[#ditto]
[quote]
QUOTE: Originally posted by CG9602
I have an idea: Since these conservatives are all in favor of privatization, let’s have them put the money where the mouth is. I suggest we privatize every last inch of the Interstates & Federal highways - every last inch!! get rid of the Gas Tax, and get rid of the Highway trust fund. All users would have to do is pay a toll (or, if you like, pay “rent,” or a “one time user fee”) to use the stretch of highway in question. Every inch of the highway would be required to turn a profit, or else be turned into nature preserve. The tolls would be paid for on an out-of-pocket basis. Would any members of the forum care to guess as to how much the tolls would be? After all, you can bet that the road owners would want to charge as much as the market will bear, and not just cover their costs.
Same with the airlines. If someone in your city wants air service, then let him or her build their own airport, and charge a user fee. Each airline would have to purchase ownership of a particular airport if the airline wanted to fly there. All airports will be private airports - no municipal ownership of airports allowed! Get rid of the Airline trust fund, and completely privatize every single last inch of the Air Traffic Control system. Same with the TSA nonsense - let the users pay the fully allocated cost of operation. Guess how much it would cost to fly around then? I’d be willing to bet that a train trip would look like a bargain in comparison.
As long as we are talking of having all forms of transport be self-sufficient, I say we get serious and eliminate the policies and practices that have stacked the deck against rail and towards other modes of transport. After all, the Federal government’s role is merely to regulate interstate commerce, not rig the system in favor of certain modes over others.
Oh, yeah. While I’m on the topic, let’s make certain that all barges must pay the full cost of those lo
well… i don’t know what to say…
He’s the president, and was voted so.
…BRF: I’ve been wondering the same thing…My problem tonight is we have a Pacer ball game I must keep close watch on too…So, if you hear a few words uttered on the subject tonight by the Prez…please note it on here so those of us that might miss it might pick up on it…
You’re confusing conservatism with libertarianism. And there are libertarians and such that do want to do just that.
To everyone out there who voted for Bush, I can now ask why?
Nothing can be truer said than this, Mr. Bush is the elected president of the USA fair and square. He is the president of all the people, even those that did not vote for him. Pierre Trudeau (not sure on the spelling) gave a lesson on this kind of thing a while back in 1977 when J.C. Carter was the U.S. President on a state visit to Canada. -------------------------------------------------------------------- The citizens of Montreal were booing and a few were spitting at him. Mr Trurdeau noticing this came to the podium and simply said, Come on you guys, he is a guest of ours and a neighbor. Show him that in Canada we are a class act even if we could not not vote for him or against him he is still our guest.------------------------------------------I’m a Republican but don’t particularly like Bush, but he is the President of the U.S. and is owed the respect of our citizenship in what is our home. In all this folks remember that in less than 48 months he will be out of office and as important as J.C. Carter, Bill Clinton, Bush 41, and Ford on the current affairs of nations, states, businesses and yes railroads.
conrail man and CG9602,
I am of the libertarian principles radivil mentions above. I believe the gas tax and ticket tax are probably the best and fairest ways to subsidize transportation, be it highways, airports, or passenger railways. This way the user pays his/her part of the infrastructure that he/she is using. If one drives a lot, he buys more gas and pays more taxes with each gallon purchased. Someone who doesn’t drive, buys no gas and pays no direct taxes for the highways. However, if this nondriver buys a bus, train, or plane ticket or an item at the store, he pays a ticket tax or indirectly pays a gas tax in the price of goods bought at the store. With the gas and ticket tax, the federal/state/local governments don’t have to set up a bureaucracy of toll takers–the suppliers/retailers send the collected money to the proper department of government.
The key here is that the user pays. Most of the cost is shifted from the federal taxpayer to the actual users of that infrastructure or service.
In turn, the Federal government has an obligation to use the “saved” taxes ($XX billion of user taxes on transportation vs. general fund taxes) as true spending cuts or tax cuts. Otherwise, the government is “spinning its wheels”.
My earlier point was that the arguing between constituents about “he got his and I want mine” is what got the Federal Government into the current financial mess. This probably started with the earliest election process but has grown exponentially since and needs to stop.
