Taxes on alternative fuels?

[Don_Papenburg]

Ron we have the system for taxing the ones who want to go faster, ask my wife , Wisconsin has a tough system cost her $200 to go a little over . but then she had to go faster to make up for the time spent so they could collect . The system still needs some tweeking.

Bill you should check out Illinois tollroads .  You need a electronic transponder or you have to stop at a couple of brandnew manned toll booths with very slow government employees.  Talk about a step backwards ,what did they do with all the unmaned automatic toll booths? The ones that did not require a slow gov employee? 

[DanG]

I don't object to toll roads and bridges, as long as they are primarily for a certain group of people who go to a certain place.  For instance, the immensely expensive bridge that goes to St. George's Island, just south of me, is just for the people who want to bake their brains out or rent one of the cottages for vacation.  I don't feel that I, or the rest of you should have to pay for that.

What I DO object to is that a few states have shanghaied portions of the Interstate Highway System, which we have already paid for, and are charging tolls for us to use.  To me, this is nothing short of highway robbery! 

There is an attitude in some circles that "the Feds" should pay for certain things.  Well, "the Feds" is me and you, folks!  Lets come up with some ways to actually conserve some resources and save some money, not just ways to get somebody else to pay for it.

[Bill]

Don
We've got some fancy "EZPass" electronic toll gates now on the PA Trnpk ( think Interstate -76/276 ) . My objection to them is now they've admitted they eliminated some of the employees and are just going for the $$$$ and they gotta outside firm doing it so they need to factor their expenses and profit in on top of what the state gets. Plus I'm not normally a privacy freak but I kinda object to a system that tracks where my car is - at least I have a weird feeling about some stranger able to track my cars going places - kinda as if someone was following me around (?) - and I'm not that exciting .

DanG
Now I know the Romans used tolls to pay for their roads but I think they were the first. So why we need to go back to 2000 year old technology is beyond me - doesn't seem like something a rational man would do. My objection to toll roads is that I pay road taxes for roads out in the middle of the state that I'll never see  - why should I now have to pay additional taxes for the roads I do use. If they want toll roads for the roads I use then I think I should get back the road tax they collected on gas for the roads in Emporium PA etc .

IMHO - I think that there are roads throughout the state and whether I use them or not ( they're there iffen I need 'em ) my road tax from gas goes to their construction and maintenance - don't need another tax - toll - for the roads I do actually use . Waste of time and oil/gas plus lets too many bureaucrats put their hand in the till so to speak .

Course just my $.02

[Ron Wenrich]

And, if our governor wouldn't have taken $500 million from gas tax receipts and given them for mass transit in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, there wouldn't be any talk about toll roads on I-80.

Tolls from interstate roads can only be used on that highway.  I don't have any problem with it.  The PA Turnpike is a lot better than most of the interstates in the state.  All because they have tolls, and have always had tolls.

The patronage system they have there is pretty corrupt.  But, so is all the top tier forms of management in the patronage system.  All those legislators that we threw out said they could get better jobs working in the private sector.  Most of them came back to the state teat after they were canned.  Our rep lost his $70,000/year job and accepted one for $35,000/year with the state.  He's still overpaid.   

[Bill]

Ron

FWIW -  Our Gov also just finished a major reconstruction/expansion of the Pa Trnpk for the Phila area to the tune of hundreds and hundreds of millions ( my estimate from checking on the cost per mile of interstate construction times the number of miles they did ). My thought is now the piper is due and the Gov doesn't  want the people to see how much he spent ( gave away ? ) so its to be buried  inside this sale/lease deal he's cooked up.

[OneWithWood]

Better hope your govenor is not talking to our govenor.  Our boy Mitch done sold the Indiana toll road to some Spanish/Australian consortium.  Got 3.5 billion for it and he is still crying for money.  Now he is trying to sell us a new toll road in the southern half of the state and the state lottery is up for sale. 

[Ron Wenrich]

Our gov talked about selling the lottery, as well.  He's a lame duck, and now he's getting really bold.  He can't be reelected.  Our legislature is walking on egg shells since we threw 20% of them out of office and threw a superior court judge out because he spent too much money on perks.  We really got their attention.

We have just recently got slots in for the purpose reducing property tax.  So far, the gov has given out money for a new arena for the Pittsburgh Penguins (so they wouldn't leave) and I think some sort of stadium money.  Meanwhile, us taxpayers haven't seen a dime.

I figure by next year at this time, we'll be back with our pitchforks and storming the capitol again.