Maryland should build a high-speed bullet train...direct from DC to Baltimore....15 minutes maximum... (Rockville: houses, construction)

[rfp]

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

And who will pay for it? The Eastern Shore and Western Maryland taxpayers who subsidize the DC Metro, the Baltimore Metro, the Light Rail, the MTA buses, and the ICC?

Do you have a link to prove what you wrote, or is that just more Republican BS?

[phlinak]

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

And who will pay for it? The Eastern Shore and Western Maryland taxpayers who subsidize the DC Metro, the Baltimore Metro, the Light Rail, the MTA buses, and the ICC?

In this corner, weighing in at..............

Originally Posted by rfp

Do you have a link to prove what you wrote, or is that just more Republican BS?

And in this corner, the challenger............


"Ding! Ding!"

And the fight's on!!

[DarkWolf]

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

And who will pay for it? The Eastern Shore and Western Maryland taxpayers who subsidize the DC Metro, the Baltimore Metro, the Light Rail, the MTA buses, and the ICC?

The Majority of Maryland would benefit for the High Speed Rail / Regional Rail network , 85% of the state including the Eastern Shore and Hagerstorm would get lines. There not being left out , the extreme Western handle might get some service aswell.

[phlinak]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Maryland should build a high-speed bullet train...direct from DC to Baltimore...no stops...15 minutes maximum...

It would completely revolutionize Baltimore...$$ and wealth would pour in, for those seeking urban living at much lower prices.

I see that most of the posters feel that this is unworkable for a myriad of reasons. To those posters, I ask the following questions:

1) How many more vehicles do you think the existing roads can carry, especially during rush hour?

2) How much will additional roads cost?

3) Where would you put these roads?

4) What would be the capacities of these proposed roads?

5) How long would it take to build these roads?

When you really sit down and ponder these questions, I think it becomes apparent that planning and financing a massive upgrade of the existing mass transit infrastructure is the only feasible solution. There is neither the money nor the available land to keeping building and maintaining an ever increasing number of roads.

Just my humble opinion.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Originally Posted by phlinak

In this corner, weighing in at..............



And in this corner, the challenger............


"Ding! Ding!"

And the fight's on!!

You do realize that STATEWIDE tolls, incluidng the Susquehanna River bridges and the Bay Bridge, were increased in order to pay for the ICC? The burden falls greatly on local, rural drivers in places like Havre de Grace, Perryville, Queen Anne's County, etc. Also the Baltimore region drivers also have to subsidize the ICC. And the Baltimore subway, light rail, and DC Metro are funded by gasoline taxes STATEWIDE, while only Northern Virginia regionally conributes to the DC Metro. In Virginia, NOVA is expected to pay for their own transportation infrastructure through regional sales taxes, the way its also done in suburban Dalllas, Houston, and Chicago by the way. However because the DC area controls Maryland, Maryland has a statewide, very high, sales tax. In other states, the statewide sales tax is low but urban areas have higher local sales taxes which is more fair. This way, residents of Lynchburg and Blacksburg are not expected to subsidize Northern Virginia.

So yes, gasoline taxes collected in Cumberland and Salisbury are funneled to the DC Metro. Sales taxes from the Eastern Shore are taken and used to fund social programs that the Montgomery County elites love so much.

[Phyxius]

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

You do realize that STATEWIDE tolls, incluidng the Susquehanna River bridges and the Bay Bridge, were increased in order to pay for the ICC? The burden falls greatly on local, rural drivers in places like Havre de Grace, Perryville, Queen Anne's County, etc. Also the Baltimore region drivers also have to subsidize the ICC. And the Baltimore subway, light rail, and DC Metro are funded by gasoline taxes STATEWIDE, while only Northern Virginia regionally conributes to the DC Metro. In Virginia, NOVA is expected to pay for their own transportation infrastructure through regional sales taxes, the way its also done in suburban Dalllas, Houston, and Chicago by the way. However because the DC area controls Maryland, Maryland has a statewide, very high, sales tax. In other states, the statewide sales tax is low but urban areas have higher local sales taxes which is more fair. This way, residents of Lynchburg and Blacksburg are not expected to subsidize Northern Virginia.

So yes, gasoline taxes collected in Cumberland and Salisbury are funneled to the DC Metro. Sales taxes from the Eastern Shore are taken and used to fund social programs that the Montgomery County elites love so much.

The opposite happens in Northern Virginia. NOVA subsidize for the rest of their state.

[MDAllstar]

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

And who will pay for it? The Eastern Shore and Western Maryland taxpayers who subsidize the DC Metro, the Baltimore Metro, the Light Rail, the MTA buses, and the ICC?

LoL......ummm...the DC suburbs and to a lesser extent Baltimore support the entire state. You don't have the population to support the towns you live in. The urban area's pay for your roads, sewers, and schools. Are you kidding? It's like this in every state in the nation. The rural area's are subsidized by the city. Add up your tax base and compare that to the expense of your low density towns. The city pays for you to live your quaint lifestyle. Your tax dollars don't even support yourselves much less DC or Baltimore. You may want to research this.

[MDAllstar]

Originally Posted by Phyxius

The opposite happens in Northern Virginia. NOVA subsidize for the rest of their state.

It's not the opposite, it's the same. That poster was just misinformed. They don't have the tax dollars from their population to support where they live just like every other rural area in every state in the nation. They are subsidized by DC and Baltimore.

[MDAllstar]

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

You do realize that STATEWIDE tolls, incluidng the Susquehanna River bridges and the Bay Bridge, were increased in order to pay for the ICC? The burden falls greatly on local, rural drivers in places like Havre de Grace, Perryville, Queen Anne's County, etc. Also the Baltimore region drivers also have to subsidize the ICC. And the Baltimore subway, light rail, and DC Metro are funded by gasoline taxes STATEWIDE, while only Northern Virginia regionally conributes to the DC Metro. In Virginia, NOVA is expected to pay for their own transportation infrastructure through regional sales taxes, the way its also done in suburban Dalllas, Houston, and Chicago by the way. However because the DC area controls Maryland, Maryland has a statewide, very high, sales tax. In other states, the statewide sales tax is low but urban areas have higher local sales taxes which is more fair. This way, residents of Lynchburg and Blacksburg are not expected to subsidize Northern Virginia.

So yes, gasoline taxes collected in Cumberland and Salisbury are funneled to the DC Metro. Sales taxes from the Eastern Shore are taken and used to fund social programs that the Montgomery County elites love so much.

You do realize that the DC suburbs and Baltimore built those bridges right. They also built the roads you drive on and the sewers you use. They built your schools too. The tax base in rural area's is not even close to large enough to pay for their infrastructure or the maintenance of that infrastructure. What kind of monetary contribution do you think your region gives in taxes a year? Think about that compared to the cost of keeping up your low density lifestyles. Where do you think the money comes from for your roads?

[Phyxius]

Originally Posted by MDAllstar

It's not the opposite, it's the same. That poster was just misinformed. They don't have the tax dollars from their population to support where they live just like every other rural area in every state in the nation. They are subsidized by DC and Baltimore.

I was going by what he was saying when he stated that NOVA are expected to pay for their own infrastructure and only contributes to the DC region.