What can I do to fix Pittsburgh's problems? (Philadelphia, Erie: travel, work)

[kpoeppel]

Originally Posted by boylocke

What?? That's definitely an opinion. Have you actually looked in depth at the proposal for taxing I-80? I'm all for it after reading it.

Definitely an opinion? Not really. It's a well known fact that Ed Rendell wants to turn I-80 into a toll road, and give the money to bail out the near-bankrupt mass transit systems in Philly and Pittsburgh.

How can it be considered responsible to put tolls on a highway that the Federal Government funded? Also, how can it be ethical for highway tolls to go for anything else but maintenance/improvement of that highway?

For details, I suggest the following articles:

http://www.alleghenyinstitute.org/briefs/vol7no46.pdf

http://www.alleghenyinstitute.org/briefs/vol7no48.pdf

http://www.alleghenyinstitute.org/briefs/vol7no52.pdf

Another travesty - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by kpoeppel

gallacus,

To give you my two cents on your original question:

Traditionally, republicans have been for lower taxes and lower spending. Thus IMO they would be better suited to create a more favorable tax and business climate. We had a republican Governor, Tom Ridge, but not a whole lot changed. Now we have "Fast Eddie" Rendell, who's proven himself to be for more of the same: high taxes and wasteful spending. His latest proposal is to toll I-80 and give the money to the grossly-inefficent and corrupt transit authorities in Philly and Pittsburgh. Ed Rendell recently beat republican candidate Lynn Swann, so that shows you where the general population stands with regard to their political beliefs.

That said, I think the only way to change Pittsburgh and PA is to educate people on how our economy compares with the economy of other states (especially the booming states in the South), and how much better our economy could be. People also need to realize that the sacred-cow of organized labor is making the cost of government services much higher than it should be. After all, public-sector unions aren't taking extra money from ultra-rich robber-barons, they're taking it from the public...their neighbors!

So *IF* a person can get into a public-sector union in PA, they've got it made...with wages and benefits far better than the free-market would dictate. Everyone else is stuck with a lousy economy, teacher strikes, transit strikes, and high taxes.

Here's where I have to point partisan politics -- "Fast Eddie Rendell" Vs Lynn Swann.

Lynn Swann was a Football Player, a football coach, a football commentataor and a game show host.

Ed Rendell was a District Attorney and a Mayor.

Who's more qualified to run Pennsylvania? And frankly, the fact that Ed Rendell had his hand on the whole MOVE bombing would have me think twice about voting for him... but really -- Lynn Swann has absolutely NO experience in governing.

And right now, I'm in California, where these morons put the Terminator in office... and he had a lot of lessons to learn, even though his politically savvy wife surrounded him with a lot of good people -- Arnold is STILL putting his foot into it.

[SAI126]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

And right now, I'm in California, where these morons put the Terminator in office

Yeah I know what you mean. That Gray Davis sure was one helluva governor.

[pghquest]

Originally Posted by ScrantonWilkesBarre

...from Pittsburgh...to Scranton? (Fingers crossed!!!) LOL! Just kidding!

Dont know.. hoping to pay off our house by the end of the year, and then start looking for a business friendly city to move and expand my company. Was more looking south, Carolina regions..

[guylocke]

How can it be considered responsible to put tolls on a highway that the Federal Government funded? Also, how can it be ethical for highway tolls to go for anything else but maintenance/improvement of that highway?

Ethical? LOL. I seriously doubt ethics is involved when tolling roads. hahahaha. We aren't curing cancer here.

I think it's a great idea.

[oktaren]

Originally Posted by boylocke

Ethical? LOL. I seriously doubt ethics is involved when tolling roads. hahahaha. We aren't curing cancer here.

I think it's a great idea.

Tolling roads is never a good idea. If you look at usage of toll roads vs. non toll roads, the toll roads barely get any short distance usage. So other roads begin to be used more and more and soon they are clogged, etc. Its not just a simple, lets put a toll on this road and thats it. It has a big effect.

A perfect example is the I-90 in New York State. It is just another reason for businesses to move elsewhere.

[guylocke]

It's a well known fact that Ed Rendell wants to turn I-80 into a toll road, and give the money to bail out the near-bankrupt mass transit systems in Philly and Pittsburgh.

Why is that a bad idea? Is Pittsburgh and Philadelphia not the industrial hubs of the state and where the bulk of the population lives and plays? Are they not where the vast amount of revenue for the state come from and the two highest grossing tourist destinations? Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are the cultural, industrial, educational, financial, media, and sports centers of the state.

I think it's a great idea to fund the infrastructure of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia with I-80 tolling. You aren't seeing the big picture. We are all playing for the same team. Improvements in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia will improve the welfare of the state as whole and cause a rippling effect. This could be a very successful endeavor.

