I would love to say that this thought process is relegated solely to me, but it does define the policy-driven discussion on Capitol Hill as it pertains to paying for the much-needed, massively funded infrastructure plan under consideration. Clearly a political poison pill, increasing the federal fuel tax has already presented itself as the best cure-all for a problem that needs a solution. However, the conversation, as it pertains to funding, has now appeared in the infrastructure bill as a national pilot program for raising funds outside of paying directly at the pump in the form of a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax. Traveling by car, the trip took about eight hours to get to the location, and I encountered numerous traffic snarls along the way. Long road trips aside, upon my arrival, I noticed the new car of a family member. This person traveled half the distance I did in half the time but did so in a hybrid vehicle. It’s a nice-looking car with all the bells and whistles, but I could not help but think that their entire trip would not consist of any stops to refuel, whereas I fueled up twice for the round trip. The very reason I bring this up is that my trip consisted of me paying twice into the Highway Trust Fund (not to mention the toll fees, too), whereas the new hybrid vehicle, with zero need to refuel, didn’t pay a dime into the mechanism responsible for sustaining our roads and bridges. I recently went to an out-of-town family wedding.
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