Gina Raimondo, photo courtesy of Richard MacCaffrey
We’re all still smarting as will our children’s children from the colossal train wreck of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The White House and media handle that came to be known as “The Stimulus”, was rightfully christened “Porkulus” in opposition and conservative circles. $831 Billion borrowed from China was the propellant to fuel the recovery of the 2008 self-inflicted housing bubble collapse that vaporized nearly $8 Trillion in wealth. This failed Keynesian Hail Mary was supposed to put millions of Americans back to work at “Shovel Ready” jobs rebuilding the country’s crumbling infrastructure. Failure to pass would cause the earth’s rotation to cease, the sun to go dark, and life as we knew it would end. Total cost including interest over 10 years $1.2 Trillion. Five years later after squandering hundreds of millions on “Junk Science” enterprises like Solyndra $535 Million unvetted, now bankrupt, and a myriad of environmental pet projects like Florida’s “TurtleTunnels” ($3.4 Million) the nation’s infrastructure, bridges and overpasses are still being propped up by massive “Lincoln Logs” and bales of rusty chicken wire while D.O.T. night crews find it more efficient to move the potholes than to fill them.
Rhode Island’s share of Barack Obama’s “Porkulus” package was North of $1 Billion, $95 Million, less than 10 percent found its way to infrastructure projects, the bulk of those resources to road resurfacing. The Six-Ten Connector was deteriorating 5 years ago, and not a single buffalo nickel of the Stimulus was invested in its rehab. Today, the Six-Ten Connector stands (don’t look up) as a monument to Smith Hill’s uncommon capacity to squander financial opportunity. GoLocalProv outlines in detail the dispersal of Rhode Island’s $1 Billion share.
RhodeWorks now resurrected for a third time is akin to Barack Obama’s 09 Stimulus program. Governor Raimondo’s political resume’ is screaming out for an earth moving win, and what could be more earth moving than to singlehandedly rescue Rhode Island’s infrastructure from certain doom on the electorate’s dime for which Labor will be eternally grateful. Passage of RhodeWorks, will pave her toll road to a Washington Post. Fair to say a second term to warm the Governor’s seat doesn’t even enter into her political equation. Given the current speed of government the Six-Ten connector will still be a work in progress long after Gina Raimondo has made her escape to Washington. For Rhode Island Labor interests the unofficial Fourth Branch of Government, this is a 10 plus year stimulus program rife with cost overruns, and deadline extensions. Upon passage Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio’s status will be elevated to that of “Ponos” Greek God of labor.
It comes as no surprise RhodeWorks (Porkulus Lite) is being Fast Tracked thru the House. By House Speaker Nick Mattiello’ reckoning RhodeWorks 3.0 has all but passed, upcoming election casualties have been calculated, House losses if any are acceptable. Outside of a floor vote in the House everything else is just a formality. The ink on the House Bill will still be wet when the Senate and Governor signs off with their blessing. If leadership on the Hill has demonstrated nothing else, it is not the electorate they fear, only the loss of their own power.
The latest version of RhodeWorks is simply “Lipstick on a Pig." The new and improved package calls for reduced borrowing, $300 Million instead of $550 Million, interest debt clocks in near $500 Million bringing the total package to $800 Million. To sweeten the deal, a provision prohibiting the tolling of cars is the carrot baked into the legislation to insulate the electorate’s fears. Between the Hawks and Lemmings, the Hawks know this provision can be amended or repealed when toll revenues don’t meet expectations, and there is a laundry list of additional vehicle classes that can be tolled before cars become a target. Fact is the General Assembly can fully honor the “No Tolls” on Cars provision by reaching into the other pocket of the taxpayer and invoking new fees and taxes.
Decades of government and bureaucratic neglect are responsible for bridges propped up by corroding rebar, rotting timbers falling concrete and axel busting potholes we venture over every day. The trucking industry and their members who already pay millions in fuel taxes and registration fees because of their additional impact on infrastructure have been targeted to pay for Smith Hills past and current sins. All efforts by the Trucking industry and Republican offering of a Pay as You Go plan have been summarily rejected by design, neither proposal reckon with leadership’s short term agenda. Passage of RhodeWorks, solidifies Raimondo’s status as a rising star in the National Democratic party, the General Assembly will be relieved of any financial discipline with respect to infrastructure for the next decade and Rhode Island Labor interest and contractors will not only enjoy security and the spoils of profit for the next decade plus, their gratitude will be extended locally and nationally in propelling Gina Raimondo to National Office.
