[PRCo] Re: Pittsburgh - think tank blasts possible new transit taxes

[Fred Schneider]

Thanks, Ed,  for bailing out John and me.   Sometimes the truth hurts  
but its still the truth.

On Sep 10, 2007, at 6:56 PM, Edward H. Lybarger wrote:

> The Turnpike was not built with gasoline taxes.  It was paid for  
> through
> revenue bonds, which were backed by toll collections.
>
> At least a toll is a direct user fee, even though the bureaucracy  
> is bloated
> and tolls are probably higher than they should be.  Those "free"  
> highways
> cost us a lot more than we think, too!  The gas tax pays only a  
> portion of
> the total...construction and maintenance...and not things like  
> policing, for
> example.
>
> Where we get into the problem is when we're being asked to pay  
> twice.  We
> already built I-80 with gas tax dollars.  Now Fast Eddie wants  
> those drivers
> to pay for bloated public transit systems instead of asking the  
> people in
> the areas served (and therefore receive the benefit of) by public  
> transit.
>
> Politicians always like to shift the tax source so someone thinks  
> he is
> getting an advantage over some other group of taxpayers.  It's a sham.
>
> Ed
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
> [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org]On Behalf Of
> Derrick J Brashear
> Sent: Monday, September 10, 2007 3:29 PM
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Pittsburgh - think tank blasts possible new  
> transit
> taxes
>
>
> On Sun, 9 Sep 2007, Bill Robb wrote:
>
>> What you fail to realize is that subsidies did not exist before the
>> early 70s.  Subsidized transit service is not available to the  
>> majority
>> only an (largely) urban minority.  People who do not get service  
>> don't
>> want to pay for something they don't receive. Politicians face  
>> pressure
>
> Sure. I've never used I-90, either, but it's free. I do use the  
> turnpike
> and I have to pay a toll. I'm getting ripped off.
>
> Toll all interstates, or make the turnpike free.
>
> If everything is black and white, life must be this simple.
>
>
>
>
>