Editorial—-Doug Young has a good, but unpopular idea

As our pothole-filled highways seem to buckle beneath us, is there a statesman out there who can lead us out of the predicament? We’re constantly told we live in a state so poor there is little, if any money, to do this or that. At what point does South Carolina begin to seriously catch up on the deteriorating condition of our roads and bridges?

We give credit to Doug Young who came out of the Oconee County Council audience to at least frame the question of whether to finally raise South Carolina’s gas tax—fourth lowest in the country. 

Others have given thought to the idea of diverting other funds for the upkeep of roads and bridges, but get nowhere. No one likes to pay more at the pump. But charging more to those who use the roads seems the fairest way.

Some of our roads remind us of what it most have been like to ride stagecoaches in the days of the Wild Old West. We’re tried of the rattle and the bumps that shake the fillings from our teeth.

That’s our view. What’s yours?