However, I am sympathetic to the locals up there, too. I'm not sure if something like this would ever come to pass, but I think locals who use the road on a daily basis just to get to and from work, for example, should get certain breaks and incentives for those type of situations, etc.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by boylocke

Why is that a bad idea? Is Pittsburgh and Philadelphia not the industrial hubs of the state and where the bulk of the population lives and plays? Are they not where the vast amount of revenue for the state come from and the two highest grossing tourist destinations? Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are the cultural, industrial, educational, financial, media, and sports centers of the state.

I think it's a great idea to fund the infrastructure of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia with I-80 tolling. You aren't seeing the big picture. We are all playing for the same team. Improvements in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia will improve the welfare of the state as whole and cause a rippling effect. This could be a very successful endeavor.

However, I am sympathetic to the locals up there, too. I'm not sure if something like this would ever come to pass, but I think locals who use the road on a daily basis just to get to and from work, for example, should get certain breaks and incentives for those type of situations, etc.

For quite possibly the first time ever, BoyLocke, I must respectfully disagree with you. Every part of our state has outdated infrastructure that is hampering economic development, and I don't think it's fair to force commuters in the Scranton/Pocono area to pay hefty tolls to use I-80 in order to pay for someone's rear-end to be able to sit on a SEPTA train two hours away in Philadelphia or for a new set of tracks five hours away in Pittsburgh.

There are portions of I-81 through my area that are now at over twice their intended capacity. A roadway intended to handle 40,000 vehicles per day when it was constructed is now handling nearly 85,000 vehicles per day in certain stretches near Scranton, causing rush-hour traffic headaches for commuters. We were told I-81 couldn't be widened from four to six lanes because it would be "too costly" (even as we're expected to near 100,000 vehicles per day in this corridor as we continue to grow), yet here we go charging US to pay for people in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh again. I'd like to see the looks on the faces of people in those two cities if they were told that they had to pay extra tolls/fees to generate more revenues to pay for us. I'm sure the fur would fly! LOL!

A toll on I-80 should pay for improvements on I-80 and for improvements in towns directly-affected by the tolls ONLY. It's not fair that those who commute daily from my area to New York City for work are going to have to pay so much money now per month to bail out flawed mass transit systems in cities hours away that SHOULD be able to keep THEMSELVES afloat if they were better managed. I think it's appalling that the stretch of I-80 between the I-380 interchange and the NJ border is also horribly congested at times, yet there are no plans to widen this corridor. In other words, not only do people have to sit in traffic, but now they'll have to pay for it as well. Well whoopdey-doo!

I fail to see how improving the mass transit system of Pittsburgh is going to have a "rippling effect" that will spur economic development five hours away here in Scranton. I'm just not seeing it. Likewise, I don't see how widening I-81 to six lanes in my area is going to benefit Harrisburg economically. I don't see how improving SEPTA will benefit Erie in a "ripple effect." Our state is simply far too large to assume that successful revitalization of our two key cities will play a larger role in the revitalization of the entire state.

[guylocke]

For quite possibly the first time ever, BoyLocke, I must respectfully disagree with you.

LOL!! That's quite alright. :P First time for everything!! I still love you.

I'd like to see the looks on the faces of people in those two cities if they were told that they had to pay extra tolls/fees to generate more revenues to pay for us. I'm sure the fur would fly! LOL!

You are right about a lot of what you said, I see your point. I'm sure I would feel a lot different if I was from a place such as Scranton. The infrastructure in Pennsylvania is hampering the growth of the state. The funding is obviously not sufficient. I do appreciate different ideas on the matter instead of simply raising taxes. I still think making I-80 a toll road is an interesting and alternative option that could be very successful. This isn't the only place in America where such a thing has happened, either, so it's not like this is some wild idea that just came out of left field.

The infrastructure is poor across Pennsylvania, we have more miles of highway than any other state in the union (or very close to) because of our unique topography. It all needs improving. However, it is the infrastructure in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia that has a very glaring and direct impact on the welfare of the state. Improve it, and you will directly increase the economic clout of the entire state which, I would hope, would bring in additional revenue to fund other projects. I'm not saying Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are the only places that need improvements or that we are better than you, for example. But in terms of the future of Pennsylvania, we should be a priority in improving infrastructure.

BTW, I think it's really great how much pride you have for your hometown.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by boylocke

Ethical? LOL. I seriously doubt ethics is involved when tolling roads. hahahaha. We aren't curing cancer here.

I think it's a great idea.

There are some laws re: the interstate highway system. When the interstates were first built, with federal money, they were to be completely free. Since then, some changes in law have been made so that some roads that were already toll roads (Pa Turnpike, Illinois Tollway, NY Thruway, etc), could be part of the interstate system. I think that is what is meant by the ethics of it.

I do not see making I-80 a toll road to bail out the big transit systems a good use of money. I also think the trucking industry would fight it, big time. If Pennsylvania did it, every state would want to do it. I-80 is "the nation's highway", one of the few interstates that is transcontinental.