Jackson Mayor Says Pray for Potholes - God Will Fix Our Roads

'If God can part the Red Sea for Moses, he can fix the roads in Jackson'

Jackson Mississippi that is.

The mayor of Jackson MS says that the people of his fair city should pray for the good lord to get to the job done of fixing their pothole filled thoroughfares.

Apparently it is gonna take a lot of prayer.

Jackson, Miss. Mayor Tony Yarber

Does that surprise you? Is he sincere?

Probably no, and Probably yes.

'Boy, can these roads use a Miracle !'

In a recent post I quipped that with the Pope visiting the U.S., maybe his Holiness would perform a miracle and fix the Highway Trust Fund (since congress won't) and Michigan roads will get the benefit.

Michigan Roads Are In Trouble: Here's Why

Highway Trust Fund in peril in Washington

Will Congress Undo the Highway Trust Fund Knot? Or Not...

As if we don't have enough problems with the Michigan legislature failing to do anything about a long term road fix. It's been years and like kids fighting over toys, no one in Lansing can or will give up anything. Not even to make our roads safer.

Now the money Michigan gets from the federal Highway Trust Fund is in a knot and in danger of falling away like my

I Hope The Highway Trust Fund Bill in Washington Fails

Did you know that the Highway Trust Fund runs out of money on July 31st ? This will cause construction on transportation projects across the country to grind to a halt.

The Highway Trust Fund is a transportation fund in the United States which receives money from a federal fuel tax of 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel fuel and related excise taxes. In part the Fund provides money to states which funds road construction and repair. It was established in 1956 to finance the United States Interstate Highway System and certain other roads.

Well I think I hope it does run out. That they do NOT pass it. But let me explain...

WASHINGTON -- The Senate inched forward Friday on a $45 billion, three-year bill to fund the nation's highways, bridges and roads -- one week before all funding runs out. Senators voted 51-26 on a procedural motion that puts the bill one step closer to final passage. - Jennifer Bendery White House and congressional reporter, The Huffington Post, 07/24/2015

Now what would Lansing lawmakers say if the Highway Bill failed in Washington D.C. and the funds it provides to Michigan stopped flowing to our road projects? Would they complain that the Reps in D.C. are 'not doing their job' by failing to get Michigan their share of federal money for roads ? Would they cry and complain like babies?

Well probably yes. At first. But then I think this might happen.

Our hired help in Lansing might stop to remind themselves that their job is, in part, to fulfill the requirements of the Michigan State Constitution. That hallowed document in part states that it is their sworn duty to 'keep Michigan roads in reasonable repair'. Then they might take note of a recent study that shows more than half of Detroit, Flint and Grand Rapids' roads are in poor condition, even dangerous. This study was put together by the transportation research group TRIP. That makes Michigan roads, the roads they are responsible for, some of the worst in the nation!

And to move things along in Washington, they may draft a letter to Congress urging them to act appropriately and approve funding of the Highway Bill for future years, so Michigan can keep it's roads in safe and 'reasonable repair'. Just like the Michigan constitution requires.

They may come to understand and empathize with the struggle Michigan drivers have dealing with the repair costs associated with Michigan's crumbling roads. These costs affect motorists in Detroit, Flint and Grand Rapids who pay over $800 in additional annual upkeep because of poor road conditions. Lansing drivers paying an extra $733 annual extra vehicle operating cost and Ann Arbor drivers forking out up to $571 in annual repair bills.

And at last our noble Michigan legislators might come to realize the hypocrisy of their own actions over the last several years, specifically their inaction to fund our own road repairs, and make the lofty decision to come together in a show of bi-partisanship and compromise and finally levy the needed taxes, make the budget changes and do whatever is necessary to finally make Michigan roads not the Worst In The Nation, but the most envied in the nation. An admirable goal for the state which is the cradle of the worlds greatest automobile industry.

Naaaww - Who am I kidding! I hope the Highway Trust Fund extension bill passes in congress and we get our needed federal road money. Because nothing will change in Lansing. Our Michigan lawmakers are useless and they have proved it. Under their leadership, or lack thereof, Michigan ranks second to last in state per-capita spending on roads and will continue in that ranking because Michigan legislators that are as lousy at their job as our roads.

And that's why I hope the Highway Trust Find bill passes.

Drive Careful,
Will

Don't forget to get your "Fix Our Roads" bumper sticker!

If you already have one then get another.Some of our state representatives are slow readers.

The All New Michigan Road Kill News

Here it is. It might be Dead. It might Stink.
Or it might be good for something. You decide for yourself.

