The ODOT Fix Is In! (Again)
The words of liberal Oregon economist Joe Cortright "Its like hiring the fox to vet designs for the henhouse" are all you need to know about the latest backroom deal in Salem that will hurt the middle class and the poor in the pocketbook and likely give more opportunities for ODOT to continue to waste tax dollars.
So once again, "the fix is in"!
This is the ruling political class of both parties stacking the deck so they can legitimize the next massive tax increase that will surely lead to more ODOT boondoggles like the CRC and the Eddyville/Pioneer Mountain by pass projects.
Any bets on how this review by a longtime ODOT consultant is going to turn out? I can guarantee this consultant will not bite the hand that feeds it, so you can expect a report that will exonerate the people and processes that have led to some of the most colossal wastes of tax dollars ever! In any state!
The fact that the Governor's long time aide made the decision to have the Transportation Commission oversee the review rather than the auditing professionals at the Secretary of State only reinforces the bad taste this process leaves in your mouth.
Adding insult to injury, they chose the consultant that will cost us taxpayers an extra $100,000, rather than an out of state consultant who would likely be far more independent in their analysis of past ODOT projects.
This proves our point that ODOT has little capacity to spend our tax dollars wisely, so why should we give them more?
Yep, once again the ODOT fix is in! Oh Goody!