Posted on 03/25/2015 6:44:17 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
It seemed to be a classic case of “firemen first,” a theory first put forth in 1976 by legendary Washington, D.C., journalist Charles Peters. Any bureaucrat, when asked to list what services or jobs would be cut because of a looming budget crisis, identifies the most painful losses in public services – firemen, police officers, EMTs, workers who fill potholes, etc. Bureaucrats use it to try and pressure elected officials, afraid of voter backlash, to soften the budget cuts.
It played out in the Capitol on March 3, when state Transportation Secretary Mark Gottlieb was asked what major state highways projects would face delays of up to five years, if Gov. Scott Walker’s plan to borrow $1.3 billion to continue transportation programs was reduced; Republican lawmakers are not happy adding that much debt to the transportation fund and would like to cut the borrowing to $800 million.
The question came from Republican Rep. John Nygren, cochairman of the Legislature’s Finance Committee. Nygren and the 15 other Finance Committee members do not want to borrow more, but are also leery of raising gas taxes or the annual $75 vehicle registration fee, enacting a surtax on hybrid or electric vehicles, or imposing a mileage-based fee on those driving the most.
Gottlieb’s list of potential delays did not include the $1.7-billion Zoo Freeway project, the state’s busiest interchange, now in the “heart” of a rebuilding schedule that will last until 2018. But Gottlieb did list major highway projects that would be delayed by a $500-million reduction in borrowing in the backyards – and districts – of Finance Committee members. It included highways committee members had used to get to Madison that day. For example:
*Delaying work on Milwaukee-area projects – rebuilding the I-94 East-West Freeway between Miller Park and the Zoo Freeway, the I-894 bypass around Milwaukee, and I-94 south to Illinois. That would impact constituents of two committee Republicans, Sen. Leah Vukmir, of Wauwatosa, and Rep. Dale Kooyenga, of Brookfield.
*Delaying rebuilding I-94 in St. Croix County would hurt districts represented by two other committee Republicans, Sen. Sheila Harsdorf, of River Falls, and Rep. Dean Knudson, of Hudson They represent one of the fastest-growing regions of Wisconsin; their constituents use I-94 to commute to Twin Cities-area jobs.
*I-90 between Beloit and Madison would hurt the district of another Finance Committee member, Republican Rep. Amy Loudenbeck, of Clinton, who is serving on the budget committee for the first time. She said vehicles using that section of I-90 contribute between $650 million and $800 million a day to Wisconsin’s economy.
*Delays in rebuilding one of Madison’s busiest intersections – Highways 18 and 151, which gets drivers to the campus of giant Epic Systems in Verona – would result in complaints to two Finance Committee Democrats, Sen. Jon Erpenbach, of Middleton, and Rep. Chris Taylor, of Madison.
*Several Fox Valley-area highway projects would also be delayed by a $500-million reduction in Walker’s proposed borrowing, Gottlieb warned.
Two new Finance Committee members, Republican Rep. Mike Schraa and Democratic Rep. Gordon Hintz, both represent Oshkosh. Hintz thanked Gottlieb for DOT’s rebuilding of U.S. Highway 41. Schraa warned that transportation funding is in a “deep hole.”
Gottlieb also listed potential delays in rebuilding highways in the districts of two first-term legislators For example, work on the Tri-County Expressway at the intersection of U.S. Highway 41 and Wisconsin Highways 10/441 near Appleton, which is represented by Democrat Amanda Stuck, would be delayed. Also, work on Wisconsin Highway 23 near Sheboygan, which is represented by first-term Republican Sen. Devin LeMahieu, of Oostburg, would also be pushed back.
Statewide, basic pavement maintenance on 444 miles of highways would also be delayed, if DOT borrowed only $800 million, Gottlieb added. Delaying projects would cause a “worse outcome in the long term,” he warned. “We need to invest today, or pay more down the road.”
In a WisconsinEye interview, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said the 63 Assembly Republicans won’t approve Walker’s plan to borrow $1.3 billion.
But Vos added, “I don’t want to cancel any projects because we already don’t do all the ones that are needed – especially in southeast Wisconsin….I don’t want to have less money for transportation. I want more.”
Vos then offered a personal example of how important highway projects are to legislators: “I want the (I-94) North-South to be finished. There’s literally a bottleneck right in the middle of my district.”
But if that project gets finished, which ones won’t, and in which legislators’ backyards? That’s what’s worrying them.
So, what have we here? Republican legislators attempt to be fiscally responsible, and the highway department head tries to scare individual legislators into supporting Scott Walkers irresponsible borrowing.
Isn’t that extortion?
If you take their money, you take their crap and all that goes with.
You might as well gather up some personal meaningful effects and put them in a tin box and bury them in the middle of a dark country crossroads and wait for the first demon to show up and offer you a deal.
Having taken the prudent step to limit the amount of borrowing then why shouldn't they be willing to support the decision on what projects don't get funded?
Take it out of the WEAC pension fund.
Gottlieb is obviously targeting projects in the districts of finance committee members in order to frighten them into supporting more borrowing.
So how are they going to fix and build roads?
If they hadn’t capped the gas tax (which was increasing with inflation) in 2005, I doubt that they would be in this mess. Also, not plundering the highway fund would have helped.
“If they hadn’t capped the gas tax (which was increasing with inflation) in 2005, I doubt that they would be in this mess. Also, not plundering the highway fund would have helped.”
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Well, that’s how they got here. But now, how do they fix and build the roads?
It would appear so, but what makes their projects more important than any others? I hope they stick to their guns and keep the funding at the levels they set.
Highway projects are expensive especially in light of the prevailing wage requirement. What is the projected total for the projects cut? Do they total more than 500 million?
I have no use for Mark Gottlieb ever since he decided to route a highway right through the middle of my church, or right through the middle of my favorite nursery — since rescinded because of the outcry.
His insistance on installing round-abouts wherever an intersection needs improvement has resulted in major visual pollution across the state. We have a couple of small round-abouts near here — each one has at least 21 signs marking it. Ugly!
FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection/roundabouts/
I object to the ugly visual clutter that they produce. Count the signs the next time you go through one. And the hesitation from other drivers. So far, Wisconsin has onlly seen single lane round-abouts. Just wait until they introduce double lane ones!
There’s some double lane ones along I43 in New Berlin. Both Moreland and Racine exits have double, two-lane roundabouts. And you are right - they are a mess.
I hate round abouts! They are everywhere. There are plans for several near my church. Oh goodie.
Buy a Miata, you’ll never curse them again!
Buy a Miata, you’ll never curse them again!
The 18-151 intersection should not be touched until it is built as a freeway to freeway interchange. No freeway, no funding!
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