I only pay $120 for roads?

[underpants]

Wow who knew?

In the midst of this nonsense about getting rid of the Federal gas tax some interesting facts have come to light

For one, NOT paying Federal gas tax will save me $2.94 per 16 gallon fill-up. Since I ride the bus to work I don't fill up as often as many but according to the averages that McCain and one of the other candidates who is touting this nonsense we, on average, each pay about $30 for summer in Federal gas tax.

X4 =$120

:wow:

Not bad.

-------------------------

I also happened into a conversation with a traffic/road engineer last week.

He tells me that there are several budget items that he knows WERE approved have disappeared from the budget he saw. He says that between the Feds and the State (Va.) the construction budget is being cut 44%. Maintenance is taking up all the money. This is a huge issue in Northern Va. and in Southeast Va. (Hampton Roads).

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. The true cost will be in the failure of infrastructure that needed

maintenance, and the loss of life

What is it a mile short and a pound foolish? Or something like that?

[DesertFlower]

2. agreed. our roads and bridges are

in bad shape. do we want another minneapolis?

[maxsolomon]

5. no, but you're going to get it.

we've built a system we can't/won't maintain.

[DMorgan]

7. Hey, 8 or 10 more deaths, surely worth me saving $28 this summer...............

NOT!

[TheCowsCameHome]

3. But we'll get great deals on unwanted SUV's with the high priced gas

and we'll need 'em because our roads will look like the surface of the moon if these two dodo's get their tax holiday.

[tularetom]

4. Road oil and asphalt has gone sky high

As a result a lot of rural counties here in Cal are considering turning their paved roads back to gravel. They can no longer afford the costs of repaving or sealing local roads.

we will be regressing back to the 40's or 50's in just a few years. Back to gravel roads full of ruts and potholes that beat the shit out of your suspension and front end and cost you lots of $ in repair costs. Back to roads impassable in wet weather.

And not one of our presidential candidates seems to be concerned at all.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Ah the memories

hopefully your rural counties are also buying 4WD for all their emergency services

:-)

Not kidding here

[tularetom]

9. I was a volunteer fireman/emt for many years until the area outgrew it

and even though we did have 4WD vehicles the condition of the roads was always an issue with us even back in those days. Now the paid guys are bitching loudly but to little avail.

One of the biggest problems was and is farmers driving heavy equipment (often with steel tracks like a tank) down the county roads and tearing the crap out of them.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. I was a Red Cross Medic in Tijuana for ten years

trust me... nothing more fun than a three ton rig sliding down, due to the rain and the muck, especially when you've got patient on gurney and hysterical family member in the rig, with good reason I might add

By the way... in my experience paid personnel tend to bitch a lot more than volunteers...

I knew lack of top of the line equipment came with it

Hell, my bunker pants, I bought them... my boots, I bought them

The trauma kit, I bought it

The suction machine...

And so it goes....

I understand

;-)

[DMorgan]

8. Beg to differ on the facts.........one does

I guess you don't want to look at Barack Obama..........he's the guy that is thinking about the AVERAGE AMERICAN...not about the $28 in gas tax savings.

If your state can't keep your roads repaired, with the billions in revenue the motion picture industry brings into California....perhaps your government is not able to see the forest for the trees. I never feel pity for people living in the best place on the planet, with all those natural resources, all that great weather, all those millionaire movie stars, NO! I Never feel sorry for you, if you can't figure out how to manage your public infrastructure and government, don't bring that up as a NATIONAL issue, get yourself some sane management.

Thanks, but don't whine to us in Maine and Louisiana or Mississippi to bail you out. Have your OWN pity party and figure it out like adults.

[tularetom]

12. It ain't a California problem dude it IS a national problem

I'm not whining about it I'm stating a fact. I agree with you the solution to the problem is to spend more on infrastructure. And I support Obama but I haven't heard much from him on this matter either.

While I'm at it don't sit there in an elite place like Amherst Mass. and accuse me of elitism. Our county has an unemployment rate in excess of 10%, a school dropout rate of about 30%, and a median household income of less than $30,000 annually. We are comparable to Appalachia in all these numbers. We are not nearly as well off as those folks in MA.

[underpants]

14. Welcome to DU Dan Morgan

:hi:
I wouldn't bag on Cali too much from what I have seen not only do they pay far more than their share of the taxes but they run things pretty well.

And they are pretty much "America" as we are lead to believe from the mainstreammedia (MSM).

[izquierdista]

10. You make me nostalgic

For my days living in Mexico. Ah, to be sitting back in a cantina waiting for the guy at the llantera to figure out how to get me back on the road again. :-)

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. Trust me, as an EMS worker, I am not nostalgic for that

oh wait, my partner and I almost bought the farm due to tire failure on a really, and i mean this, REALLY BAD ROAD.

Nothing more fun than almost going head over tail

Bad roads (and bad tires) are never a good combo

[underpants]

15. Interesting

Okay so can I extrapolate this out..... so if roads are too expensive.....lets live private businesses do it!!!

I kid but there are roadways in Indiana and (memory fails me) another state that are now owned and operated by companies. The fact that they are foreign companies may be irrelevant or not (Swish if I remember correctly).

[taterguy]

11. Gas taxes don't come anywhere close to paying for roads

That's a dirty little secret

Our automobile infrastructure is largely financed with general revenue funds.

[stray cat]

13. 360 per driver per year

[RB TexLa]

17. trucks pay the bulk of the fuel tax. which of course we collectively help pay

when we purchase good that have been trucked to where we are.