Because we’ve benefited so much from the Big Dig

From the Boston Globe: “Patrick opposes Pike toll removal”

Patrick, who previously said he would support removing the tolls if the state could afford it, said yesterday that recent financial briefings have convinced him that the turnpike cannot be maintained properly without the $114 million in revenue generated by tolls from Route 128 west to Springfield. Tolls from Springfield to the New York border were removed in 1996.

That was during the election, this is now.

The tolls were supposed to be eliminated when the bonds floated to build the highway were paid off, but new bonds were issued to help pay for upgrades to the highway and to pay for the escalating costs of the Big Dig.

Oh, people in Western Massachusetts love saving ten minutes off their yearly commute to Logan airport. And there's the lesson for you: always oppose "temporary" tax increases. Without fail, the government will discover it can't afford the revenue loss.