I get my news in a lot of ways from a lot of places. Print, Internet, Friends and People I Meet.

When it comes to news about the roads I pretty much pick up everything I can. I am very concerned about the condition of the roads in Michigan, that's one reason why I write this blog. The truth is most of the news about the roads in Michigan nowadays is worthless. Just repeated prattle from some congressman / lawmaker, or a journalist trying to fill some space .

A lot of the news about the roads includes some study about this or that, trying to prove some persons point of view one way or the other. I've seen studies and polls printed barely one day apart painting a complete opposite picture about the exact same subject.

And I l have heard politicians talk about infrastructure and our roads in Michigan, either completely uninformed on the subject, or being outright deceitful, just to look good in front of the reporters and their constituents.

Needless to say all that is time consuming and tiring. So I've decided to start more or less a regular post entitled "Roadkill News". Now there are jokes about things like the "Roadkill Cafe" or people picking up roadkill to bring it home for dinner. True story: I once told a co-worker about a dear that had been hit right across the street from my house. That evening he followed me home, asked me to help him put the deer in the back of his pickup truck, told me his butcher should be able to get good meat out of about half of the poor dead thing. It wasn't just a few days later he was offering me some deer jerky, you guessed it, from that road kill at the end of my driveway. I didn't eat it. With "Roadkill News", you don't have to eat it if you don't want to either.

"Roadkill News" is a lot like what it sounds like. Some of its Stinks, some of it might be good for something. So as a favor to you folks , whether you like it or not I'll put up as much of the news about the roads as I can find, kind of like just the headlines and a quick description. Stick it in the back of my pickup truck so to speak and drop it off here so you can sift through it in a hurry and decide which of it is any good and worth reading. Nothing fancy just headlines with links to the articles and web pages, and a few words. But don't worry, I'll still be getting into detail about the road news that really does mean something and needs to be talked about.



So here is some bits of news I've picked up on the roads, off the roads in the last couple of days.

Low-income tax credit eyed for road funding - Michigan Public Radio

By Rick Pluta • Jun 2, 2015

A state House panel considers elimination of the tax credit for working poor  families to help come up with more money for roads. That's right. Fix the roads by grabbing money out of the pocket of the working poor. Put those people to work. They don't have enough to do already.

Safe Roads Yes on Facebook.
Safe Roads Yes! Website

As of the 1st of June, the Safe Roads Yes! coalition continues to urge us to "Get out and vote YES on Proposal 1" - on Facebook and the Safe Roads Yes! web site. REALLY!

 

Take the Free Press Pothole Challenge - By Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, March 9, 2015

The Detroit Free Press wants to see (and share) what you think is the worst pothole or stretch of potholes across Michigan. You can share your photos and videos on one of the Freep's social media channels. Just can't seem to make up my mind, so many potholes...so many potholes.

 

Highway Trust Fund Is 'Broke,' Ex-Transportation Secretary LaHood Says - STEVE INSKEEP, National Public Radio. May 19, 2015

The primary way that federal highway and transit programs are funded for state, local, and national projects across the country is running out of money for highways, bridges and mass transit. Not good for our Michigan roads, seeing we can't seem to raise any money for roads ourselves. Now our federal hand out just may go away.

Well that's about it for now. Stay tuned for more Road Kill News, where YOU decide if it's really worth the trouble. There is bound to be plenty more.


Drive Careful,
Will

Michigan Road Funding Will Be Cut Without Action

Will Michigan face a reduction in critical road funding if no action is taken by lawmakers?

That remains to be seen. In two Internet articles I have come across today the threat seems to be real. The very important federal Highway Trust Fund is on the ropes. It may soon run out and what does that mean for Michigan roads?

Both the Detroit News and Michigan Radio have brought up the ugly news. News almost as bad as a Michigan Pothole. Well maybe not much could be done by Michigan lawmakers about the Federal road trust fund, however I can't stop thinking that if Federal dollars (about 80 percent of Michigan road work is funded through federal Highway Trust Fund dollars) shrink or go away it is going to make raising road funds in this state that much harder. What ever can be raised will have to go that much further.

Is Our Road Money going Down the Toilet?

By not acting like leaders and addressing road repair and improvement issues in the past years when the fund was healthy, I can't help think that our Michigan legislators are flushing money and opportunities down the toilet. And you may well know how difficult it can be to get what went down the toilet out again. Our roads just get worse and worse.

If those in Lansing won't Just Fix Our Roads, their jobs can take that trip down the toilet too. Just sayin'.

Drive Careful,
Will