Re: Making ALL Roads Into TOLL Roads

kashe_at_sonic.net
Date: 12/03/04 

Date: Fri, 03 Dec 2004 12:35:53 GMT

On 30 Nov 2004 09:56:27 -0800, chrisvillar@hotmail.com (Chris) wrote:

>> >>
>> >>> I think it's finally time to impose the Green's darling tax, the 50
>> >>> cent a gallon gas tax. Its becoming absolutely necessary. Roads have
>> >>> to be built - new roads, not just adding lanes to old roads. We need
>> >>> that money to prepare for the future.
>> >>
>> >> That would be acceptable only if the money raised was actually used to
>> >> build roads, not to fund ->anything else.
>> >
>> > Not even road maintenance? Interesting.
>>
>> Well, I guess the term "build" can be confusing to some, so I'll
>> explicitly include maintenance, just for you.
>>
>
>I'd be all for this. The portion of our income taxes and sales taxes
>that go toward building roads should be eliminated and replaced with a
>gas tax. A consumption tax would be a win-win situation for
>everybody. The public will immediately start to seek ways to save
>fuel: drive less, carpool, demand more efficient vehicles, design
>communities around people and not cars. This reduces our dependence
>on foreign oil and makes the greens happy. Truckers will have to foot
>the bill of their road usage directly, making transporing things by
>road cost more. This is bad for the truckers but levels the playing
>field for the railroads, would increase highway safety, and is more
>economical on the whole.

        Truckers should be paying more than normal drivers anyway. The
great expense in freeway building is due mainly to making them
substantial enough to support tractors and trailers, not to carry
autos.

> Freight railroads already handle and pay for
>most of their own maintenance and track construction out of their own
>pocket giving trucks an unfair advantage.
>
>Rail is MUCH more fuel efficient and manpower efficient per ton-mile
>than trucks. One train with a crew of 3, 100 fully loaded freight
>cars, and 8000 hp is the same as 200 drivers hauling 200 fully loaded
>trucks with a combined hp somewhere around 60,000 hp. Which would you
>guess is more fuel efficient: 200 x 300 hp deisel engines or 2 x 4000
>hp deisel engines?
>
>The cost to transport goods will inevitably go up. However, if it is
>balanced with decreases in income tax on the manufacturers workers and
>decrease in sales tax, the total cost of goods need not rise.

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