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 McFarland
is a publisher of what it describes as "scholarly, reference
and academic books." Thus Thomas L. Karnes' work carries a weighty
title -- Asphalt and Politics: A History of the American Highway System
-- and a weighty cover price -- $35 - which, despite the volume's lack
of weight (the book is a 215-page, 6 x 9-inch paperback), can be extracted
from college students for what likely will be required reading for courses
in everything from American history and politics to transportation studies.
Like other McFarland
titles we've reviewed, even with Karnes' professorial record - he's a
retired history professor who taught at Tulane and Arizona State -- the
writing isn't so overly scholarly and academic, but rather clear, concise
and reader-friendly. And while his words are properly annotated and the
book well bibilographied, we'd suggest that it might have readership outside
the dorm room setting, especially with a title along the lines of "Political
Roadblocks" and a subtitle about how all the GPS systems in the world
aren't going to get us out of this state of congestion.
Karnes does an excellent
job of tracing the history of American road building. I especially appreciate
his explanation of the roles of the federal and state governments and
the intense debate - from the Founding Fathers forward -- over whether
it was constitutional for the federal government to be involved in the
building of roads.
Especially enlightening
is Karnes' research into the role the U.S. military would play in the
push for a national highway system, although that really wasn't accomplished
until the Interstate highway system was funded during the Eisenhower administration
in the aftermath of World War II.
Karnes writes of
the early efforts to establish even one improved road from coast to coast,
let alone a network of highways that form a grid work across the nation,
and that with the adoption of NAFTA - the North American Free Trade Act
- increasingly link our roads to those of Canada and Mexico and what that
means in terms of increased traffic.
Interesting, too,
the debate at the time over whether those Interstate highways should be
built through or should bypass major population areas. Eisenhower wanted
our roads, like those of the German autobahn, to flow around, not through,
metropolitan areas. Pork-barreling Congressmen had other ideas.
Karnes writes about
how we've now outdriven that network and yet "have no serious plan,
meaning a major national commitment" to finding - or funding - a
solution, but are turning to toll roads managed by overseas companies
as a stop gap.
And wait until you
read about how those tolls are set. Yikes!
There's a lot of
food for thought here - and if you're behind the wheel, Karnes says you're
going to have lots of time to sit there and digest it because nobody's
going anywhere very fast.
"If you are
a commuter, here is the author's recommendation," Karnes writes:
"get the best hybrid you can afford, an attractive traveling companion,
top notch air conditioning, and a radio. Then learn to relax. From now
on you will spend your vacation driving to work."
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