Americans drove three trillion miles in 2010, the most since 2007 and the third-highest ever recorded, according to The Department of Transportation. Americans had cut back on their driving until recently because of the recession and high gas prices in 2008.
“With an increase of 11.1 percent, or 156 million additional miles traveled, Nebraska led the nation with the largest single-state increase that month, and rural driving outpaced urban driving across the country,” the Department said. The agency has no reason why Nebraska drivers moved back behind the wheels of their cars. Rural driving apparently grew at a greater rate than urban driving. Of course, cities have more public transportation, and farmers can only stay alone with their crops for so long.
The Department of Transportation used the new data to push an unrelated agenda. It wants the country’s highways and bridges repaired. Apparently a modest increase in car and light vehicles use makes this more important. The Department had no explanation why that is the case.
The deficit reduction plan that is likely to be passed early this year will rob federal government departments of most of the money that they have for pet projects. The number of cabinet secretaries who will lobby for their budgets will grow. NASA will say it is important to put Americans on Mars. The Defense Department will claim it needs to be able to fight two wars in different parts of the world. The “two war” theory will resonate with Congress and voters more than the Mars miss.
–Douglass McIntyre
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