This just in from Con. Myrick’s office:
Dear Sen Basnight and Speaker Black,
I have received your letter addressed to the North Carolina Delegation asking for our assistance regarding your recent gas tax increase.
The Highway Trust Fund was set up under former Gov. Jim Martin. He had the wisdom to set aside the gasoline tax money out of the reach of the spend-happy General Assembly. In other words, he assured the citizens of North Carolina that if they must pay a gas tax, that tax will go to what was promised. . . .building and maintaining roads.
Yet, under your watch, the General Assembly raided the Trust Fund, took monies promised for roads, and spent it on personal pork projects to help build personal fiefdoms of power.
Following is a summary of how much money you have taken from the Highway Trust Fund per year:
2005 $82 million
2004 $82 million
2003 $207 million
2002 $81 million
2001 $82 million
The results of your actions have caused North Carolina’s roads to be under funded in the amount of $534 million over the last five years.
If you had not spent this money, as Gov. Martin intended, you would not have felt you needed to raise gas taxes on the people of North Carolina.
The first step in recovery is to acknowledge you have a problem. Your actions are the problem. I reject your efforts to deflect this problem to the federal government; thus trying to further tax the people.
Sincerely,
Con. Sue Myrick
