Gov. Jim Doyle wants President-Elect Barack Obama to send $97 million Wisconsin’s way to speed up expansion of North-South I-94.
Obama has promised to push green jobs with any stimulus package Congress approves — Doyle’s request for highway money is not — absolutely not — a green jobs promoter. The freeway expansion project will destroy wetlands and increase flooding. It will increase air pollution. It will increase the risk of asthma and other diseases, especially for kids. It will cost $1.9 billion (although it is very strange that the price of the proposed Milwaukee-Madison rail line has increased 25% to 50% over two years and the price of the I-94 project has not budged) and not do much at all to improve the employment situation in the city. In the long run, in fact, it will further divide jobs from workers, and leave many workers with no way to get to their jobs. And it will not reduce congestion.
So how green is Obama? If he approves this boondoggle, not very green at all.
This I-94 expansion is bad news, but you overlooked some of lesser known ill effects: it is inherently racist, will kill puppies and fan the flames of Muslim extremism.
We need more freeways and less wetlands. My car can’t drive in wetlands.
Besides all that wet lands causes mosquitos which bite the little children causing welts, and other diseases.
The sooner we rid ourselves of this menace the better.
Less green more pavement I say!