An Earth Day Thought

Cars are symbols of freedom in our culture aren't they? You know, individuality and all that. No one hasslin' you, just you and the open road.

The open road. That's where the whole individuality thing comes to an end. That open road is a big government project. Here's a take from one Daily Kos writer:

"Worst of all, we've accepted the idea that spreading concrete is an intrinsic responsibility of government. When counting the responsibilities of those in Washington (or the state capitol), roads are often mentioned right after defending the nation. Why was the last federal highway bill so plump? Because the primary way in which politicians bring home pork to their constituents is in miles of concrete. Governors and congressmen stick their names on signs beside highway projects so you'll know who funded this new bypass, bridge, or expansion. There's barely a stretch of highway not tagged with the name of some former legislator."

Now I know what the standard response is to that line of thinking: cars bring in all kinds of revenue (taxes on fuel, registration, licensing, all that) so a good portion of that should be reinvested in highways. Using that logic though, all tobacco taxes should be reinvested as subsidies for the tobacco industry.