Unfortunately, trust funds are all too often used as piggy banks to "close the unforseen shortfall in the general fund". Maybe not a totally bad idea but, for some strange reason, that money never gets repaid.

Then there is the issue of urban vs. rural. Political logic, at the state level, gives projects in urban areas a higher priority than an equal or more serious problem in a rural area. While it less visible across the country, from my vantage point, overlooking the D.C. metro area, I am continually aware that, at the federal level, congress will skew the distribution of large portions of funds based on political clout. During his tenure in office, Senator Byrd of West Virginia, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, steered vast amounts of highway (among other things) money into the state.

And, let us not forget auto vs. mass transit; the idea that mass transit will alleviate auto traffic offsetting the need for repairs or improvements. As a traffic engineer once pronounced, increased access from a suburb to an economic center will, in the not long term, not improve traffic flow, but simply encourage more people to move to that suburb.

As for volunteerism, that will be a non-starter. You will hear the cry, nay scream of pain, that wage earners are being displaced.