Why Obama’s new transportation plan is pointless, in 16 tweets

Sigh, so I know as a transportation wonk I'm supposed to read this new 300 page DOT study "Beyond Traffic" http://t.co/lE3EVeudnj

— Ben Adler (@badler) February 10, 2015

… But I'm not gonna read it, or any more Obama admin reports on how to reinvent transportation spending. What's the point? …

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— Ben Adler (@badler) February 10, 2015

… Just glancing at the DOT illustrates that none of what it proposes can be done without a new funding mechanism. e.g. from p 252…

— Ben Adler (@badler) February 10, 2015

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… excuse me, p 245 re Amtrak… there is no dearth of reports on how the feds shd spend hundreds of billions they don't have on transpo

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— Ben Adler (@badler) February 10, 2015

…I've already written up some of those proposals, and explained how irrelevant they are without an increase in the gas tax to pay for it..

— Ben Adler (@badler) February 10, 2015

…rather than revisiting every new hopeless transpo proposal, you can just reread my piece on Obama's from last year http://t.co/LcwDGFtf12

— Ben Adler (@badler) February 10, 2015

… just last week I noted that the gas tax cannot be raised this year because the Koch bros http://t.co/yqgpDOZpFi

— Ben Adler (@badler) February 10, 2015

Obama & congressional Dems really blew their opp to raise revenues and pass a transpo bill in 09-10. they didn't even try…

— Ben Adler (@badler) February 10, 2015

… and now they wanna waste my time with 300 page reports that they know will lead to nothing? I have better things to do….

— Ben Adler (@badler) February 10, 2015

… like whining about how my Amtrak has been at least an hour late the last 3x I've gone to DC or about how the cars on my subway line…

— Ben Adler (@badler) February 10, 2015

… are from the 1960s and still aren't being replaced: http://t.co/4aWbqZuFLJ

— Ben Adler (@badler) February 10, 2015

our lack of transportation infrastructure investment actually tangibly affects all our lives and drags down our economy. But in fairness…

— Ben Adler (@badler) February 10, 2015

… to Obama the problem isn't with pols, it's w ppl. Everyone wants transpo $ spent in their community, no one wants to pay for it…

— Ben Adler (@badler) February 10, 2015

… gas tax increase polls terribly, which is why Obama has always been afraid to propose it. He'd sign it, of course, and repubs wouldnt…

— Ben Adler (@badler) February 10, 2015

… because they're craven animals whereas he is just a coward. Either way, I'm tired of covering it. Wake me up when a bridge collapses…

— Ben Adler (@badler) February 10, 2015

… and then maybe the politics of the issue will change

— Ben Adler (@badler) February 10, 2015