I feel like I'm walking into a trap. The Democratic candidate for governor of Wisconsin, Tom Barrett, is making a lot of noise about the recent endorsement of toll roads by the Republican candidate, Scott Walker. Barrett should make noise about it, especially since Walker has run a traditional Republican "I will balance the budget while cutting taxes" fantasy campaign since he announced his candidacy.
If nothing else, it shows that Walker is dishonest. A highway toll is a tax, no matter how you frame it. But here's the thing: I support toll roads in Wisconsin.
I've said for years that Wisconsin (where I live) should institute tolls on major highways. With newer technology in place minimizing slowdowns and stops, I endorse it even more. So am I in agreement with Republican Scott Walker? Turns out, not so much...
There are a number of reasons I believe we should tax users of Wisconsin highways:
- The roads are expensive to maintain and should be paid for by those who use them. We already jacked up the automobile registration fees, and gas tax revenue projections are flat at best, so the next logical collection point is right there on the roadway.
- We have a lot of tourists from Illinois (and elsewhere) clogging up our freeways every summer. If they can afford $50.00 for a ticket to a water park in Wisconsin Dells, they can throw in an extra fin for road maintenance.
- A user tax on the interstate highway from Milwaukee to Madison will make the planned rail line along the same route more competitive and more attractive to riders, especially if some of the highway toll money is devoted to maintaining public transportation.
What does Scott Walker want? None of the above, as far as I can tell. So far all he seems to have endorsed is convenience lanes for people who can afford to pay extra. They can ride in style on newly constructed toll lanes, while leaving the current lanes available for those of us who can't afford the extra fee.
A good synopsis of the issue is available from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The article devotes a good amount of space to describing how these lanes operate in other states, like Minnesota:
In the Twin Cities, those who car-pool can use the lanes for free. Individual drivers can use them if they pay a fee that varies based on congestion. The fees for each corridor range from 50 cents to $8, said Nick Thompson, program manager for Minnesota's MnPASS system.
The program in Minnesota doesn't sound too bad, but I wonder how a Wisconsin toll system would be designed under a Republican governor. Free for car pools? Profits to finance public transportation like high-speed rail? That doesn't sound likely to me if the blueprints are being drawn up by Walker, who seems to have a cozy relationship from a lobbying group that stands to benefit big-time from the construction of extra highway lanes:
The Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association - which supports tolls - held a February fund-raiser for Walker in Florida. The group also gave $25,000 to the Republican Governors Association, which is running ads against Barrett.
I'm going to give a half-hearted thumbs-up (maybe a 45 degree angle thumbs-up) to Walker for actually proposing a concrete (pun intended) idea to try to solve a serious problem. He is the only Republican candidate who has said anything of substance here in Wisconsin. (The "actual idea" tally is still about a Bazillion for the Democrats, and now 1 for the Republicans, but Walker's is a legitimate and politically risky proposal.) And, he's getting a little backlash from the tea-baggers for daring to propose a (gasp!) new tax. If the tea-baggers hate the idea, it must have some merit.
On the other hand (or the other thumb), he has aired hours and hours of "taxes suck" and other childish, tea-party-themed ads, and I seriously doubt he would have even mentioned the toll idea without that kickback donation from the Builders Association. Is Walker just throwing out a last-minute bone to try to attract a few moderate votes, or does he really want to impose a toll on Wisconsin drivers?
I am slightly suspicious of this whole thing. Should I be?