What a nice “selfie” of Nikki Haley and Scott Walker, two happy young governors riding the bus, headed to the White House and a meeting with President Obama.

Smiling radiantly all the way.

These two have much in common, like higher office ambitions — and fealty to the right-wing branding of any public agenda.

They’re not shy about labor union bashing, either.

And as soon as Gov. Haley tweeted her scrapbook keeper, many responders declared the couple a presidential campaign “Dream Ticket.”

Wonder if they took a moment to talk about major challenges they’re facing back home?

Like roads and bridges.

Wisconsin has a problem. South Carolina has a crisis.

Last October, Walker was running for reelection. He appeared before the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board and talked about supplanting all or part of Wisconsin’s 33 cents per gallon fuel tax with a special road funding sales tax. Revenues would grow long term, the governor noted, but he then promised that dedicated road system funding increases would be offset with decreases in other state taxes.

Then in January, a reelected Gov. Walker seemed to forget his October creative thinking. He eschewed any adjustments to the user-based revenue system, and instead proposed borrowing $1.1 billion for highway improvements over the next two years. Walker is busily preparing for a presidential primary — and burnishing his “no new tax” credentials.

For the full article click the link below:

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150405/PC1002/150409612/1021/

Roads bill

(W)hile the plans coming from the House and Senate finance committees aren’t perfect, each is a significant improvement on the long-awaited plan that Gov. Haley unveiled in January that could reasonably be described as an effort to cut an extraordinary amount of state taxes while raising a relatively small amount for state roads. Gov. Haley acknowledged the need to increase the gas tax to improve state roads, but she married her plan with a whopping decrease in the state’s income tax.

An agreement to support an increase in the gas tax essentially was used as leverage by the governor to try to gain a reduction in the state income tax from the top rate of 7 percent to 5 percent over 10 years. If enacted into law, the governor’s plan would blow a hole in the state budget. …