While scintillating sexual scandals and sensational threats of war grab headlines, it's sometimes gratifying to see that real work is still being done in the nation's capitol. Last week, the Senate passed a major piece of legislation that would bring equity back to state appropriations of federal highway funding.
Aside from increasing the overall spending for the next six years, the bill, known as the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, will guarantee that states will get back at least 91 percent of all federal transportation taxes they collect and send to Washington. This is big news for large states such as Texas. In the past, Texans have received only 77 cents for every dollar of gasoline tax they pay, while more densely populated northeastern states have been receiving up to two dollars - a case of Robin-Hood loot redistribution at the national level.
The new distribution formula will also ensure that money set aside for highway construction and maintenance will be used for such purposes and not be diverted to other boondoggle programs.
Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas, a major sponsor of the bill, should be lauded for righting an injustice that's been perpetrated since the 1980s. While some may think that Texas will get a "windfall" of about $600
million each year from this bill, its real merit is just that Texans get what they paid for. If there is any complaint, it is that we should be getting even more funding in order to redress past wrongs.
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