now that the price of gas is down

[amityray]

guess what congress wants to do??

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090102/ap_on_go_ot/gas_tax

[GDM]

.


criminals , as if our property taxes , income taxes and tolls isnt enough to keep the roads nice

makes me sick


.

[delawarerick]

:iagree:well put GDM could not have said it better. Remember CHANGE=more taxes. Rick

[stvhelm]

take the $310 hwy tax off my property tax bill and I'm all for it. everyone who drives should pay a fair share.

[Raceman]

The problem is, they ought to redirect some of their wasteful spending into repairs/maintenance rather than all these foolish expansion projects all these college boys dream up at USDOT. I don't know how the interstates look in other states, but now they're going through Georgia and moving all the exit/entrance ramps about a hundred yards from the bridges, which eats up HUGE dollars in land condemnation, not even counting the construction costs. It's funny how the ramps have been fine since the 60's fairly close to the bridges, but now all of a sudden they've got to make every interchange a 50 acre major overhaul. Other stupid thing they've done is change all the left turn lanes in Ga. on 4 lane divided hiways to move them over to almost headon with the left turn lane coming from the other direction. For all these years they were fine right beside the lane someone was getting over from to turn or U turn, but NOW all of a sudden there has to be about a 50 foot space whereever the room is available for it, and of course what usta' be grass in all that area is solid asphault. The gov't has also absolutely squandered 10's of billions on the ridiculous Persons with Disabilities Act, which mandates that all red lighted intersections on state and U.S. routes must have electronic crosswalks and the curbs cut down for wheelchair access. Being in the business of supplying medical equipment INCLUDING wheelchairs, I'm more sensitive than most people to the special needs of wheelchair bound people, but when riding down rural highways and spotting all of this electronic gizmo and re-configured concrete curbing down to street level in some places that didn't even have curbing previously, it becomes one of John Staussel's (spelling?) "gimme' a break" situations.

These DOT engineers that dream up all this crap (although Congress' brain fart is responsible for the crosswalks) can come up with more unneeded crap to just plain throw away money than anything I've ever seen.

The USDOT needs to tighten their belts just like everybody else nowdays, and get rid of some of the worthless bureacrats it employs that have nothing better to do than sit around and design unneed expansion projects that don't do anything to improve traffic flow.

[mr_velocity]

I caught the end of the news on the radio this afternoon, they said something about changing the speeds from 65 back to 55. I couldn't find any news on it, did anyone else here this?

[chynewalkr]

the tax doesn't scare me as much as this does!!

"While details have not been worked out, such a system would mean equipping every car and truck with a device that uses global positioning satellites and transponders to record how many miles the vehicle has been driven, and perhaps the type of roads and time of day."

kiss your freedom completely goodbye!:mad::mad:

[RED ALERT]

the tax doesn't scare me as much as this does!It's all scary, but just think of the ways government could abuse this against taxpayers.
Oregon governor looking at GPS-based mileage tax to fund roads (http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/31/oregon-governor-looking-at-gps-based-mileage-tax-to-fund-roads/)

Similarly, I keep waiting for the Illinois I-Pass transponder to be used as a tool for issuance of speeding tickets by calculating time to distance.

The gas tax increase is the tip of the iceberg.
As local, state and federal agencies run short of money,gas taxes,red light cameras, speed traps, user fees, etc. will all be used in the war against the taxpayer.

Ironically, cheap gas has been one of the biggest stimuluses the economy has right now and here is Uncle Sam trying to raise the price instead of cutting back or prioritizing spending.
Contrast the proposed gas tax increase with Obama wanting to give more stimulus checks out and it all seems like one big Ponzi scheme.

[RobF]

its not just cheap gas, they say we are driving less and using more fuel efficient vehicles, I guess we cant win.

