Michigan Drivers Could Pay More at the Secretary of State + Gas Pump to Fund Road Repairs

Michigan seems to have the worst roads in the country and we may have a solution to fix things.  The repairs to our horrible roads may cause Michigan drivers to pay more at the Secretary of State office and gas pump.  This seems like it would work.

Republican state Rep. Wayne Schmidt of Traverse City propose the increase in registration for cars and fuel tax.  Schmidt believe the increase could help pay for much needed road repairs.  Governor Snyder proposed a similar bill but it would require drivers to pay more than Schmidt's plan.

Schmidt believe we should increase registration by 20% instead of Snyder's 60%.  Both plans would put people to work and help attack the looming repair price if we sit back and do nothing.  Schmidt believes both Democrats and Republicans are not taking this plan serious enough.  Partisan fighting is not encouraged during this bill process by Traverse City Representative.

Naysayers of Schmidt believe his plan would burden drivers with fuel efficient cars.  According to MLive, Ann Arbor resident James Walker said,

"Registration fees are not proportional to road usage and unfairly burden many older vehicle owners who drive very few miles a year," he said. "…Registration fees are also not proportional to fuel economy, so they contain absolutely no incentive to purchase more fuel efficient vehicles to reduce our overall need for oil and other fossil fuels."

I would need more information on the bills proposed to help fix our roads but from what I know, I'm down with paying more up front.  Our roads are really bad and repairs are long over due.  I hope partisan fighting doesn't push this back too far down the list of things to do.

POLL