by Sherry Smart
Let’s take a couple of those grants and see what the DOT does with YOUR MONEY!
U.S. Transportation Secretary Foxx Announces $474 Million for 52 TIGER 2013 Projects in 37 States. Florida is getting some of their taxes back in 3 of these grants, Florida DOT, South Florida Freight & Passenger Rail Enhancement, $13,750,000; Florida International University, University City Prosperity Project, $11,397,120; Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization, Lee County Complete Streets Initiative, $10,473,900. So we Floridians have received approximately $35,620,000 of our tax money coming back to us with a Tiger grant. The Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER Discretionary Grant program, provides a unique opportunity for the U.S. Department of Transportation to invest in road, rail, transit and port projects that promise to achieve critical national objectives. Congress dedicated $1.5 billion for TIGER I, $600 million for TIGER II, $526.944 million for FY 2011 and $500 million for the FY 2012 round of TIGER Grants to fund projects that have a significant impact on the Nation, a region or a metropolitan area. Doesn’t this beg the question, why is our infrastructure falling apart with the massive amount of money that is being poured into these grants? Either we have a real problem with work ethic and the job is just not getting done, or we have a theft problem because we certainly are not getting our money’s worth.
TEA is the Transportation Enhancement Activities division of DOT… this department is expanding and when a governmental agency grows where do they get the money to fund it? Right out of your pocket. This is how TEA is funded, through the Surface Transportation Program (STP) under 23 U.S.C. 104(b)(3), which includes several adjustments, such as adjustments for metropolitan planning, open container and driving while intoxicated laws, highway safety, and safety belt and motorcycle helmet laws. Ever wonder why “click it or ticket” came into being and why it was employed nationally? Now you know, it had nothing to do with safety, the bureaucrats had to fund their departments. Remember government doesn’t make anything they only take from those who work to earn taxes and you are the one who foots the bill.
Shortly after taking office, Pres. Bill Clinton formed the Council on Sustainable Development, on June 29, 1993 with EO 12852 to advise him on “bold, new approaches to achieve our economic, environmental, and equity goals.” The Council had a broader range of issues, including energy, transportation, agriculture and the environment. This begs the question, what could sustainable development have to do with the DOT? When you look at the following website: http://www.dot.gov/livability you will see the following: [click for larger view]
Do you see anything strange in the above statement, where are cars? You aren’t going to see any. What you will see is how incorporating livability into the transportation decision making process can benefit communities, how rural, local and regional agencies are advancing livability principles in their communities.
At the beginning of this article I was looking at how our money is spent with DOT and why with all the money they are receiving our infrastructure is failing and falling apart. The money is no longer being focused on our highways but in the purchase of land for walking and bicycle trails; for easements for those trails and on beautification projects for those sidewalks. Remember we will be living in communities that no longer need cars, you will need those tree lined sidewalks to provide shade while you are lugging your groceries in 98 degree heat here in livable Florida.