Amtrak’s subsidy is truly small potatoes vs. the overall federal budget ($1 Billion subsidy = roughly $8.00 per taxpayer). However, Amtrak, in its current form with <1% of intercity transportation, is not a vital link in the overall transportation equation. Add up the 1,000’s of other small potato programs the federal government subsidizes like Amtrak, eliminate them all and real cost/tax savings will be realized.
If this came to be, the aver
[^]I can proudly say in response…I DIDN’T VOTE FOR HIM, EITHER TIME!
You might ask Bergie if he can change the color of your three stars from green to blue[:(][:(][:(]!!!
Highway users pay virtually 100% of their operating costs.
Transit users pay 20% of their operating costs.
At the federal level approximately 15% of the user fees paid to the Federal Highway Trust Fund by highway users is allocated to mass transit (which includes rail). Look at my post on page 2 of this topic regarding the Highway Trust Fund.
The State of California has highway user fee rates comparable to the federal rates. I have not checked on the % but California also allocates Highway fee money to mass transit but suspect it is at least as much as the Federal.
In California approximately 85% of highway infrastructure costs (including maintenance) are paid by Highway users through user fees (highway related taxes State and Federal).
In California land developers (based on the principal that they increase the need for highways) pay a substantial portion of the costs to build roads and highways that are not covered by user fees. The costs to build now local roads are virtually always borne by developers. I have even seen several freeway interchanges built by developers, and others built by local agencies that were primairly funded using fees paid by developers.
To me it doesn’t look like the automobile is geting a free ride. They pay most of their costs and most of the transit riders cost too.
Who one voted for in the last election is not that relevant in the overall picture. Neither of the '04 candidates were/are fiscally conservative. Regardless of who is in office, the day to pay the Piper is fast approaching. This day only changes by a few years regardless of which candidate was elected.
The projected cost of gov’t social program spending along with the necessary Constitutionally mandated spending in the near future will make the Amtrak budget a mute point. The money will not be there.
We are only arguing the inevitable sooner than later.
Jay
ditto. And on to AMTRAK. I don’t care unless I have to pay taxes, which is about oh, 2010 or so[:D]
Why, I am not “blue” as in sad, I am really happy that I was not one of those who voted for King Bush either of the two times he has run. I voted for Gore and Kerry. [:)][:D][:I][8)]
eolafan,
I think futuremodal was referring to the red state/blue state division of the US by the media in illustrating the election results. Red being Bush. Blue being Kerry.
Jay
HEY GUYS----(1) THE ELECTION IS OVER (2) POLITICS IS POLITICS (3) THIS WILL CHANGE AND (4) LET’S GIVE THIS ONE A REST
piouslion,
Don’t yell–you’re hurting my eyes!
Jay
Well, I’ve said it here before----shut us down! I’ll only focus on the northeast corridor, since I’ve heard it before “amtrak doesn’t go through my state, la la la”. I can’t wait to see the traffic jam from Washington DC to Boston, MA when and if this happens. And, to see what effect all of those travelers, who now will have to take to the highways and burn more gasoline, will have on all the states in the U.S.A.
Amtrak was created by an act of Congress, but, was never funded properly to succeed, as is still the case. Maybe this time next year, we can all visit a museum to see an HHP-8 and the Acela High Speed Trainsets sitting on display, while those commuters who will now be driving burn up more gasoline and give the oil companies another “excuse” to jack up the price for a gallon of gasoline even more.
It has been already said that with so many of our American jobs going over to China, the Chinese are able to buy cars and now they’re starting to put some strain on an already tight oil market. Oh…and lets not forget how many billions of $$$ has been slated to rebuild and improve the Iraqi Railroad system!!
Why is it the USA can come up with so much $$$$ for other countries, and easily cut the throats of their own?? Why is it Ok, and blessed by a gov’t. tax incentive, to unemploy Americans by “exporting” American jobs??!!
why do all you sore loser left wing nutjobs always have to turn every Amtrak thread into a “lets bash bush” thread?
how hard is it for you to understand that every president has tried to cut amtrak? and if a democrat were in office, they would still be buying new helicopters an spending money to rebuild Iraq?
is it that hard to keep these threads on topic?
amtrak-tom,
By what is in the original story, the Northeast corridor doesn’t seem to be in danger. This being the case, if what is proposed comes to be, most of the funding should be shifted form the federal gov’t to states in that region.
Jay