do driving thousands more.
You're right on D Basel. The simplest tax would be to just increase the present gas/fuel tax. It's already in place and would have no additional administration costs. At the time of the last gas tax increase gas was a fraction of today's prices, a gas tax increase would be nearly painless and lost in the static of normal gas price fluctuations.
Les, I suspect you and I might actually agree on this issue.
I suspect we agree on more than this, Nick. The vitriol often clouds conversations here. I didn't notice you over on the hog producers get free corn post, Nick. You must not have ventured into hogs in your career?
We need the infrastructure for our farm/ranch community -- and this could also be a good public works program. There aren't enough jobs that pay living wages in SD -- and construction jobs generally do pay better. So I like it for our farmers, rural areas, tourism and the job benefits. I'm hoping with all those constituencies coming together, we can get it done. But a 2/3rds vote is always a big hurdle.
Nick, is there a way to write the bill in such a way so as to ensure that all the funds raised will indeed be spent on infrastructure maintenance? Also, since funds raised will apparently be inadequate to do the whole job, how transparent and non-political will the prioritization process be? I.e. Who decides which old roads get repaired and which ones don't? Same with new roads? And just to double check, are we saying that those who buy the most fuel will end up paying for the most infrastructure? If so, what happens when all the tourists driving through our state start driving electric cars? Seems like decisions like these need to at least try to anticipate what the taxing environment will look like 10 or 20 years 'down the road,' no?
When was the last time the tax/fees funding for roads and bridges were increased? State? Federal?
1993 last time tax increased. That is a long time ago with increasing costs.
http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/content/quality-south-dakotas-roads-declining
You silly liberals. The extra taxes will be going to Pierre and into the pockets of crony capitalists. If you want "community" roads maintained, then use your township mill levies, which are growing new revenues via skyrocketing higher property valuations. That would be local control. Vehle's new taxes are designed for crony capitalism control. Much of the money will be directed to corporate dairies, who will profit by sending milk to that French cheese maker. The little guy will not get his roads and bridges fixed.
Sibby, have you 'researched' this? I (perhaps foolishly) want to agree with you on your idea here, but I have my doubts about the resources being there to do the job at the county level. Seems like some roads and bridges are going to have to be abandoned no matter what.
Part of the proposed package is definitely for local road budgets, and there would be total local control as there is now. Some is for state roads.
"Sibby, have you 'researched' this?"
I have lived it. The township I am in have taken responsibility for the roads. My family even considered buying recycled I-90 concrete to fix the low maintenance road that provides access to one of our farm lands, but the township said they had it covered.
If you all believe the EB-5 scandal is wrong, then keep the tax revenues at the local level and send it to Pierre or DC. Sadly, we are up against the same people that funded the SDGOP landslide in the last election cycle.
"Part of the proposed package is definitely for local road budgets"
A very small part. It is the carrot that get us to agree on sending more money to the system of legal corruption in Pierre. See Mercer's latest work:
http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/content/mercer-laws-dont-stop-election-funding-merry-go-round-south-dakota
I don't have a problem with paying for infrastructure and I hope we find a way to do it, but could you imagine if a Democrat had come out a few weeks ago in favor of such a program? It would be fodder for a "tax and spend democrat" ad! And, of course, no Republican came forward to discuss such issues BEFORE the election! Timing is everything, I guess!
"It would be fodder for a "tax and spend democrat" ad!"
Vehle is a tax and spend Republican. Just because you are Republican, doesn't make you a conservative. And it takes a liberal Republican to implement crony capitalism.
Steve, counties and townships are hurting now trying to maintain the road system with local funds. A formula to direct some of an increased gas tax to local jurisdictions would help with that burden. I hope an increased gas tax doesn't end up giving grants to big mega dairies so they can fix the road they destroyed with drastically increased truck traffic. In those cases there needs to be some sort of fine levied against those who destroyed a road.
Les, I have to make a living so I don't comment on every post where I might have an opinion. My only experience with pigs was as a kid when my dad raised them on dirt lots for a few years. My most vivid memory is my brother and I pulling tall weeds and using them as poking sticks to get a mean sow to growl at us. Sometimes it's best to let sleeping pigs be, but it's an adrenalin rush when they wake up.
Nick, I agree with your point. My solution would be to lower the taxes that Vehle is proposing to raise and instead raise the township levies. The solution is dead on arrival because the crony capitalist want the control.
Oh if ONLY the likes of Thune/Noem would push repairing/replacing/rebuilding existing infrastructure in the US instead of grandstanding and waving their arms around voting for the XL pipeline which only creates a couple thousabnd jobs at most. We haven't had a good GOP POTUS since Ike --they like power and prestige, but can't seem to govern without fear and going to war and running deficits...
steve,,,,where does your township have all this money?? our township can ever afford to move the snow off of it
Hey Nick,just what kind of a fine would you suggest for your trucks? And then put a tax on all those wheels instead of just four of them!!!!!!
Will townships who have to raise taxes to maintain their own roads be more selective and practical about which roads they choose to maintain? Or will they just be moving Sibson's crony capitalism down a notch in the societal pecking order? Could it be that the little kings actually are just as corrupt as the big ones are? They just rule over smaller, less powerful fiefdoms. Sibby?
Rollin, I'd be willing to pay for the reconstruction of local roads if it was determined I destroyed them through negligent use. I'm pretty careful to not take a truck on a road if it's soft from rain or frost going out. I also stay off section lines after a rain, there is nothing that is more aggravating than all the ruts left by hunters when it rains on the opening weekend of hunting season.
I support an increased fuel tax because that is the fairest way to institute a use tax for roads. The wheel tax on my 18 wheeler, which travels a few thousand miles a year is the same as an 18 wheeler that travels 100,000 miles a year, that's not fair, a fuel tax is.
BF, I've always heard the most bitter politics are those with the least at stake and nothing is more cutthroat than a bunch of church ladies fighting over the monthly potluck.
We mill what our roads require. We have about 40 miles and the commissioners always speak of our organized township as the one example of how roads should be maintained. Alan, mill your own dollars for road maintenance. Go east River if you want to see excess in roads.
So looks like Fleming and Nemec reject local control and believe in a collectivist style of government that favors crony capitalism. You already got what you are asking for, so stop whining about it.
Just answer the question Steve. How can you be sure your crony capitalists aren't operating at the local level as well? It's your proposed solution. Defend it. And don't try to scold me and Nick or we will get out our pokin' sticks and have you squealing like an old sow, just for the sheer fun of it. LOL
Sibby, I think Nick and Bill just believe in government as a way of getting things done for the greater good of everyone...
Take your crony capitalism rant over to the War College, where crony capitalism is a religion...or your own space.
It is my experience there are crony caps at all levels. Much less at the local levels but they still believe they are entitled to some of what we see at state and fed levels.
Steve, do you recognize that not one word you say about Neo-Marxists or pagans or other such nuttery moves us one step closer to solving real problems or does anything to invite any new reader to care about solving these problems? You're just polluting the comment section and driving intelligent readers away.
Temporary banishment, Steve. No more debate of your irrelevancies. Focus up, commenters.
yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. nothing personal.