At the outset of the Iraq war, the Bush administration estimated that it would cost roughly $50 to $60 billion to oust Saddam Hussein and set that nation on the road to democracy. Five years later, the price tag is $600 billion and counting. As the economy sours, it becomes clear that one overlooked casualty of this war will be America's creaking infrastructure.
Free markets may be the only way to save the nation's roads and highways. They might even be the best way to save them. The Department of Transportation, under this Administration, has made no secret of its desire to lease highways to private companies, to use tolls and congestion pricing, to auction off fast access to those willing to pay and to otherwise let free markets drive transportation. Under this view, breaking up the government monopoly on transportation could lead to innovation and more choices for the public. Let those who use a resource pay for it, without burdening everyone else with the costs. Let the pain of price ease gridlock. It will reduce both fuel consumption and emissions. Heck, it might even drive down your insurance premiums.
This is a sunny scenario, of course. Private companies who own rights to a crucial artery have no incentive to maintain it. They could charge extortionist's tolls during peak hours. In short, they could become slum lords. The trucking industry is already up in arms over privatization. The poor will take it on the nose. And public transportation, which remains the best solution for reducing imported-fuel dependency, emissions, gridlock and highway death tolls, is left out of the equation. New rail and bus projects eligible for federal funding dropped from 48 in 2001 to 17 in 2007, even as ridership hit a 50 year high.
Regardless of who wins the White House, privatization seems to be the inexorable path. There is virtually no political will to raise the gas tax. And the war in Iraq, with its staggering costs, grinds on . . .
Sources: Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, Bloomberg, BBC
Photo: Payton Chung, licensed through Creative Commons
