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July 30, 2008
ProJo for Tolls
Marc Comtois
Having grown up in "toll booth" states, I'm not particularly put out by the idea of Rhode Island putting up a few booths on the RI/CT line to make some money for the state (especially for infrastructure), as suggested by the ProJo editors. But two points--one a great big, red warning flag--they make are worth highlighting:
...care must be taken lest the toll system, presumably to be run by the Rhode Island Bridge and Turnpike Authority, become a patronage nest to rival the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.More generally, we should remember that high costs from unfairly sky-high public-employee benefits (wages themselves are not the problem; they are fair); poorly managed social-service programs; and other administrative woes are the biggest state government fiscal problems, not too little revenue.
3:00 PM
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Wrong. Until spending gets fixed, it is just more funny money for the crooks and cronies in the RI General Assembly.
Posted by: Citizen Critic at July 30, 2008 3:53 PM...which is what "patronage" refers to.
Posted by: Marc at July 30, 2008 3:56 PMMoney is the fuel that runs the patronage and corruption machine that is the General Assembly / Democrat Party - give it more fuel and the engine just runs more, then demanding even more fuel ...
To believe that toll booths would solve anything is not only naive, but utterly stupid.
What would toll booths accomplish that the imposition of the income tax, addition of the Lottery and increases in sales tax rates didn't "accomplish"???????
We need to starve this beast called RI government, not feed it.
Posted by: Tom W at July 30, 2008 4:57 PMState can't toll I-95. It was built and has been maintained by federal funds.
Posted by: Mike at July 30, 2008 7:29 PM