If you have an atlas handy (and I know many of you carry one to classes with you), pull it out and observe with me one of the largest travesties of highways in America. Take a gander at the map of the country.
As you look at highways and interstates that lace the American frontier, note how much green road you see. Typically, interstates are denoted by blue lines, state highways by yellow and toll roads by green.
If you did have an atlas with you, you would probably notice immediately that the Oklahoman landscape is riddled with green lines.
I always thought Oklahoma was a decent place to live, but I could never stomach the fact that it is impossible to get from Point A to Point B in Oklahoma without paying some sort of toll fee.
Consider the Turner Turnpike. Here is a stretch of interstate, roughly 100 miles, joining Oklahoma City to Tulsa.
This toll road, I am told, has been paid for three times over, yet they continue to charge us $3 per car every time we drive it.
I almost feel sorry for Tulsa. Here's a city that is just pleading to grow and become a great place to live, but almost every highway that goes into or out of it is a toll road.
Tulsa is the hub of four major turnpikes — Cimarron, Turner, Will Rogers and Muskogee. In fact, highway 75 is the only highway in and out of Tulsa that does not collect a fee. I wonder if the legislators in Oklahoma City are trying to kill Tulsa.
Seriously, what causes city growth? The attraction of industry. Which industry wants to be located in a city surrounded by toll roads? Every time they ship something, they would need to account for toll fees as well. That affects prices, making it more difficult for their product to compete in the market.
Yes, toll roads could choke Tulsa to death. And Oklahoma is probably the only state where you'll find a toll road linking the two largest cities.
Look at Missouri. There's no toll road linking St. Louis and Kansas City.
What about Colorado? There's no toll road linking Denver and Colorado Springs, and the scenery on that stretch of road is much more interesting that the road connecting Tulsa and OKC. This list goes on and on.
I sometimes wonder which idiot in Oklahoma's left-controlled legislature is responsible for the continuance of many of our toll roads.
I imagine that they justify the toll roads by saying, "We need that money for the upkeep of our roads." Horse-hockey!
If that was the truth, Oklahoma would have the best roads in the nation. Our roads are mediocre at best. Believe me, I've traveled far and wide.
Oklahoma's roads are not superior by any stretch of the imagination. I would bet that that money is going to pad someone's wallet or fill someone's pork barrel, and I ain't talking about Frank Keating, if you know what I mean.
Last year, the state legislature bragged about having a surplus in revenue. In plain English, they were basically bragging about how they taxed us more than necessary to run the state.
Now, instead of laughing all the way to the bank, the big boys in the Oklahoma legislature should be figuring out a way to return that unneeded money.
They can either do it by giving us a major tax break or doing away with one or all of the toll roads in this state. I like both options.
How does this sound? Maybe they could stop taxing us for groceries. Texas doesn't tax people for groceries.
Here in Oklahoma, we're getting taxed over 8 percent for necessities like bread, milk and so forth. Something needs to be done.
I know a lot of people tolerate the exorbitant taxation, but I imagine they get sick of it. I do.
Oklahoma's a great place to be, but I don't think I should be taxed to death to enjoy living here. I know a lot of places that are equally enjoyable places to live that don't tax people to death or fill the state with pointless toll roads.
Hey, let's all write letters to our legislators and let them know what's up.
Either they do away with the toll roads, or we vote them out next election.
It's just that simple.