Making it dramatically more expensive to drive (and conduct) business in America

The administration’s newest scheme to slow the recovery and, just coincidentally I’m sure, to put monitoring ankle bracelets on all citizens:  Make all possible roads toll roads, and mandate that drivers have toll reading devices on their cars (which are, after all, tracking devices):

The White House last week began circulating its legislative proposal for transportation reauthorization that included provisions to add toll booths to existing freeways and impose a tax for every mile driven. The “Transportation Opportunities Act” for the first time gave the Obama administration’s full approval to the concept of an added charge on drivers for the use of roads throughout the country, including on existing, untolled freeways in major metropolitan areas.

“This section [2217] amends existing law to include two new options that provide more flexibility to finance new construction or capacity, and manage congestion, through the imposition of tolls,” states the proposal’s official summary. “The first option focuses on metropolitan congestion reduction and permits state and local governments to impose tolls on existing interstate and non-interstate facilities for the purposes of improving or reducing congestion in metropolitan areas with populations over one million people. Under this option, tolls may be imposed on specific lanes, whole facilities, or a network of facilities within the metropolitan area.”

The plan would require that commuters be charged higher rates during peak morning and evening periods and that the revenue generated be used for capital improvement projects near the toll facility. A second “interstate system improvement” plan would allow tolling in smaller areas so long as the project included new capacity. Electronic transponders would be required for toll collection on the new lanes.

I actually have a toll device on my car for the Bay Area Bridges — but I put it there voluntarily, because of the convenience factor.  It was a CHOICE, a concept that seems remarkably alien to this administration.