What is up with Baltimore's highways? (Towson, Essex: apartments, rentals, construction)

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

There is a regional plan for Cumberland ,it will be one of the last areas of the state to see enhanced or faster service...probably by 2040...

We will see what is left of Cumberland by 2040. Probably not me.

Ok, so with expanding population, you dont "have to raise taxes." With more people in the state, more will be paying taxes, so it should even itself out. The only reason to ever raise taxes is to cover additional expenditures, which is what you are advocating. And when you say raise taxes "to get more" you don't mean getting more for my home, you mean others parts of the state, the part you are famiilar with, the rich parts.

It would take you another hour just to get to Cumberland from Hagerstown, and there is about another hour of Maryland west of that. You should come check it out. I guarantee you it won't be like any other part of the state you have seen.

The problems with the gas tax is that it is regressive. The poor pay more as a % of their total income. Until 2040 when you guys get to Cumberland, we are reliant on automobiles. There isn't any other option for rural communities.

So us, one of the poorest counties in the state will be regressively taxed on a product we have no choice but to buy so that money can be funnelled into transportation that will prevent the richest people in our state from having to use gas and pay the regressive tax.

How about taxing mass transportation........... to pay for mass transportation? That way, the users of the system are directly contributing to the benefit they will be receiving. Those of us that don't benefit, don't have to bear an additional tax burden we can't afford.

[DarkWolf]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

We will see what is left of Cumberland by 2040. Probably not me.

Ok, so with expanding population, you dont "have to raise taxes." With more people in the state, more will be paying taxes, so it should even itself out. The only reason to ever raise taxes is to cover additional expenditures, which is what you are advocating. And when you say raise taxes "to get more" you don't mean getting more for my home, you mean others parts of the state, the part you are famiilar with, the rich parts.

It would take you another hour just to get to Cumberland from Hagerstown, and there is about another hour of Maryland west of that. You should come check it out. I guarantee you it won't be like any other part of the state you have seen.

The problems with the gas tax is that it is regressive. The poor pay more as a % of their total income. Until 2040 when you guys get to Cumberland, we are reliant on automobiles. There isn't any other option for rural communities.

So us, one of the poorest counties in the state will be regressively taxed on a product we have no choice but to buy so that money can be funnelled into transportation that will prevent the richest people in our state from having to use gas and pay the regressive tax.

How about taxing mass transportation........... to pay for mass transportation? That way, the users of the system are directly contributing to the benefit they will be receiving. Those of us that don't benefit, don't have to bear an additional tax burden we can't afford.

Whats happening out their that it will be gone by 2040? The Gas Tax is very low , Gas in General due to it being subsidized which is one of the reasons the Private Railroads went bankrupt they couldn't complete with the cheaper cars... In Europe everything is balanced...People pay thier fare share and Highways and Railroads are profitable...and they get perks like higher speed limits....roads that go everywhere , better Transit , Railways that go everywhere. Mass Transit is taxed in the form of fares....about 1.3 Million Marylanders use Mass Transit....expanding it would mean even more would use it and Gas Prices wouldn't spike due to demand dropping. So you would benefit from more Mass Transit users in Eastern Maryland.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

So us, one of the poorest counties in the state will be regressively taxed...

In the same way that the arbitrary line that divides Baltimore...

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

Whats happening out their that it will be gone by 2040? The Gas Tax is very low , Gas in General due to it being subsidized which is one of the reasons the Private Railroads went bankrupt they couldn't complete with the cheaper cars... In Europe everything is balanced...People pay thier fare share and Highways and Railroads are profitable...and they get perks like higher speed limits....roads that go everywhere , better Transit , Railways that go everywhere. Mass Transit is taxed in the form of fares....about 1.3 Million Marylanders use Mass Transit....expanding it would mean even more would use it and Gas Prices wouldn't spike due to demand dropping. So you would benefit from more Mass Transit users in Eastern Maryland.

Hmm....that's funny. Mass transit is HEAVILY subsidized by the government. If it wasn't it would go belly up.

Taxes Subsidize 6.9m Mass Transit Riders; Most Poor People Drive to Work | The Truth About Cars

Metro Subsidies - OHRM

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Amtrak - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

But "subsidizing" gasoline is really just tax deductions for corporations, and creating public-private incentives for economic development.

Fossil Fuel Subsidies | The Price of Oil

Quite different situations. In one case, government takes a loss to promote mass transit. In the other government encourages petroleum development because it is a huge private industry boon to our country.

As for Cumberland, knowlege is power. Check out our demographic statistics, growth rate, poverty, crime, etc. and let me know how you think our community is trending. You can do most of it on city-data. Or better yet, drive through, spend a night and see for yourself. We are a breathtakingly beautiful community with some huge problems, many of which are caused by the tax and regulatory environment of Maryland that knee-caps the few things we would have going for us, coal, timber, industry. If you are really into research, see how Allegany County (Cumberland is the county seat) compares now, and in the past, to our adjoining counties. You will see them growing slowly and jobs moving in, while we shrink. A regressive gas tax would be another nail in our coffin. WV is just over the river to take tax dollars away from Maryland and close our local businesses....just like what happened with cigarettes.

This conversation isn't just about transportation engineering, it is about social engineering. The American people have spoken with their buying habits and their living patterns. There is a reason mass transit would die without being on the dole.....and a reason you feel you can tax gasoline like a vice and still get money to funnel into your pet projects that can't stay afloat on their own revenues. Put simply, most americans choose roads, cars, and commutes over dense city living, buses, and trains. There has been some reversal in this trend, but not enough to say the paradigm has shifted.

You want America to be like Europe? It seems most others in the Bos-Wash region you live in are saying otherwise by their choice of behaviors.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

How about taxing mass transportation........... to pay for mass transportation? That way, the users of the system are directly contributing to the benefit they will be receiving. Those of us that don't benefit, don't have to bear an additional tax burden we can't afford.

Robbing peter to pay paul. Most transit systems are only about 1/3 funded by fares. The rest comes from state and federal funds.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by MrRational

In the same way that the arbitrary line that divides Baltimore...

This no arbitrary city line out here separating the rich from the poor, just mile and miles of mountainous forest between us and you.

Different problems, one juristictional parcing, the other a separate geographic region included in the state by some charter 300 years ago.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

Robbing peter to pay paul. Most transit systems are only about 1/3 funded by fares. The rest comes from state and federal funds.

Thank you. Mass transit would go belly up without being on the dole, it can't be "taxed." That is why the social/transportation engineers want to regressively tax gasoline, a product people actually purchase, to fund their agenda driven version of social change.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

The problems with the gas tax is that it is regressive. The poor pay more as a % of their total income. Until 2040 when you guys get to Cumberland, we are reliant on automobiles. There isn't any other option for rural communities. .

Allegany County Transit

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

Thank you. Mass transit would go belly up without being on the dole, it can't be "taxed." That is why the social/transportation engineers want to regressively tax gasoline, a product people actually purchase, to fund their agenda driven version of social change.

True. So would roads, which are also funded by fuel tax.

I'm all for higher gas tax to fund transit improvements. Reliance on autos may not matter where you live, but it has a very negative impact on where I do.

I also understand that Cumberland has nothing to do with any of that, and I would be open to an income tax in the metro and exurban areas to form and fund a regional transportation district, thereby sparing the western and eastern counties that would see little benefit.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

Allegany County Transit

Not even close to being enough.

Here are the routes.

Bus Schedules

If you live or need to go anywhere other than that little loop between Cumberland, LaVale, Cresaptown, and Frostburg, you are SOL.