Blame Governor Bob McDonnell for the state of Virginia’s deplorable roads. OK.

If you look at the Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, you will see “Survey of the state’s ASCE members conducted in September 2008″
Who was governor in September 2008?

Yes, we should post a sign at all the entrances to the Commonwealth. Welcome to Virginia: the deplorable roads brought to you by years of neglect by the democratic governors and democratic party of Virginia.

Do not believe everything that kos says either, research it.

Hint, Welcome to Virginia, home of 143 high hazard dams.

* 26% of Virginia’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.
* There are 143 high hazard dams in Virginia. A high hazard dam is defined as a dam whose failure would cause a loss of life and significant property damage.
* 125 of Virginia’s 1,678 dams are in need of rehabilitation to meet applicable state dam safety standards.
* 15% of high hazard dams in Virginia have no emergency action plan (EAP). An EAP is a predetermined plan of action to be taken including roles, responsibilities and procedures for surveillance, notification and evacuation to reduce the potential for loss of life and property damage in an area affected by a failure or mis-operation of a dam.
* Virginia’s drinking water infrastructure needs an investment of $2.87 billion over the next 20 years.
* Virginia ranked 29th in the quantity of hazardous waste produced and 20th in the total number of hazardous waste producers.
* Virginia’s ports handled 60 million tons of waterborne traffic in 2005, ranking it 17th in the nation.
* Virginia reported an unmet need of $1 million for its state public outdoor recreation facilities and parkland acquisition.
* 23% of Virginia’s roads are in poor or mediocre condition.
* 33% of Virginia’s major urban highways are congested.
* Vehicle travel on Virginia’s highways increased by 36% from 1990 to 2007.
* Virginia has $4.74 billion in wastewater infrastructure needs.

http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/state-page/virginia

VIRGINA: Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) opposes the funding, while almost one-quarter of Virginia’s roads and bridges are in poor condition and there are 143 high hazard dams.

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/09/09/infrastructure-states/

Several Republican lawmakers are trying to claim that Obama’s $50 billion plan to invest in infrastructure is too expensive, at the same time that they’re pushing for an $830 billion tax cut for the richest two percent of Americans. If these lawmakers succeed in blocking the investment, they’ll definitively prove their deficit peacockery, while also perpetuating an ongoing neglect of the country’s infrastructure, which is rapidly deteriorating.

According to the Army Corps of Engineers, it would take a $2.2 trillion investment to get America’s infrastructure into good condition, including $930 billion for roads and bridges and another $160 billion for schools. Here is the situation in some of the states where lawmakers have been resistant to Obama’s plan:

Think Progress details seven states in which GOP opposition to the infrastructure plan would rob their home state of much-needed improvements, proving yet again that Republicans really do like cutting off their nose to spite their face.

http://www.dailykos.com/main/2

Have you actually driven on a third world road?

We have seen what that attitude has done to our crumbling transportation system, and it appears that your view of general services of government is the same. As you say above…”It shouldn’t be hard to cut spending $60M and make this a clean get-the-government-out-of-the-liquor-business proposal.”

So fire police officers, teachers, social workers, and court service personnel to make up the $60,000,000 shortfall. No problem. We have created third world conditions in transportation, why not in general services as well?

So next time your child’s school building leaks, we’ll just post a sign; brought to you by the Governor’s tax cuts. Can we fit that on a bumper sticker?

I agree that 2.5% is lower than 5%, but the optimal is still zero.