Tony Santos is Editor, Writer, and MuckRaker for RedneckRepublic.org, a Politically Incorrect, Cast Iron Conservative Blog Outpost
Related Slideshow: RI Truck Tolls Controversy—2016
The 2015 Rhode Island General Assembly adjourned after an 11th hour effort to approve truck tolls to pay for a $500 million infrastructure bond fell flat, despite being approved by the Senate.
Opposition to the proposal gained momentum during the summer and fall months in 2015, and the 2016 General Assembly session began with an anti-toll rally immediately before the body convened.
Here are some of the most important developments that have occurred since over 100 people turned out at the Rhode Island State House in opposition to tolls on January 5, 2016.
On Thursday January 21, a number of truckers circled the Rhode Island State House in opposition to truck tolls -- but the members of the Rhode Island Independent Contractors and Associates were also countering what the Rhode Island Trucking Association (RITA) put forth to increase fees -- and the diesel tax -- in order to provide some revenue to the state in lieu of taxes.
"Let's get people back to work, take a look at pay-go, and with respect to those opposed to the diesel tax -- RI truckers are ranked 29th in fees that they pay," said Bill Fischer with RITA. "We're saying we're middle of the pack. It's not as though we're third in the country in fees. There's room for legislative increase on the diesel tax and registration fees. We didn't go [Thursday] because we don't believe the solution lies in not bringing anything to the table."
Groups including the RI Center for Freedom and Prosperity continue to push for Rhode Islanders to contact legislators on the toll issue. The group shared the following on the StopTollsRI.com
SPEAK OUT: CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS IMMEDIATELY TO STOP TOLLS
You have the power to stop tolls in Rhode Island. Below you will find a letter that will automatically be sent to your state senator and representative.
Fill out the form and click the send button, time is running out to stop tolls. Speak out to immediately send a powerful message to our elected officials. Don't delay, act now. Your representatives will listen to you!
Concerned about the number of proposals to pay for the repair and replacement of the state’s infrastructure, Sen. Leonidas P. Raptakis (D-Dist. 33, Coventry, West Greenwich, East Greenwich) said "it’s time for the state to take a timeout to sift through all the information it has been inundated with."
The release for the General Assembly said the following:
He has submitted a resolution that would create a special legislative commission to study and review all aspects of future tolling of motor vehicles in the state.
The commission would be tasked with making a comprehensive study and analysis of all aspects of future motor vehicle tolling including, but not limited to, automobiles, tractor trailers and other commercial vehicles.
The Hassenfeld Institute for Public Leadership released its quarterly survey on key issues facing the State. The poll first asked respondents if they favored or opposed several proposals for bridge and road repair. On proposals to put tolls in place to help fund repairs:
• 43.9% favor Governor Raimondo’s proposal to assess a toll on large trucks to pay for the $1 Billion in revenue bonds to fix the roads and bridges; while 49.4% said they oppose the plan.
• 37.7% favor an alternative “pay as you go” plan, that could still include tolls but avoid interest payments, while 51.9% said they oppose the plan.
The RI GOP weighed in on the poll.
In September 2015, Bryant University's Hassenfeld Institute conducted a poll which showed that the voters supported new tolls by a margin of 53 to 44. But, today as voters have learned more about the plan, the numbers have flipped and now voters are against new tolls by a margin of 49 to 44, a swing of 14 percent.
At the same time, the Hassenfeld Institute poll showed 58 percent of the voters support reallocating money from the state's budget to fix the roads and bridges. Reallocating existing revenues within the budget instead of creating new revenue sources to fix our bridges has been the position championed by Republicans since the beginning of this debate in June 2015.
StopTollsRI.Com Says 75% of RI’s Legislators Refuse To Go On Record About Highly Controversial Toll Proposal
Toll opponents StopTollsRI.com distributed a survey to all Rhode Island legislators. It consisted of one question: "Do you unequivocally oppose new tolls of any kind?"
"That simple question was left unanswered by 75% of all legislators," said StopTollsRI.
“Voters and taxpayers have the right to know where their legislators stand on any issue, but particularly on a highly controversial issue like tolls”, says StopTollsRI.com’s spokesperson Monique Chartier. “The silence is deafening on this critical question."
RI Trucking Association Releases Letter Sent to Raimondo by the American Trucking Associations (ATA) in Virginia
RITA President Chris Maxwell had asked the ATA to review correspondence and media statements related to toll enforcement by both Governor Raimondo and Colonel O’Donnell of the Rhode Island State Police.
