Problem: The governor needs GOP votes to pass a gas tax hike for the roads.

Problem: Republicans are not falling all over themselves to do that, especially those state House members who face close reelection campaigns next year.

Solution: Let Michigan citizens vote to raise taxes.

Bingo.

Problems solved.

Now, take a deep breath, Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer. No one has endorsed the “let-the-voters-do-the-dirty-work” scenario, yet, but don’t kid yourself. There is backroom chatter about doing just that if all else fails and the governor and GOP can’t agree on new revenue.

Some of you might be saying, “This is downright outrageous. We pay them to make tough decisions,” and, “Where did they get this cockamamie idea, anyway?”

Well, turns out, those of you with a memory will recall that, in 1994, that Legislature and then-Gov. John Engler did just that, and it worked.

Together, they blew up the state property tax as the major source for funding schools. When the explosion came, they did not have a plan to pay for the schools when the property tax went bye-bye.

To be sure, they grappled with voting for new revenue, but, lawmakers being a timid lot when it comes to that, found an escape hatch to crawl into. Lawmakers would vote to put an income-tax hike on the ballot and a second proposal to raise the sales tax and, whichever one got the most votes would be the school funding source.

And, for those lawmakers who were afraid to do that on their own, they could honestly say to their folks back home, “I didn’t raise your taxes. You did.”

Fast-forward to the current back-and-forth between this governor and these Republicans.

Nobody is talking much about the deflection plan, but, when asked if the governor might go there, if necessary, she did not say no. She did not say yes. She did say, “We’ll see.”

When asked if he could back such a scheme, the GOP Senate leader did not say yes and he did not say no. He said, “Everything is on the table.”

You get where we’re going with this.

There is still lots of time for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and GOP House Speaker Lee Chatfield and Senate GOP head Mike Shirkey to work a deal with new revenue.

“I’m very encouraged by the talk we had with the governor today,” reported the Up North speaker after the trio met for an hour in her office to exchange ideas.

A host of revenue-raising options are in play, and, given time, it’s likely they will land on some.

But if they don’t?

Ms. Whtimer says the punting scheme is “abdicating the responsibility of the Legislature. That’s what they’re hired to do. That’s what the people of the state said: ‘Fix the damn roads.’ They didn’t say,’Go off and enjoy your summer and come back and force us to do the heavy lifting.'”

To which all of you are going, “Amen.”

But bet your booties somebody said the same thing back in 1994, and everyone ignored it.

Is history about to repeat itself?