LETTERS: STILL WAITING ON PROP A ROAD WORK

To the editor:

On May 20 the newspaper printed an Associated Press story about the Transportation Advisory Committee report.

The hallmark of the story was from the current Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission chairman in which he said in part, "The report had the support of the majority of the commission members." That quote is inaccurate.

In fact, six members voted for the recommendations. Four members voted against. And five members did not vote. Six is not a majority of 15.

It is my hope that the Southeast Missourian would carefully investigate the Transportation Advisory Committee's report as well as what has been going on for the last seven years with the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission.

The issue in Missouri should not be a political one. For seven years, many of the decisions with respect to the allocation of funds have moved away from commitment, promise and need and toward politics, i.e., the money goes where the votes are in the year 2000.

Proposition A, which constitutes a binding promise by the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission, is no longer even mentioned. How many Proposition A projects remain undone today? This paper should insist on an answer as well as on a timetable for the completion of those projects.

What is needed now is what has always been needed and what the people of Missouri have traditionally demanded, to wit, the removal of politics from road-building decisions.

Perhaps this newspaper, looking at the Proposition A problem, might try to call this to the state's attention.

JOHN L. OLIVER JR.

Oliver, Oliver & Waltz

Cape Girardeau