by Jane Gilgun

Created on: August 12, 2007   Last Updated: June 15, 2008

Rebuilding older bridges and a tax on gasoline are two different things. We have to rebuild older bridges, but we don't need a gasoline tax to do it. A gasoline tax would overburden the middle class and working poor.

What we need is a fair tax system. The middle class and working poor need tax relief and tax rebates. So many are struggling to pay their bills. With the price of gas skyrocketing, it makes no sense to make working people pay more.

The super wealthy in the United States are not paying their fair share in taxes. The Bush tax breaks have made the super wealthy even more wealthy and have overtaxes the middle class and working poor. If we change our tax laws so that the very wealthy pay the same percentage of their income as do working people, then we will have enough money to rebuild bridges without raising taxes on gasoline.

Many bridges in the US are unsafe. Almost every day another bridge is closed for safety reasons. In May, a bridge between Minnesota and Wisconsin had to be closed for safety reasons. People had to drive more than one hundred miles extra to get to where they want to go. The governments created a ferry and bus system to take care of some of the problem, but the fix is to rebuild the bridge.

With a progressive tax system where the very wealthy pay their fair share, we will have enough money to rebuild bridges and for many other public works, like roads, education, and caring for the sick. A tax on gas must be off the table.

We have to be serious about rebuilding bridges. In an ironic turn, The Winona Bridge in Minnesota is on the newest U.S. postage stamp. It is a beautiful stamp, showing the high bridge at sunset, with the broad and wandering Mississippi River flowing underneath, and the landscape in silhouette. The stamp honors Minnesota's 150th anniversary. Eighteen days after the U.S. Postal Service unveiled the stamp, inspectors closed the bridge because of rust and corrosion.

We live in the United States of America. Citizens have great pride in how well our country runs. The state of disrepair of America's bridges require immediate attention. The money should not come from people who already are paying far too much in taxes and have trouble paying their bills. A gasoline tax would hurt hard-working people and let those who are richer than ever off the hook. This is not the American way. The American way is fairness and paying your fair share.

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