Free Republic

Gov. Larry Hogan never met a highway project he didn’t like. He’s a 1950s type of politician – solve all the state’s transportation gridlock and congestion by paving the countryside with lanes of new concrete.He’s got a $9 billion plan that is a lollapalooza: Let construction giants build and pay for toll lanes on the Capital Beltway and the busy I-270 corridor from the beltway to Frederick – 70 miles of exclusive Lexus lanes – and let those companies reap the toll rewards so they can recoup a staggering $7.6 billion investment (the actual cost is likely to be substantially...

The 2017 Maryland General Assembly session recently started with several issues receiving the majority of attention. We have all heard about both medical marijuana and Gov. Larry Hogan's "road kill bill." As someone who has spent a lifetime involved in the highway industry, I would like to share my thoughts on the latter topic ("Hogan's 'road kill bill' lie," Jan. 5).We have all noticed the severe deterioration in our highway system, be it local, state or interstate. There are many reasons for this and I will share them all with you. However, the overriding principle is that our roads are...

The Taxpayers League of Minnesota has started a great feature, which highlights extravagent government structures in that state, The "Taj Mahal of the Week." Nearly every day, I drive past a stunningly beautiful and extravagent public school campus in berkeley. Perched on a prime hillside lot, with incredible views of the Bay, bridges, and mountains, the building itself features a large glassed-in atrium, the finest materials, and beautiful lanscaping on its oversized grounds. It must have cost at least 50 million dollars. To the causal eye, it looks more like an elegant corporate headquarters building than a school. Of course,...