ProJo for Tolls

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.

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Citizen Critic
Citizen Critic
15 years ago

Wrong. Until spending gets fixed, it is just more funny money for the crooks and cronies in the RI General Assembly.

Marc
Marc
15 years ago

…which is what “patronage” refers to.

Tom W
Tom W
15 years ago

Money 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.

Mike
Mike
15 years ago

State can’t toll I-95. It was built and has been maintained by federal funds.

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