Consider this: America’s roads and bridges are crumbling, and the national transportation infrastructure requires investment and maintenance. And yet the US Congress shamefully continues to evade its responsibility to fund the Federal Highway Trust Fund and put it on a sound long-term basis, owing to disagreement over how to pay for it.
想想这一点：美国公路和桥梁破败不堪，全国交通基础设施需要投资和维护。但美国国会可耻地一直逃避为联邦高速公路信托基金（Federal Highway Trust Fund）提供资金并为它奠定可靠的长期基础的责任，原因就在于如何出资问题得不到解决。显而易见的方案——也是经济学家长期呼吁的方案——是提高美国汽油税。联邦汽油税自1993年以来一直维持在每加仑18.4美分，是发达国家中最低的。但在7月30日，国会只采取了为期三个月的临时措施，自2009年以来第35次回避此问题。