BCT Editorial – 3/10/09

This page was last updated on March 14, 2009.

In denial; Editorial; Beaver County Times; March 10, 2009.

The editorial subtitle is “Americans and their leaders won’t face reality on roads and bridges.”

This editorial covers at least three recurring themes of Times editorials.

First, it tells us about “our nation’s crumbling roads and rusting bridges” as have previous editorials like “Falling apart,” “Failing grade,” et cetera. You’ll note that while the editorial focuses on federal taxpayer funding for roads and bridges, it doesn’t tell us why the federal government is in the road/bridge building/maintenance business anyway. Any need for this involvement in the past has long since passed. All U.S. and Interstate highways should be turned over to local and state governments.

Second, the editorial feigns ignorance as to why we don’t want to see fuel taxes increased. We object because we recognize increased fuel taxes would be used for purposes completely unrelated to “roads and bridges,” with subsidies for government-run bus/train systems being only one.

Third, this is yet another editorial telling us we’re too selfish to have our taxes increased. Naturally the editorial fails to note our overall (local, state, & federal) tax rate (nearly 33%) is within spitting distance of the all time high of 34% in 2000.

As for the GPS-based “vehicle-miles-traveled” tax, the editorial fails to note a major concern is privacy. Yet again we see the Times “concern” with personal privacy is selective at best. The editorial could have mentioned proponents claim the privacy issue has been addressed, but instead chose to duck the issue completely.

Finally, for those who aren’t aficionados of extinct cartoons, Pogo was a comic strip published from 1948 to 1975, with Pogo (a possum) being the central character. The quote cited was used both in the comic strip (Earth Day, 1971) and on an Earth Day (1970) poster.