Ducey: Roads are a special interest

by David Safier

The Goldwater Institute thinks when construction workers are paid to build and maintain roads, they're getting government money for nothing. Roads? Who needs 'em? Strengthened bridges? What are the chance you'll be on that bridge when it collapses?

Doug Ducey, who is heading the push against Prop 204, the renewal of the one cent sales tax for education, agrees with G.I. He's apoplectic that some of the money is going to "special interest projects such as road construction. Is there any reason that contractors should be considered a 'special class' of citizen?"

About 10 percent of the funds generated by the one cent sales tax are earmarked for road related projects. Ducey, G.I., et al, are using that as their main argument against Prop 204 by portraying that as a payoff to special interests. I've got an idea. Why don't Ducey, the good six-figure-income folks at G.I., their legislative friends and other bigwigs who oppose Prop. 204 put on their hard hats, get out their shovels, fill their pickups with asphalt and fix those roads? That sure would be cheaper than paying all those special interest construction folks to do it.