by Paul Dame
G.E.T. R.E.A.L. is a solemn promise and a positive path forward for our state by Vermont Republicans focused on improving the quality of life of our people. It is a prescription of policy proposals, and this is the third in a series of essays explaining the program.
Given the normal weather patterns in Vermont with all the freezing and thawing and the need for plenty of plowing, maintaining safe and comfortable roads and bridges is always going to be a challenge. Even more so if the trends of warmer, wetter winters and springs continue to bring us multiple mud seasons and more frequent floods. So, we really need to focus all of our transportation fund dollars on fixing and maintaining our transportation infrastructure.
While in years past legislatures had done a good job of ending policies that robbed the Transportation Fund to pay for other projects, recently we have seen a return to bad habits in this arena, particularly where taking out taxpayer money to subsidize electric vehicle purchases is concerned. For example, the current version of the Transportation Bill under debate right now contains $12 million in subsidies for EV incentives and in-home charging equipment.
First of all, that’s $12 million that’s not going to pave roads, fill potholes, expand culverts, or renovate bridges – all things we need to be doing more of, not less. In fact, the average age of Vermont’s bridges is 59 years, compared the national average of 44 years. 75 of our bridges are classified as “structurally deficient,” up from 68 as recently as 2019, and, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, nearly a quarter of a million vehicles pass over just the twenty-five most traveled of those structurally deficient bridges every day. This should be a priority for transportation funds.
However, this sense of urgency is not shared by the supermajority controlling the purse strings in Montpelier today. In 2023, Governor Scott earmarked in his budget $9 million in general fund surplus money that could have been used to draw down triple that amount in federal matching funds for road repair. Democrats chose to spend that money elsewhere.
But even without these critical maintenance needs, it is highly questionable that it is a proper role of government to force some Vermonters to pay for the vehicle choices of other Vermonters, especially when those subsidies tend to flow regressively up the income ladder from lower earning workers to upper income car buyers. These “wealthfare” programs need to end.
Additionally, the state using tax dollars to subsidize more Vermonters’ choice to drive electric vehicles has an additional negative impact on fuel tax, and therefore Transportation Fund, revenues. Under the current system, if you’re not buying gas to use the roads, you’re not paying to help maintain them. One solution is to charge EV owners with a “road use surcharge” when they register, which is an idea under consideration. However, the Democrat leadership under the influence of environmental lobbyists are insisting that money to go not to road maintenance but to, you guessed it, more taxpayer funded EV subsides.
Think about this for a minute. The supermajority wants to pay people a subsidy to buy an electric vehicle, then hit those same people with a surcharge on that same electric vehicle in order to fund somebody else’s electric vehicle subsidy, which will also be penalized with a surcharge. That’s just ridiculous. More ridiculous is that they’re doing this while not sufficiently funding the maintenance of the roads that all of our vehicles need to drive on!
It’s yet another example of policy being driven by blind ideology and special interest politics at the expense of common sense and providing basic public services. This is exactly the kind of mind set we need to GET REAL about replacing in Montpelier!
Also slipped into this year’s Transportation Bill is a provision to move toward implementing a Clean Transportation Standard. This is the motor fuel companion to the home heating Clean Heat Standard that is estimated to add 70 cents or more to every gallon of oil, propane, natural gas and kerosene. Yes, the supermajority wants this same scale of carbon tax applied to gasoline and diesel. An additional dollar tax to a gallon of gas? We say, Get Real!
If this gas and diesel carbon tax ultimately passes (the only way to stop it is to Vote Republican in November), and it is a crucial component of the supermajorities Global Warming Solutions Act law passed in 2020, again the revenue would not be used for road maintenance, but rather pet global warming projects. This would decrease fuel tax capacity for transportation infrastructure maintenance, likely requiring tax increases elsewhere to fill the gap.
Government is supposed to provide some basic, universal services and maintaining the state’s roads, bridges, and other transportation infrastructure is one of them. Elect Republicans this November, and we’ll GET REAL about fixing our roads and bridges.
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Categories: Infrastructure and Public Works, State Government, Transportation
get real/// do you mean you want people to do some thing that will create added value and stop all the needed repairs on our cars and trucks/// wow, what a novel idea/// good thinking///
Once you heard the idiotic term “environmental infrastructure” being bantered about during Covid when the states were getting money from the feds for “infrastructure” – you knew right away that that it was the blue state’s intention to divert the federal feds for that money’s purpose to pet projects – namely their imagined climate crisis and social justice craziness.
And so here we are: Vermont’s ACTUAL infrastructure, transportation infrastructure, remains a mess. But at least little girls can keep trying to transform into little boys with the assist of the public school system. That’s what’s imperative.
How can Vermonters afford to fix anything of real value when the vast majority of their income is consumed by tax dollars that fund the most expensive education system in the world (yes, in the world) – an education system that produces academic illiteracy, STEM deficiencies, and countless behavioral mores that drive (pun intended) those few productive people – who actually can fix things – out of the State.
Talk is cheap, Mr. Dame. If you really want to get real, get real.
While education certainly has its problems with cost and outcomes, the Transportation Fund is a separate issue with a completely different revenue stream. The suggestion here to redirect funds already being raised away from “green” boondoggles and into road and bridge maintenance seems pretty sound, and the only REAL solution for implementing that solution is to replace the current legislature with new folks who share these priorities. Do you disagree with these points?
Re: “… the only REAL solution for implementing that solution is to replace the current legislature with new folks.”
and…
“If this gas and diesel carbon tax ultimately passes (the only way to stop it is to Vote Republican in November),”
I agree, Rob. But we already know about the ‘boondoggles’. Over and over again. Unfortunately, Mr. Dame has yet to do his job as VT GOP chair and promote (or at least present) the political alternatives. If you want voters to ‘get real’, show them the real candidates?