“I can assure every member of the General Assembly that the opinions and statements issued by the governor related to toll enforcement have raised major concerns in both the trucking industry and the business community,” said Maxwell. “There are federal laws in place that provide truckers the right to access local roadways. The governor has raised an issue and not provided any details of how this enforcement plan would work. At this juncture, we are very concerned about any plan that may interrupt the flow of commerce or add greater burdens and cost to the trucking industry.”
“It is fair to ask how a Rhode Island trooper is expected to know when a truck is purposely diverting a toll and when they are getting off the highway to make a delivery – or quite frankly just going home. We intend to fight any legislative initiative that will create a police state for the trucking industry,” added Maxwell.
Independent House District 36 Representative Blake Filippi (Block Island, Charlestown, South Kingstown and Westerly) joined with the Republican Policy Group to introduce legislation calling on voters to amend the R.I. Constitution to require statewide and local voter approval for any new passenger vehicle tolls. Representatives Morgan, Price, Chippendale, Roberts and Reilly are cosponsors of H-7191.
“The Governor’s proposed Rhode Works toll gantries will stand as monuments to inefficiency and a failure to do right by the People – and we are adamantly opposed to this plan. However, if the State is going to establish a statewide network of toll gantries, R.I. families deserve protection from a future government in a cash crunch. Although our leaders have assured us that the proposed network of gantries will never be used to toll passenger vehicles, these gantries will remain standing long after they leave office, and future leaders are not bound by these promises,” said Filippi.
“The Governor has asked for a viable and sustainable alternative to her Toll proposal. We [are] introducing the Republican No Tolls Bridgeworks plan in both the House of Representatives and the Senate,” stated Representative Patricia Morgan. “At the same time, we will hand deliver a copy of the legislation to her office. Hopefully, now that it is in official form, she will review its merits and work to help Rhode Island, not hurt the state with tolls.”
The GOP issued the following release:
"When the Governor abruptly introduced her massive borrowing and tolling scheme at the end of last year’s legislative session, the Republican Policy Group knew tolls would have detrimental consequences for Rhode Islanders. Our hard working families are fighting a stagnant economy and increase expenses. They simply should not be asked to bear the burden of higher consumer goods, because our State’s political leaders are unwilling to prioritize bridge repair over corporate welfare and waste,” she continued.
The Republican Policy Group searched the budget for spending that could be used for bridge repair that, at the same time, did not touch social programs or vital services. “Our budget is $8.7 million. Reallocating less than 1% of existing revenue for the next 10 years to bridge repair will raise $255 million more than the Governor’s plan,” explained Morgan. “That means in the same time frame, we will have more bridges repaired and more jobs created. The Republican plan surpasses the beneficial parts of the Governor’s plan, while, at the same time, avoiding the damage of tolls."
StopTollsRI.com Condemns "Deceptive Push Poll about Tolls Conducted by AAA"
Stop Tolls said that, "AAA Northeast released the results of a poll that appeared to show that a simple majority of their Rhode Island members supports Governor Gina Raimondo's truck toll proposal. However, the poll questions were not released with the results."
A release from NoTolls said the following:
AAA members themselves circulated the questions to the press, at which point, their bias was evident. It appears that this is a push poll designed simply to carry the Governor's side of the debate. As the R.I. Trucking Association has correctly pointed out, unfortunately, the state's largest business association, the Providence Chamber of Commerce, is an agent of the Governor and not necessarily working on behalf of the business community. The Providence Chamber appears to be orchestrating this via AAA (which is otherwise a very good and reliable business.)
"The results of the survey are misleading because it was crafted in a way to just get drivers to respond to the need to fix the roads, which is not in dispute. That's very different from asking respondents to weigh in on the financial and long term implications of tolls, not to mention important alternatives like pay-as-you-go", says StopTollsRI.com spokesperson Monique Chartier. "They are portraying these poll results as "Drivers approve of the RhodeWorks Truck Tolls Plan" - this is deceptive and misleading spin."
Could Toll Technology Be Used for Monitoring Drivers’ Data?
Opponents to truck tolls in Rhode Island are questioning the tracking capacities of the gantries, in light of other states using E-ZPass to issue speeding tickets and engage in data monitoring activities as discovered by the ACLU.
“While our primary concern is to stop the government from creating a new revenue stream from the taxpayer, of course we are concerned as average citizens that more of our basic rights might be stripped from us,” said Pam Gencarella with OSTPA.
RI Trucking Assoc: "Independent Analysis Points to Flaws in Economic Impact Study on RhodeWorks"
The Rhode Island Trucking Association (RITA) released an analysis of an economic impact study of RhodeWorks and concluded the study is flawed. The governor previously released the economic impact study (REMI Report) last October and used it as a foundation to build support for her toll plan.
