Roads need a long-term fix

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of commentaries regarding Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s State of the State Address.
Tuesday night was full of speeches.
Some of what President Barack Obama and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said in their respective addresses was encouraging. Some, not so much.
But words are just words. And regardless of what either of them said, it will be their actions that decide how they will be remembered (in Obama’s case) and if they will be re-elected (in Pence’s).
Over the next few days, let’s set aside Obama’s plans for his final year in office and examine three of the ideas Pence set forward for 2016.
•“I think when you have money in the bank and the best credit rating in America, the last place you should look to pay for roads and bridges is the wallets and pocketbooks of hardworking Hoosiers.”
Pence is right, and wrong.
When there is money in the bank, perhaps more than needs to be, it does make sense to use some of it to provide an influx of funding for roads, bridges and other infrastructure. Providing an additional billion dollars over the course of the next four years for such projects sounds great.
But if we do only what the governor is suggesting, the same problem will be back again four years from now. We need both a short-term boost and a long-term fix.
The simplest solution seems to be to increase the gas tax, which has been stagnant since 2002, and then index it to the inflation rate in order to keep a constant stream of money flowing in to support infrastructure projects. Other options include more toll roads or increased user fees to be paid when license plates are renewed.
Regardless of the method, we need to solve this problem not just for now, but for the long run. — R.C.
On Saturday: Teachers should get some help.