[Hippie459MN]

You guys think you pay a lot of taxes to go down the road... Try owning a now 1 man trucking company. lol I sold 3 of my trucks a bit over a year ago cause I just wasn't making it with this failed economy and $5 a gallon diesel so it was sell all my trucks but 1 and work my ass off or loose everything so 3 of them had to go.

I have to pay a 2290 Tax aka Heavy Highway use tax once a year ($550)
IFTA (International Fuel Tax Agreement) once a year (Taxed based on the miles run in each state so it is different every year and yes, we have to keep track of it as best as we can.)
Tax at the pump that seems to be going up
$1800 a year for registration (Lic tabs more less).
And then not to mention my yearly state and federal taxes I do every 3 months.

So when I see that they want to raise tax at the pump its BS because in the trucking magazines and on a few trucking related talk shows on the XM Radio, They have talked about all these plans to raise money for roads because in the past, The states have taken the money that was to be used for the roads and spent it elsewhere that wasn't really needed and now the roads are falling apart and they don't know where to get all this extra money from and the only way they can think is to screw us over even more than they already have. lol

Just my .02 cents.

[Forkin' Crazy]

I thought I heard this on the TV yesterday.... but couldn't believe my ears. Didn't see anything on the internet until your link.....

Freaking gov!!! They can screw up a wet dream! :mad:

[Pro300x24LD]

the tax doesn't scare me as much as this does!!

"While details have not been worked out, such a system would mean equipping every car and truck with a device that uses global positioning satellites and transponders to record how many miles the vehicle has been driven, and perhaps the type of roads and time of day."

kiss your freedom completely goodbye!:mad::mad:Yea, I wouldnt be too thrilled about that at all.

[amityray]

its not just cheap gas, they say we are driving less and using more fuel efficient vehicles, I guess we cant win.

Thats the sad thing about this. Everyone was saying we should conserve, that we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. So thats exactly what happened. Americans are driving less and buying more fuel efficient cars. Basicly doing what should be done and we still get screwed, your right we just cant win!!
How about not giving congress their raise and putting that money towards repairing roads. If company is projecting a deficit wouldn't it make sense that no one gets a raise. Or the money is put toward paying down a debt.

[pyro]

Your parents were probably bitching back when the majority of the country's entire interstate systems were constructed with Federal tax dollars, and those cost a lot more than moving interchange ramps. Without any real domestic economy, we're struggling to maintain what we've built on years of good economic times.

It's a good thing we built those freeways back when we did, when private businesses were still thriving, jobs were plentiful, import goods and laborers were few, and every family on the street owned a new or "newer" car to drive on those new interstates.

I guess China is making huge strides with their transportation systems these days. :rolleyes:

[Steve 1]

Any of you guys seen this?? sorry about the link but it bothered me!



http://www.seriousoffshore.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3055
====================================================

[Forkin' Crazy]

Any of you guys seen this?? sorry about the link but it bothered me!



http://www.seriousoffshore.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3055
====================================================

Yea, I saw that. More government waste. You want something "F"ed up, let the government take control!

[Euroski]

We did our part... why can't they:mad:

We drove less
We replaced our gas pigs with efficient vehicles
Some sold their boats
We boated less
etc, etc...


And what do we get more taxes.
BTW, here in Pennsylvania they are talking raising gas
taxes above what the feds do!

[Forkin' Crazy]

We did our part... why can't they:mad:

We drove less
We replaced our gas pigs with efficient vehicles
Some sold their boats
We boated less
etc, etc...


And what do we get more taxes.
BTW, here in Pennsylvania they are talking raising gas
taxes above what the feds do!

Congress do their part? Sure they are... riding in private jets and limos. Yea sure..... I bet they won't take a cut in pay either!

[sho305]

I argue with a family member about this, they think we should raise gas tax. I agree it would do the best job at causing people to buy more efficient cars and operate them the same way, but what a can of worms. You know if they get more money it will be spent before they ink the bill, and do nothing for us. Here they blew IIRC $300,000 to put up a turtle fence on the highway, and people got hot but no change in their MO. Then they had to fix it and that cost more money. MI is wanting to raise every tax including gas, income, and anything else they can think of and in general have some of the highest taxes on that stuff now. They did raise electric and natural gas already to supposedly pay for wind farms.