The release was as follows:
The analysis of the REMI report was conducted by IHS, a leading analytics and information company, which operates in 32 countries around the world. The IHS team reviewed “The Economic Impact of RhodeWorks: An Accelerated Transportation Restoration Plan”, prepared by REMI. Their review identified several key issues in the report where assumptions and approaches to the study may lead to erroneous or suspect conclusions. Additionally, they found that the REMI study is sorely lacking in transparency. Key issues identified by IHS include:
*The IHS study projects revenue from tolls will only generate $24 million to $37.5 million per year, substantially below RhodeWorks’ $60 million per year projection.
* Highway truck volumes used in the REMI report appear questionable.
*The REMI report did not adequately account for truck routing diversion potential around the state.
* Not enough consideration was given to financing alternatives, which did not include bridge tolling.
StopTollsRI.com Calls Upon Governor to "Stop Stonewalling on APRA Request and Release Administration’s Own Truck Diversion Study"
StopTollsRI.com called upon Governor Raimondo to release a key study associated with her truck tolls plan concerning projections of truck diversion of highway toll gantries.
"The Governor has thus far stonewalled on releasing her own authorized truck diversion study, but in the wake of a survey recently released by the RI Trucking Association (conducted by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association), StopTollsRI.com believes the release of the state sponsored survey is urgent.
Representative Patricia Morgan, a staunch critic of the truck tolls plan, submitted an APRA request to see the diversion study and it was originally denied, along with her request for toll gantry locations. After significant public pressure, the Raimondo administration last week provided the toll gantry locations, but this important study, which covered likely diversion routes truckers could use to avoid the tolls, remains inaccessible to the public. StopTollsRI.com believes the Governor’s motivation in refusing to release all of the data is due to findings that would indicate there would be a significant amount of diversion around the toll gantries."
RI DOT Releases Proposed Gantry Locations -- Days After Letter Was Sent to Leadership
Wrote the RI DOT:
With the recent release of the preliminary tolling locations, we look forward to the final resolution of the RhodeWorks financing plan and passage by the Legislature. This will clear the way for us to begin rebuilding our roads and bridges, aiding in the economic revival of this state.
RI Trucking Association Releases Driver Survey Conducted by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA)
OOIDA surveyed its membership in Rhode Island and surrounding states (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Vermont) using an on-line survey. 373 OOIDA members who regularly travel through and in Rhode Island responded to the survey.
"The purpose was to determine how truck drivers, in particular truck drivers that are likely to operate in Rhode Island, feel about Governor Raimondo’s proposal. The survey was available on the OOIDA website and was open to respondents for a period of roughly eleven days." The survey found:
76.7% of the respondents indicated they would alter their route to avoid paying tolls in Rhode Island.
60.6% of the respondents indicated they alter their route to avoid tolls in other states.
GOP Claims Victory Over Tolls with Special Election Win
The special election in Senate District 11 was "a special night for Rhode Island taxpayers," said the RI GOP:
John Pagliarini did not just defeat a well-known Democrat who has served for more than a decade on the town council of a community that constitutes about 66% of the district, he also defeated a candidate personally endorsed by Governor Gina Raimondo.
Chairman Brandon S. Bell declared: "By electing Pagliarini to the Senate, the voters sent a simple message by special delivery via a huge 18 wheeler truck to State House insiders: NO TOLLS!
The special election in Senate District 11 was a special night for Rhode Island taxpayers. John Pagliarini did not just defeat a well-known Democrat who has served for more than a decade on the town council of a community that constitutes about 66% of the district, he also defeated a candidate personally endorsed by Governor Gina Raimondo.
Chairman Brandon S. Bell declared: "By electing Pagliarini to the Senate, the voters sent a simple message by special delivery via a huge 18 wheeler truck to State House insiders: NO TOLLS
Over one hundred opponents to truck tolls took to the State House on Tuesday for a press conference — and a rally — to express their concerns for Governor Raimondo’s funding mechanism to support a $500 million infrastructure bond.
Over a dozen groups including RI Taxpayers, Ocean State Taxpayers in Action (OSTPA), and the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity turned out for a speaker series that included Republican Deputy Minority Leader Patricia Morgan, former Director of Administration Gary Sasse, RI Taxpayers' Larry Fitzmorris, and Sakonnet Toll Opposition Platform's (STOP) Tony Viveiros.
“In 2011, DOT said they couldn't fix our roads and bridges because interest payments on all the transportation bonds were consuming too much of their funding. The General Assembly attempted to fix that funding problem by creating a savings account dedicated for infrastructure spending,” said Morgan
