Toll roads—just those two words bring out extreme reactions. Either you hate them or you think they're the panacea for all that ails transportation. The conflict dates from the birth of the nation, and since then, the proper roles of government and private enterprise have been debated ad nauseam. Through prudent historical compromises,
we have created a transportation system that is the envy of the world. In the new political world where compromise is a dirty word, I'm reminded of George Santayana's admonition that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.