Well, this is the recruitment phase of the campaign season. I think GET REAL is a flag to get candidates to rally around, and a pretty good one at that. Paul and Bill Huff, and a lot of the county chairs and others who are waging this recruitment campaign are doing their job at this point, which is to encourage and find candidates to step forward and run. If by the time candidates have to register to be on the ballot there are no Republicans running, that’s the time to criticize. But now why would you be trying to discourage candidates from coming forward if you want things to change for the better in Vermont? And if you want to know who the candidate are at this point in the process, the best way is to be out there helping to find them yourself. Join the team!
Oh, okay, Rob. So, now you want me to do Paul Dame’s job.
Jay, recruitment is not “Paul Dame’s job.” It is everyone’s job. Paul certainly has a larger role than most, but town committees are responsible for recruiting house candidates, county committees are responsible for recruiting senate candidates, and the state committee is responsible for finding statewide candidates. And, in these activities everybody helps each other out with names, contacts information, etc. It’s a team effort. If you don’t want to play, that’s fine. Your choice. But don’t trash those who are on the field if you’re not willing to help. That’s worse than doing nothing.
Jay, recruitment is not “Paul Dame’s job.” It is everyone’s job.
And that’s why everyone has a web site, like the VT GOP, with a sign-up app.
I get it, Rob. Saying ‘it is everyone’s job’ is just like saying ‘it is no one’s job’. So why bother having a VT GOP?
Considering what we have witnessed in the District of Corruption, the same trickle-down tactics playing out in State Houses, town and city halls across America, the only ones getting heard and served are the well-funded army of lobbyists, NGOs, and non-profiteers greasing the machine. The board of directors of the corporation, judges, courts, and lawyers ensure all are protected with impunity. In the meantime, selected puppets spew out narratives that are meant to ensure obedience and compliance to the corporation. Keep believing we have a choice and our vote matters. It certainly does not under belligerent occupation.
Dame mistakenly assumes this legislature wants to serve the constituent.
It appears blatantly obvious this legislature follows the precedent set by past legislatures to serve the donor and lobbyist. Once the VNEA, VSEU and the multitude of Climate Change™ NGO’s have been sated- only then will a paltry amount of our tax dollars be applied to infrastructure.
No, Dame does not make that mistake. As he notes, the only way to change the status quo is to replace “this legislature” with candidates with a different set of loyalties. Quote, “(the only way to stop it is to Vote Republican in November)”
I stand corrected, Rob. I mistakenly forgot whom Dame is employed by and that the corporate goal of the VTGOP is similar to the RNC corporate agenda under Rona McDaniel.
We shall soon see if Dame and the VTGOP are allied with the UniParty interests or the interests of the citizen.
Rob
What is “Plan B” if the voters fail to defeat S.5 supporters ready to override a veto, if Governor Scott seeks re-election? What is the plan if a Democratic Governor is ready to sign enactment of S. 5?
That would be the time to move to New Hampshire. Under that scenario, Vermont is done.
Mr. Dame. Your time at the helm of the Vermont GOP is appreciated by all. You have served the Vermont Republican Party with impressive dedication and commitment. But it’s time to recognize and acknowledge that by any imaginable metric your hard work has not been successful. The stark reality is that the Vermont GOP, and the State of Vermont, has suffered greatly under your leadership. All leaders know when it’s time to step up, but also when to step down. Respectfully, your time has come. I ask that you please give your resignation some consideration. Further, I ask that if you come to the honest conclusion that now is not a time to resign, please ask yourself when? How much more failure must you preside over to accept some responsibility for your failed leadership? Thank you.
The most cost-effective money that can be spent on highway safety is good lane striping, and Vermont’s has been absolutely pathetic for many years now. A supposed tourist state should do better to make sure visitors unfamiliar with our roads know which lane to be in and even if there is more than one lane. One culprit has been the switch to “environmentally friendly” paint, which does not provide good visibility and does not last nearly as long as what used to be utilized. The “environmentally correct” paint needs to be applied more frequently, but realistically is NOT applied as often as it needs to be.
Driving on Vermont roads at night in the rain and fog is more than challenging. Then add the brighter LED headlights of oncoming traffic and it’s an elixir for accidents. The painted white line on the right side of the road is extremely important. Leave it to our brainiac leaders to switch something that works well and lasts longer to an inferior environmentally friendly paint. Who cares if you wreck your car, die or kill others in a preventable accident as long as our woke leaders save the planet?
jon lynch/// i think you should replace paul dame/// it is time to put up or shut up/// we wait for grand performance///
Dame is doing the best job he can with a vocal minority of the party trying to steer it in a direction that most Vermonters are not on board with. Newsflash- you affect change by winning elections over those whose policies are destroying the state. You win elections by focusing on the issues that a majority of Vermonters agree on and by not focusing on the issues that most Vermonters don’t agree on. It doesn’t matter what your friends and family think of your ideas, it matters what 50.1% of your voters (in a single district) think of your ideas. Republicans are their own worst enemy for not understanding strategy. The republicans in the legislature work hard to combat the damaging policies of the majority party, they need help. Instead of listening to people who have never won an election, listen to the advice of those who have. You want change? It’s time let facts sink in- the only message that the party or candidates should be pounding on is that Vermonters cannot afford what the democrats keep delivering. That is the winning issue. Nothing else should come out of a GOP candidate except for that. Campaign smart. GET REAL should be pared back to it’s original bullet points. They are winners. The added essays are not, they destroy the good will of the original message.