US infrastructure is far behind Europe (employment, generation, Afghanistan, weapons)

[waterboy7375]

Tell congress to stop stealing the federal fuel tax money.

[Joke Insurance]

Originally Posted by waterboy7375

Tell congress to stop stealing the federal fuel tax money.

And less money on the military, for the moment at least.

[Think4Yourself]

Originally Posted by ram2

You need to do more homework. Americans pay far more than 18.4 cents per gallon gas tax.

Some states add a few pennies of tax but most don't. The closest thing to a defacto tax increase on gas in recent decades has been the endless and ungodly large subsidies we give oil companies to do what they would do anyway without the subsidies. All of that is money taken from taxpayers and given to a politically connected lobbying group without any actual net benefit for taxpayers. The oil business is so massively profitable they would already be drilling every where they can even without the cash give aways so it doesn't increase supply by one bit but it does cost us all money out of our pay checks.

[Think4Yourself]

Anyway, WRT infrastructure, at least we beat such great world powers as Chile... Oh, wait, we didn't. The Chileans get a higher rating for infrastructure than we do. Americans have just stopped caring about the common good and no longer even have civic pride.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

Europe is larger then the Lower 48 and is not same , does have 100 Million more people then the US. But by 2050 the US will have 450 Million residents...

LOL, Europe is much smaller than "the Lower 48."



Also, Europe has nearly 2 million more people than the USA (aka 200 million TAXPAYERS).

[Think4Yourself]

A great article from a very trustworthy source.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that America needs to spend $20 billion more a year just to maintain its infrastructure at the present, inadequate, levels. Up to $80 billion a year in additional spending could be spent on projects which would show positive economic returns. Other reports go further. In 2005 Congress established the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission. In 2008 the commission reckoned that America needed at least $255 billion per year in transport spending over the next half-century to keep the system in good repair and make the needed upgrades. Current spending falls 60% short of that amount.

America's transport infrastructure: Life in the slow lane | The Economist

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by Botev1912

Gas tax in the US is only 18.4 cents per gallon which is ridiculously low. But Americans don't want to pay taxes.

That's just the federal tax, average tax when combined with state taxes is 50 cents.

I'm willing to support raising the fuel tax under two conditions. A) All fule taxes being diverted things other than roads and bridges be used for raod bridges and B) any new fuel taxes be used for roads and bridges.

We also need to explore how to apply these user fees in a better manner since electric and hybrids are not paying their fair share. A formula based on the the average weight of the vehicle and miles driven would be most appropriate.

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by Think4Yourself

Some states add a few pennies of tax but most don't. The closest thing to a defacto tax increase on gas in recent decades has been the endless and ungodly large subsidies we give oil companies to do what they would do anyway without the subsidies.

That ungodly amount is something in the neighborhood of 4 billion per year which works out to fractions of a penny per gallon. The subsidy is intended to help insure smaller drillers do not go bankrupt drilling unprofitable wells. While Exxon benefits from it the removal of that subsidy ultimately benefits them as they can easily absorb those costs the smaller driller can't. Without those subsidies the samller companies will get run over by behemoths like Exxon.

but it does cost us all money out of our pay checks

Most subsidies are tax breaks, they are not directly given out as funds.

[Think4Yourself]

BTW our roads are in such poor repair because car taxes, gas taxes, and user fees don't even pay enough to repair existing roads much less pay for new ones or pay down capital costs from previously built ones. If we want a sustainable system then car owners and drivers need to at least pay enough to cover the costs of the roads they use.

In 2006 German road fees brought in 2.6 times the money spent building and maintaining roads. American road taxes collected at the federal, state and local level covered just 72% of the money spent on highways that year, according to the Brookings Institution, a think-tank.

America's transport infrastructure: Life in the slow lane | The Economist

[lifelongMOgal]

Originally Posted by Botev1912

US infrastructure is far behind Europe. Many highways/roads/bridges have not been maintained at all. A lot of interstates haven't been repaved or even touched for more than 50 years. Modern public transportation is almost non-existent. New technologies have been implemented 20 years after Europe. If you want to see real highways and trains, go to Western Europe (Spain, France, Germany). They repave their roads every couple years. Gas tax in the US is only 18.4 cents per gallon which is ridiculously low. But Americans don't want to pay taxes. They have proved that they don't like changes. That's why they still use the 15th-century imperial system. But today is 21st century.

U.S. infrastructure lagging far behind Europe | Homeland Security News Wire

The federal fuel tax is not in a "lock box"; rather, it is a Congressional slush fund for their pet project funding. So, to blame Americans for not wanting to pay taxes when Congress is irresponsible for the management and spending of their tax dollars is to place the blame in the wrong place.

Apparently the OP hasn't been to the US because our roads and highways too are repaved every few years, some more often than that.