The ups and downs of state road taxes

Dated: 9/11/07

First off my heart goes out to the people of Minnesota and to all who have suffered a loss with the collapsing of the bridge; it is truly a sad situation. It's my understanding the government is doing all it can to find the missing people and reopen the Mississippi for traffic.

Please keep in mind, at this time they do not know the cause of the bridge collapsing, yet you're already seeing various groups pointing fingers and blaming the Bush administration. This is not a time for blame, it's a time to pause for prayer. Once the investigation is completed and the dead are buried there will be plenty of time for debate and blame.

Already the politicians are jumping into action claiming poor infrastructure and a lack of money as the cause. Already you are seeing the politicians of Michigan reorganizing their efforts to raise the road taxes.

My fellow Michigan citizens, this is crazy. Only twice in the last decade or more do I remember hearing of a major bridge collapsing. We do not know the cause of the most recent collapse and the other was caused by a major earthquake in California.

If the politicians are truly worried about our bridges and roads, then [they should] make better use of the monies they already collect.

Politicians, when telling your so-called truths, tell the public the whole truth! Stop running around Michigan stating our state ranks 33rd in road taxes. Tell the rest of the story. Yes, we only charge 19 cents per gallon for road taxes but a few years back the state passed a law to charge a 6 percent sales tax on gasoline. Depending upon the current price of fuel this can double the tax the state collects per gallon.

Michigan is not at the bottom of the road tax list; it's placement fluctuates near the top 10.

Just a few price decreases ago our politicians were threatening to sue the oil companies for gouging. Today they are begging to raise the road tax (gas tax), thereby raising the price of gas, not just on the rich but also on the poor. This is an old tactic—use the catastrophe for gain to push their agenda.