Editor, Commonwealth:
I recently attended a program that had Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves as guest speaker. The main topic was economic growth and his platform to do and support anything that will boost and help revitalize Mississippi’s economy.
I asked him what it would take to totally put Mississippi on the radar that we are truly open for business. Would a world-class infrastructure road-and-bridge “Marshall Plan” work to make that happen? He did not even look at me and respond.
I am not the type of person who is in favor of new taxes, but when it comes to making America’s roads and bridges the best in the world, I get a bit open to the idea of an increase in the national gasoline tax to make something of this magnitude happen.
I would like to see the federal fuel tax raised a couple of cents per year over a 15-year span, and every cent of it disbursed ONLY for road and bridge construction and improvement.
America saw a boom as the interstate highway system was implemented after World War II. In my opinion, that project was the catalyst for most of the economic boom after WWII.
Now is the time to pay to fix what we have and to build for the future. Most travelers can now see how behind the curve our once world-class interstate system has become, deteriorating and getting slower and way overcrowded.
Someone someday will have to step up to the plate and make a bold move, no matter how painful it may be politically. The decision will be a rough one, but our roads and economy will be on a way smoother path to economic growth.
Johnny Jennings
Greenwood
