January 21, 2005

            Political conservatives have the reputation for being frugal and careful with how public money is spent, but I have yet to see any real evidence of that within the confines of the Wyoming Legislature.

            Consider the front-page issue of dramatically expanding the network of 4-lane highways in Wyoming. I suspect there is widespread public support for doing just that, with the safety aspect being a prime motivator, fine and dandy.

            What gets me is that there is absolutely no interest emanating from the legislative branch in ensuring the vast amounts of current and proposed highway funds are being spent efficiently and conservatively, there is a lot of room for improvement.

            The state Department of Transportation also has the power to call for better monitoring of building contracts, but they are not elected officials and so the accountability factor is less.

            My opinion is based on a variety of sources, but it all comes down to the fact that we are wasting a lot of money with the way our roads are built. Where are the real conservatives?

            The highway department hires and trains employees to oversee and inspect the work done by private contractors who have won a bid to build a road section. I have contacts that have worked as inspectors, and contacts that have worked within the contracting crews, and they both say the same thing…the public is getting the shaft.