Who Will End the Transportation Funding Insanity?

Charles Marohn follows the news that the Minnesota State Legislature will spend the year addressing the question of how to fund the future of its transportation system.

Marohn, however, notices problems with the conversation: "Making it 'better' means, of course, spending more money. There is no talk of reform. There is nobody really asking how we got in such a difficult financial situation." The debate, according to Marohn, boils down to one question: "How do we get more money to continue doing more of the same thing?"

Marohn begins to drill into the status quo by raising a rhetorical question: "This is our system: one big Ponzi scheme attempting to prop up a 1950’s development extravaganza of strip malls, big box stores, fast food and cheap residential housing. You want to spend more on this?"

The remainder of the article suggests a shift in policy direction: "What would it mean to try and get more out of our current investments before we added more?" There is a lot more straight talk for advocates, politicians, and media alike in this article.