Abele’s leadership

Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele is providing realistic leadership in facing the real cost of crumbling bridges and roads. Research shows that Milwaukee drivers spend between $1,000 to $2,000 per driver, annually, because of bumpy, unsafe roads and frequent traffic jams.

This data includes wasted fuel and wasted time on the road. This amounts to a hidden tax that all drivers pay every year, as long as our roads and bridges remain in poor condition. If the roads are never fixed, we all continue to pay this hidden tax.

Tiny income tax refunds from the state do not begin to make up for these hidden costs. Our leaders at the state level cannot seem to make up their minds. They are philosophically opposed to raising taxes. They don’t want to admit that taxes spent on rebuilding our transportation infrastructure create real jobs.

Then there’s the 35% multiplier effect: for every $1 million invested in real jobs statewide, $350,000 can be added, as that real money circulates through local economies. Think about it: $1 billion invested in Wisconsin jobs also would generate $350 million of economic activity.

The hard-working families of Wisconsin, of all colors and races, gladly would pay these taxes and welcome this investment in themselves.

Charles Trimberger Whitefish Bay