One Failed Bridge

There was an article last week in the Pocono Record about a bridge in Monroe County that is now closed. The article stated that the bridge will not be repaired until 2009 and that the detour is seven miles and will be used by approximately 700 cars a day.

Think about those numbers. 4900 miles a day will be driven every day because this one bridge was not maintained on a timely basis. Assuming that this bridge will be repaired in one year, that is 1,785,500 miles extra that the citizens of that area will have to drive.
At 20 miles to the gallon that is a waste of 89,275 gallons of gas at the price of $4.00 per gallon that makes a $357,100 added cost.

Government waste comes in all shapes and sizes. For the people affected by this one bridge the cost for 700 drivers works out to an average $510 over the course of one year.

Our State Senators and State Representatives need to immediately turn all gas taxes that are collected into a fund only for the repair of the roads and bridges of this state.

We don’t need more money taken from our pocket, we need the government to better spend what they already have taken from us.

If you agree with me please email this to your state public officials.

Tolls on Rt. 80

Making Interstate 80 a toll road through Pennsylvania is a bad idea. There are better ways for this state to increase taxes. What will be the cost of widening the road where the toll booths will be? What will be the cost of hiring and paying the salaries and benefits of the toll workers and the administrative workers this toll will require? What will it cost to get the Federal government approval for this folly? Aside from all of that we will have to pay with our time, especially when the road is heavily traveled and the tolls get backed up.

What would I have done if I really believed the state needed more money to maintain the roads and bridges? Easy. I would have increased the gas tax. It is a tax already in place so it wouldn’t have added any new costs, it would only have added the needed revenue.

There are 6000 bridges that are in need of repair in this state. Why hasn’t money been set aside for this? Or is it that money has been poorly spent?

The majority of people work very hard for their money. It is a shame that our state leaders believe that our hard earned money can be better spent by them.

Funding the Troops

Either we stand behind our troops or we don't. We really can't have it both ways. Sitting on the fence as our Congress does is wrong.
If you stand on the fence any one can knock you over. If you keep your feet on the ground you've got a chance.
If people line up behind you and support you, then you've got a really good chance of surviving.

Sample Letter on energy independence

Dear Senator,

No more excuses. No more delays. We want results now. We want drilling for oil in Anwar. We want action. We have given the government years to fix this problem. Our patience has come to an end.
Do not reply that we should cut consumption. Do not tell us about ethanol. Do not tell us about global warming. Do what you were sent to Congress to do, WORK FOR US. Make this country energy independent by allowing us to use that fuel which is here in this great land of ours.

Sincerely,

An American Tired of Excuses and Looking for Results

Opinions

With this blog I will give you, my fellow citizens, my opinions and when time permits, I will provide sample letters, which can be used by anyone to e-mail their government representatives.
It is time we all stepped up our efforts to achieve the government that we need and want.
We have a representative government. And right now it represents us very well, if you really think about it fairly. Most people think about themselves and their needs and wants – and that it what many of our representatives in Washington and in our state capitals do – they think of themselves first, too.
If we want our representatives to work for us then we need to work at really telling them what we want them to do. And we better not sugar coat what we say. We need to be forthright and blunt.