Used to be, streets and roads were built and maintained by cities and states. They did alright. They built the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the New Jersey Turnpike, the Merritt Parkway, the New York Thruway, the Connecticut Turnpike, and the Mass Pike, to name a few that I drive frequently.
Then back in Eisenhower's time we got the Interstate Highway Program. The Federal government put up 90% of the money, picked the routes and set the standards. That was a half century ago. And we got a magnificent highway system. Best highways on the planet. If you don't believe me, take a drive in Canada.
Anyhow, after 50 years of building, the Interstate system is complete. We have superb roads going everywhere in the country. Even way up here in the wilderness of northern NH, I have an interstate exit within walking distance of my front door. But, we keep spending federal highway money, whether we need it or not.
Back in June, Congress managed to pass a $227 billion-over-two-years highway bill. That's $100 plus billion a year, about as pricey as the farm bill they haven't passed yet. Put the saving from killing the transportation bill together with the savings from killing the farm bill, and we have better than $200 billion in savings to put against a $1 trillion federal deficit. Not too shabby, and we haven't touched Social Security or Medicare.
And this is politically do able. Granted all the contractor's in the country are in favor of federal highway spending (the Feds will spend on anything, the staties are thriftier). But there are more voters than contractors, and those voters ought to be worried about federal money printing turning their college savings, their retirement savings, and the value of their houses in to waste paper.
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