Especially today, given the tight fiscal situation that many States and localities face, the use of transportation facilities that pay for themselves without additional Federal funding is essential.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
States get to improve transportation infrastructure; that creates economic development, puts people back to work and, most important, enhances safety and improves local communities.
Beyond highways and roads, we need more money for mass transit, intercity passenger rail and freight rail. We have a long way to go to bridge the funding gaps.
How we fund transportation in this country is broken. You all pay a gasoline tax, right? Well, cars go farther, we get electric cars, and so on. And then we do more with the money than just build roads. We do bike lanes and mass transit.
We continue to subsidize highways and aviation, but when it comes to our passenger rail system, we refuse to provide the money Amtrak needs to survive.
We must do all we can to reduce congestion in our urban areas and increase access and mobility in our rural areas, and this extra funding will help us get there.
Transportation spending is a win-win proposition.
Not only should we be giving Amtrak the money it needs to continue to provide services; we should be providing security money to upgrade their tracks and improve safety and security measures in the entire rail system.
Highway spending, which I think most everybody says is badly needed in this country, creates American jobs, and also makes America more competitive.
Why should a city be mandated to do something by the federal government or state government without the money to do it?
Every bit of money that we can bring from our federal transportation budget in Washington back here to Stewart Airport will benefit our local economy and our local residents.