We hear that the gas tax is going to be lowered by an, wait for it, one entire penny. Of course, given "Biden-flation" the cost of living has skyrocketed and there is no real end in sight.

One of the things we hear often in the Garden State is, "I don't mind paying taxes if I'm getting something for it."

Given the sad state of affairs with our education system, fewer and fewer families are saying this these days.

Same issue with transportation. I remember being on opposite sides of the issue with my friends in the trade unions who were hoping that the monies collected from the new tax would immediately be pushed into projects necessary to create safer, more accessible, and more convenient road systems.

driving car on highway, close up of hands on steering wheel
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As we know, that was far from the case.

My friend Florham Park Mayor Mark Taylor called in to talk about trying to get the federal government to help alleviate the traffic problems created by the antiquated design mentioned by several callers where drivers on Route 24 exit in the center lane to 287.

As Mark explained, this was a design for 20,000 cars a day proposed in the 1950s.

Unfortunately, the roadway wasn't finished until the 1990s and has to handle 70,000 cars a day. I asked him about the DOT and the gas tax, but as we already know, unless you're connected to the majority party, no one is going to help local towns and commuters.

Some of what we heard on the show is related to poor engineering, a failure to upgrade and improve to accommodate a massive increase in traffic, and ongoing and seemingly never-ending construction.

Much of what we know is that when administration leaders are hired based on criteria unrelated to the job description, like diversity or political connections and/or the amount of money donated, things stall and taxpayers and commuters bear the brunt.

It's been called the "corruption tax" for decades.

Your government spends exponentially more of your money and you get less and less in return.

It's time to restore common sense to NJ. Let's start by evaluating every road project from the perspective of local leaders, commuters, and truckers. Then let's cut the Trenton bureaucracy and the billions in unnecessary subsidies, like Rutgers, and fix our roads.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own. Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015.

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