Bruce Smith, writing for the Indy Star, has an article entitled ‘Major Moves’ endorsed.
Rep. Jerry Torr, R-Carmel, said the investors “will give us a check for $3.85 billion, and we don’t give them anything back. This is like the state has a big ‘easy’ button.”
I’m a little disturbed that Rep. Torr thinks of policy choices in terms of Staples advertisements, but for legislators in Central and Southern Indiana thinking purely in terms of their regions’ self-interest, he’s right. This is an easy decision. The lion’s share of taxes for this $3.85 billion will be paid by motorists in northern Indiana. Residents of central and southern Indiana will pay almost nothing. In exchange, they’ll get road money for their districts. It’s a bad policy choice for Indiana generally and Northern Indiana specifically, but in terms of regional self-interest, it’s something for nothing for citizens of central and southern Indiana. What they have to watch out for, of course, is the time when residents of other parts of the state see an opportunity to exploit the resources of their part of the state.
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