It is My Monkey

Sometimes you really want your legislators to think outside the box. There are times that I hope that my elected officials are one step ahead, planning for a future that I cannot yet envision. And then there are times that you just would like to see the craters in the road paved. For me, that day came this weekend as I bounced my way to the business center of the state to watch a little travel soccer.

I had assumed that, being less than versed in the ins and outs of soccer, keeping up with the game would be my biggest challenge this weekend. I was wrong, my biggest challenge was keeping my teeth from clanging together and my wheels on the car as we shook, shimmied, and bumped our way to the suburbs of Nashville.

I understand that the Governor has spent a good deal of time lobbying and eventually getting the nod for a gas tax. And I know that his selling point was road needs. And I know that it would be difficult to gather much steam for road needs if we were all experiencing a smooth ride. But there are limits for everything, and when your selling point could be cause for a concussion it is time to rethink the strategy.

You know, until this weekend I was having a hard time understanding why our legislators would ever support a gas tax when we have such a healthy fund balance. Now I know. They drive to Nashville often, and I can only assume that all of the bouncing around has led to bouts of confusion. I guess, as strategies , this one wasn’t so bad, after all.

The gas tax has passed, but the yawning holes still litter our roads. Perhaps it would be a good time to spend a little of that bounty on asphalt. Or maybe this is a new strategy in economic development and they are planning to use some of the deepest as a direct line to China. Yeah, that is probably it. There those legislators and officials go, thinking outside the box again. Aren’t we fortunate? No more fighting the airlines for leg room or ten dollar bags of peanuts. At this point, I am not sure which is more dangerous – air travel, for multiple reasons, or Tennessee state roads, for obvious reasons. The only difference is that one is an elective form of travel and my financial contribution is by choice. The other is funded by my tax dollars, and, therefore, it most certainly is my monkey and it is my circus, and it is apparently being run by the clowns.