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40% of federal gas taxes are siphoned off to unrelated projects,perhaps that might have some effect upon paying for federal highways.
According data from the US DOT Table HF-10 -Finance - Highway Statistics 2005 - FHWA in 2005, 90 billion dollars in gas tax and tolls were collected by the feds and states. An addition 64 billion dollars of funding came from general fund, property taxes, investments, etc.
11 billion dollars of total highway funding was used for non highway/non transit purposes. That's about 12% of total gas and toll revenue.
Obviously, diversion of gas tax and toll revenue is a factor, but even without it, the gas tax doesn't completely fund the highway system.
Maybe the problem is that Americans rely a little too much on capitalism and "running government as a buisness." Government is not a buisness...it is a system that is supposed to help out it's citizenry. Nowhere in the Constitution does it say anything about the government needing to turn a profit. Socialism is a viable option for several of the government's most basic services like education, transportation and healthcare... these are all things that are for the public good and if anything they are underfunded. People all over the US constantly complain about being taxed, well all I can say is you pay for what you get: you want another tax cut, fine no more trash pickup for you; you want another, great now that road you used to take to work is owned by a private company and you have to pay a toll on it everyday (this is already happening by the way); one more tax cut, we can do that too but unfortunately your child can no longer go to school... that is unless you've got the tuition money.
Maybe the problem is that Americans rely a little too much on capitalism and "running government as a buisness." Government is not a buisness...it is a system that is supposed to help out it's citizenry. Nowhere in the Constitution does it say anything about the government needing to turn a profit.
This runs in line with the merging of democracy and free-market capitalism. Democracy is one man, one vote. Laissez-Faire capitalism is more money, more power. (Similar to the difference between credit unions and mutual savings banks, which really do not exist anymore.)
Lets include the local mass transit system in this conversation.. As I sit here scratching my head because our local transit system is begging for $180,000,000 from the federal government, who is requiring the local government to match funds, by raising taxes locally.. To support a local bus system that no one uses... This is in addition, to the funds that the transit system raises through fees.
For $360,000,000 a year.. we could give every single citizen $1,000 a year towards owning their own car locally..
... and then there'd be so many cars on the road that you couldn't move.
Where is public transport mandated to be government owned?
Why not allow private companies to take care of it?
Thats actually starting to happen in some regions. Roads are being sold off for trillions of dollars to investors..who then charge a toll to use those roads to the public..
In the disaster insurance thread fishmonger brought up a national mass transtit system. Let us discuss this here. I beleive we already have a nationalized mass transit system and it is working fairly well.
I would have loved to have seen HSR (High Speed Rail) in the United States, but it's too much of a car-oriented country for that to ever happen.
Having been to Europe I have seen the advantages of a valid railway system. When the gov deregulated the trucking industry it devestated our railways. If done right as the way europe or Japan does it a true trans continental railway is a viable alternative to flying. It would also remove alot of the airport congestion.
Having been to Europe I have seen the advantages of a valid railway system. When the gov deregulated the trucking industry it devestated our railways. If done right as the way europe or Japan does it a true trans continental railway is a viable alternative to flying. It would also remove alot of the airport congestion.
In England, the government sold off the railways to private corporations and now the railways have gone to c**p over there. Proves my point that private corporations are not the answer for everything, particularly when it comes to public transport and health care.
In England, the government sold off the railways to private corporations and now the railways have gone to c**p over there. Proves my point that private corporations are not the answer for everything, particularly when it comes to public transport and health care.
LOL uhmmmm how about and I hate to say it France? I loved my ride on the bullet train and it was cheap.
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to unrelated projects,perhaps that might have some effect upon paying for federal highways.
