{Cue overly dramatic music}

Da, da, dahhhhhhh.

...raising fees and taxes to make his dream a reality.

On the list of things Governor Snyder might have you pay more for:

• The Michigan Gasoline Tax.
  
• Registration fees for Motor Vehicles.
  
• Commercial Registration fees.
  
• Diesel Fuel Tax.

People may shrug at those last two. Truck taxes? "I don't pay that," you may tell yourself.

But unless you think that the people at corner grocery store and shopping center just wave a magic wand and stuff just appears, here's a hint: it doesn't.

Those products you pay for were shipped by truck.

You raise the cost for us to make a living, we raise the cost you pay at the checkout. It's a vicious cycle that the guv is hoping that you aren't aware of.

Right now, the guv is mum on exactly what taxes and fees actually might get jacked up because he hasn't released a final number yet. Well have to wait for later this month to find out.

But this begs the question (again), what is Rick Snyder's aversion to cutting wasteful spending?

There are already a number of boondoggles in the pipeline which clearly demonstrate that the money is actually there, it's just not being used very efficiently.

Some examples:

• The DRIC Project (AKA New Bridge to Canada, AKA why are we using taxpayer dollars to directly compete against a Michigan-based business who offered to pay the entire cost of a new bridge for significantly less). $2.2-billion in federal money? That can rebuild a lot of Michigan roads, governor.

• Woodward Light Rail Project. In a city that is hemorrhaging population at an astounding rate, we somehow "need" to spend $500-million on anther train to nowhere.

• Detroit-Chicago High speed rail. With a gleeful Sens. Stabenow & Levin looking on back in May when it was originally announced, the Michigan Legislature finalized the process by allocating matching funds for the project. The federal government will pony up $196-million for this project.

According to the back of the Papa John's box sitting right next to me here, that about $2.9-billion in cash right there alone.

Money that WE HAVE ALREADY PAID into the transportation system.

Choices, choices, choices.

So, do we use what we already have paid in and is apparently available?