Five New Year’s Resolutions for Missouri Lawmakers
A version of this commentary appeared in the Columbia Tribune. Missouri is considered one of the most “conservative” of the 50...
Funding Roads by Miles Traveled—There’s an App for That
Yesterday’s post explored odometer reporting as an imperfect but straightforward way to replace fuel taxes with a funding mechanism that...
Don’t Repeat Mistakes from the 2009 Stimulus
Missouri has a rocky history when it comes to transparency and federal relief. A 2011 audit of how Missouri spent...
A Taxing Endeavor
Here’s some good news for those who think user fees are the best way to fund Missouri’s transportation needs. Several...
Can the Kansas City Streetcar Expansion Be Built Even If It Wins?
The Kansas City Star published a story the other day which examined the new budget proposal from the Trump administration....
Will Streetcar Funding Dry Up?
Slate, a left-leaning news site, considers the implications for transit of Trump’s naming of Elaine Chao to head the Department...
With Improving Economy, Missourians Hit the Road
A couple months ago, I wrote about the misconceptions concerning driving trends in Missouri. Specifically, there was no evidence that...
Lower Gas Prices Produces Higher Spendable Income for Missourians
I hope you enjoyed the extra (and unexpected) gift of lower gas prices this recent holiday season! According to GasBuddy.com,...
Policy Breakfast: Missouri Transportation Funding: Where Do We Go From Here?
Missouri voters recently defeated a sales tax initiative to fund transportation needs. Nonetheless, Missouri’s Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has to...
Light Rail Never Sleeps: The Saint Louis Edition
Recently, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that St. Louis Metro would receive a TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery)...
The Streetcars Strike Back
Despite their inefficiency and high cost, local planners are attempting to revive the streetcar system in Saint Louis based on...
South of the Border
Imagine that driving your pet to the veterinarian required a certified medical card, a detailed car maintenance log, and a...
Barrel Bob and Me
While representing the Show-Me Institute at the Missouri State Fair, I took some time to wander around the Missouri Department...
Whose Benefits? Whose Costs?
The Kansas City Star recently reported on Kansas City’s adoption of a long-range transportation plan to “emphasiz[e] energy conservation, environmental...
Saint Louis Streetcars Making a Comeback?
In the first half of the 20th century, Saint Louis boasted an extensive system of streetcars, which were slowly wiped...
“I Didn’t Break It, I Was Just Testing Its Durability”
I used the “Show Me: The Spending” web tool to determine how much money that government agencies in Missouri spent...
Government Agencies in Missouri Spent $3,866,129.40 on Recognition Awards Over the Last Decade
Trend of Spending on Recognition Awards by Government Agency (in 1,000s) The yellow line represents the Department of Transportation, which...
Penny for Your Thoughts
I’m suspicious when the government sends out arbitrary amounts of money to people in hopes of “stimulating” the economy. But...
Ridership Estimates? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Ridership Estimates
Instead of providing my own commentary in this post, I’m going to let the following quotes from various sources speak...
