Dear Editor:
Instead of planning San Benito County’s government expenses funded by more unconstitutional vehicle license fees, I think that SBC’s government leaders ought to focus their attention on the missing link in the region’s transportation infrastructure.
Instead of intentionally worsening local government’s budget deficit, SBC’s leaders ought to discourage people from using taxpayer funded transportation and encourage them to be self-sufficient in their transportation.
Instead of more wasteful, empty transit buses, more son-of-Amtrak passenger rail operations, more deficit causing Soviet-style transit, our elected representatives should return us to free-enterprise transportation, and join forces to regain intermodal facilities for the Central California Coast.
Of all our “unmet needs,” this should be our No. 1 priority.
The 108th Congress is presently soliciting TEA-21 reauthorization legislation recommendations from local government.
According to Traffic World and other industry publications, Congress will propose enactment of “one-quarter of a trillion dollars” TEA-21 reauthorization legislation by this coming September.
Yet, our local leaders have not responded. Rather, they are preparing another round of “unmet needs” hearings for next month for more wasteful public transit for SBC.
Since the reauthorization process only occurs once each six years, our leaders’ myopia will only worsen the region’s dysfunctional transportation.
More transit riders, who pay fares that cover only 1 percent of fully amortized costs, will only worsen local government budget deficits. Most of all, we need structural reform of our policies, not additional transport waste.
Joseph P. Thompson
Tres Pinos