Another issue is you kill boating, large families, people that live in rural areas, really hurt the poor, etc., and things that just take more gas to live that way not to mention the entire economy of course. I think the original idea was to have CAFE to make more efficient vehicles without raising gas up, but idiot politicians can't seem to make that work. So what is left? If every car was a hybrid it would not cost much more to make them, for example, but with cheap gas nobody will buy them so what do you do?

One guy I read about had the idea to charge a tax and send it all back to drivers. That way if you used less gas you make money on the deal, but again it does not seem like the best solution. I think they could do a smaller tax and use it for incentives to buy better vehicles maybe as well as roads....but funny how they are calling for like DOUBLING the current tax? Yeah, I want billions to waste too.

I really think if Obama required only half the people in government to actually do their jobs so much more would get done in government we would not recognize it as the USA government. I mean here is idiot Barney Frank at these Madhoff hearings saying SEC personnel should not be blamed for this....so who should, me? What a bald faced liar, propagating the nobody-is-responsible-for-anything mantra that caused and is prolonging most of this mess as it is. Congress should be putting SEC heads on the chopping block or just go home and give up this silly charade. It is bad enough we have, according to the actions of congress, to wait for Obama to get into office before they do anything. Our congress is paralyzed until they have a new leader to ignore because their do-nothing agenda is more important than we are. I'm sure they don't fly on jets like automakers who depend on a banking system....some things never change: the :icon_bs:

This government may have to learn the hard way, that when you don't produce then you don't afford things.

[beer30]

What the Hell happened to drilling offshore???? How can these people who are in Washington actually not want to do this??? Presently the the country uses petroleum for everything; If we have our own supply we should be trying to retrieve it for the GOOD of the country.:mad::icon_bs::icon_bs::rolleyes: Chuck

[sho305]

What the Hell happened to drilling offshore???? How can these people who are in Washington actually not want to do this??? Presently the the country uses petroleum for everything; If we have our own supply we should be trying to retrieve it for the GOOD of the country.:mad::icon_bs::icon_bs::rolleyes: Chuck
That word is not valid in reference to the US government.

[RED ALERT]

Wait till Obama has his job core raking leaves in the forest, squeegeeing water off the beaches and building bridges to nowhere.
The country is broke, the states are broke, town/cities are broke and on Obama blabs about government created jobs and more stimulus checks. Did I miss something, did Uncle Sam win the lottery?
Sure glad we loaned the automakers all those billions (sarcasm), but it's too bad that money couldn't have gone for infrastructure improvements,roadways or some other essential.
Once again, rubes like you and I that pay our bills and conduct ourselves in a fiscally responsible manner will pick up the slack vis a vi an increased gas tax, etc..I'm really wishing I had a government guaranteed pension to retire on at 50.
Oh yeah and Congress gets a raise. This economic circus would be entertaining if it were in Venezuela, Cuba or some other broken down socialist chit hole, but sadly this is happening here and now, to us.

Ronald Reagan said it best:
[Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
Which leads to another quote, from another great, Yogi Berra:

It's déjà vu all over again

[Euroski]

for the GOOD of the country.:mad::icon_bs::icon_bs::rolleyes: Chuck



Or... the good of who's pockets! I'm sure it's not us at the bottom of the ladder!

[stokernick]

:mad:local state senator[been there about 30 years] sends out a 5 question survey,wants feedback.one question:should the government eliminate wasteful spending.!!!!!!:(Needless to say I have had a ball answering his survey and daring him to respond.:icon_bs:All the years he's been in office and he needs a survey to help him do his job!And you wonder why I want 6 year term limits on EVERYTHING!!!:eek: