This is a widely believed factoid on the internets but is not supported by the numbers. Roads have always been a relatively small percentage of government spend

This is a widely believed factoid on the internets but is not supported by the numbers. Roads have always been a relatively small percentage of government spending and has been going down over time. The big ticket items for local & state governments are criminal justice, education, health, and in many areas pensions for retirees. This site has a good graph half way down showing the relative growth in spending by area: https://www.urban.org/policy-centers/cross-center-initiatives/state-and-local-finance-initiative/state-and-local-backgrounders/highway-and-road-expenditures#:~:text=In%202020%2C%20state%20and%20local%20motor%20fuel%20tax%20revenue%20(%24,billion)%20provided%20another%2011%20percent https://www.urban.org/policy-centers/cross-center-initiative....