Saturday, January 13, 2018

Gov. Pothole's tweet spins from admitting WI roads 2nd worst in US

Walker must have polling data showing that voters and motorists know the facts: Wisconsin's roads on his watch have deteriorated from roughly in the middle of the pack, to 4th worst, to 2nd worst.

And on Walker's watch, Wisconsin motorists pay an average of $673 in annual vehicle repairs due to the crumbling roads, so kiss goodbye the small tax savings he's allegedly delivered to drivers.

While hundreds of state taxpayer millions for new roads are committed solely in the SE corner of the state to buttress billions Walker has pledged as Foxconn subsidies, and to make the drive there for Illinois commuting workers just a little more pleasant.

How else to explain this misleading tweet that contains his routine finger-pointing while never mentioning the axle-breaking, tire-popping road-repair non-partisan and industry-produced data and conclusion:
Wisconsin faces infrastructure challenges of its own. For example, driving on roads in need of repair in Wisconsin costs each driver $637 per year, and 8.7% of bridges are rated structurally deficient. Drinking water needs in Wisconsin are an estimated $1 billion, and wastewater needs total $6.33 billion. 157 dams are considered to be high-hazard potential. The state’s schools have an estimated capital expenditure gap of $836 million. This deteriorating infrastructure impedes Wisconsin’s ability to compete in an increasingly global marketplace. 
But if you read the tweet carefully, Gov. Pothole acknowledges that his past budgets didn't have - - and why not? - - the level of  road-repair funding he's now rushing to tout and back-fill in an election year:
 21 hours ago21 hours agoMoreGovernor Walker Retweeted Wisconsin DOT 
Eight years ago, the previous Governor & Legislature had raided the state transportation fund. Today, we’ve invested $24 billion into transpo over 8 years & our ’17-‘19 budget gives local govs the largest increase in road & bridge aids in more than a decade.
 

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