Sales taxes and property taxes for roads

Since gas taxes and tolls aren't generating enough revenue for new government roads, Texas legislators are looking for creative ways of financing them with sales taxes and property taxes. The Texas Tribune reports on these "Transportation Reinvestment Zones." Uh oh.

Roads are a tough issue, since lots of people want more of them, but nobody really wants to pay for them.

It's a shame that Republicans and Democrats never talk about the possibility of competitive privately-owned roads. (Not privately-managed government toll roads!) In some situations, that could be pretty easy to arrange, and it would be a free-market solution to the demand for more roads.