Would You Pay?

At first it sounds like a crazy idea. Taking away government ownership of roadways. That's until you take a ride along some of America's worst roads with John Stossel in a 20/20 report. Stossel investigates the government's stimulus plan for the country's highways. There is supposed to be money going to fix roads that are in poor condition and build new ones. However, it may not be enough to give some American commuters the relief they are looking for, Stossel explains. The story starts off with an excellent look inside the car of one of the those commuters, Joseph Wu of Atlanta. We hear the frustration of Wu as he heads to work on a typical morning along his hour and fifteen minute drive. Then Stossel rides along with a driver in Los Angeles that is able to floss while he drives to work in the morning because his drive is so slow.

Stossel then shows us the solution. In France and in some parts of America, there are private roads that drivers pay extra for that have far less congestion and are in better condition. Some communities in America have embraced the concept, like in Indiana and parts of California. It seems like a good solution. But Stossel then shows us the conflict. Many Americans are just not prepared to let companies make a profit out of roads. Stossel shows us protesters and newspaper articles in communities where the concept has failed. This is why the idea hasn't advanced far beyond the few communities it already exists in.

Stossel includes a great stand-up from the driver's seat of a car to transition from his introduction of the private roads concept to the reaction of the idea from politicians and some protesters. There is also plenty of nats sound of traffic, which is essential for this piece. There are interviews with both politicians who are opposed and support the idea to get a juxtaposition of viewpoints. Near the end of the story, Stossel provides some helpful hard facts about government road construction problems. He points out that the "Big Dig" in Boston took 10 years to complete and was two times over budget. Part of the construction material in that project collapsed and killed a woman. It's an effective way to close in addition to another stand-up that Stossel includes while driving to wrap it up.

My reporting continues to be slow this week as I await my editing test out at KOMU. That will be Friday. After that, I will get to work on my VO patrols and reporting shifts. I am already thinking about ideas for stories to do for KOMU and feel like I am prepared to get started. I think I will come in with lots of great ideas and should have some pretty good stories.