10/19/2016, Dunn County News – The debate on state transportation funding is in full swing. Governor Walker did not promise good public roads. Instead, his transportation budget is a shell game of shifting funds around to keep his no-tax increase pledge.
Besides many other project cuts, roads are budgeted to be less safe and unkempt with the removal of some road salt, paint striping, and closing wayside/rest-areas People may consider a fall color trip to upper Michigan with its well-maintained roads and numerous roadside parks every few miles.
Governor Walker’s 2011-13 budget created the Transportation Policy and Finance Commission whose detailed 2013 report is a roadmap of transportation operations and funding sustainability. Any citizen or legislator can access the report on the state DOT web site.
Instead, the governor and his supporters seem to be telling citizens Wisconsin roads are not so bad. Welcome to the “not so bad” State of Wisconsin. Are citizens supposed to drive, live, and be proud of this promise?