Choices Rule the Day and the Governor’s Mansion

By Ed Day

Two years ago Governor Jesse Ventura refused to support a taxpayer-funded stadium because public schools were underfunded. Last week, Ventura opposed yet another stadium proposal, citing other taxpayer priorities, including a multi-modal transportation system.
In general, Ventura's priorities are hard for me to understand because I rarely hear him support anything (besides tax cuts) outright, but rather as a reason to shoot down another idea. For example, he has said things such as funding the University of Minnesota's budget request could come at the expense of senior citizens, babies or any other sympathetic cause.
Of course that doesn't mean Jesse will put his weight behind these priorities after they have served the purpose drawing attention from a proposal so he doesn't have to consider its merits. This is usually standard political double-talk.
But the governor has always been a very vocal supporter of transportation initiatives. However, many believe his good-faith efforts, such as light rail, are misguided. Worse yet, Ventura is crippling his own transportation plan with ill-advised tax cuts and a meager budget for public projects.
Reducing our license tab fees, which have reliably supplied revenue for maintaining our highways, have already come back to haunt us. A representative from the Minnesota Transportation Alliance said the license tab fee cuts have reduced trunk highway revenue by $175 million. The forecast is so dire that Rep. Liz Holberg, (R/Lakeville) is sponsoring HF 1861, a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow general obligation bonds to be sold for trunk highway construction to compensate for the lost revenue. Citizens might not have to write such a big check every year, but we are still paying for it.
Ventura's tight-fisted budget contradicts his zeal for public transit and support of expanding Metro Transit bus service. To pay for service improvements, fare increases are being seriously considered. This is truly idiotic. Ridership decreases every time fares increase, somewhat negating the increased per-passenger revenue. As fares increase, the time spent outside in subzero temperatures seems less worthwhile. Service won't expand quickly enough to attract new riders.
The obvious solution is fully funding a world-class bus system and lowering fares and providing more incentives for folks to ride. But our governor seems to think spending on anything worthwhile would tarnish his image as a reformer.
Alas, Jesse isn't a reformer. If Ventura were a true reformer, he would spearhead a massive gas tax increase, at least a buck or two per gallon, and earmark the revenue for transportation projects. Oddly enough, this massive tax increase is consistent with Jesse's self-sufficiency, personal responsibility and fairness rhetoric. The best argument for the license tab fee cuts is that the fees, based on the vehicle's value, were not a fair user fee. After all, new cars do not harm the environment as much as an old beater. Tabs also did not account for the number of miles driven. Driving a Geo Metro 100,000 miles causes more pollution and potholes than driving a Ford Explorer 8,000 miles.
Gas taxes are more fair in all respects and will provide clear choices that everyone will be responsible for. Then we could let market forces take over as a mechanism for growth. Buses, by comparison, would be viewed as a great bargain. Higher gas prices encourage more carpooling than the expensive HOV lanes on Interstate 394. If enough people decide a commute from East St. Paul to Minnetonka (one I endured for a time) for a semi-crappy job is no longer worth it, businesses entering the Twin Cities' market will likely choose a more centrally located site to set up shop instead of flocking to the southwestern suburbs.
But everyone still has choices. No one is forcing anyone to buy an electric car, ride a bus or drive a fuel-efficient car. But these choices will now reflect the true costs to our roadways and environment.