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karynnj

(60,956 posts)

65. The flaw with the "you already paid for them" argument is that they have yearly maintance

Thu May 1, 2014, 09:55 AM

May 2014

You could argue that tolls are a user fee and the users support the ongoing costs of those roads and build reserves for additions. This also allows collection of higher tolls on big trucks that are rougher on the highways (assuming they are). It also provides a means to encourage public transportation into crowded major cities. (In England, it is very expensive to enter London especially during the most heavily used times.) Where this is NOT the case are examples where the tolls go to the general treasury and are used for something else that is unrelated.

In some states with budget problems, some highways are currently "run" by private companies - I would far prefer they remain the property of the government with the government collecting tolls.

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White House opens door to tolls on interstate highways, removing long-standing prohibition. [View all] dixiegrrrrl Apr 2014 OP

Mass Pike already has tolls... I pay 'em daily. Agschmid Apr 2014 #1

i'm used to tolls as well. some speak as if this means the end of america or something... dionysus May 2014 #49

It sure is an odd thread... Agschmid May 2014 #68

You mean "threads" jberryhill May 2014 #104

no hfojvt May 2014 #93

from what you described, i think the interstates of NY, MA, NH and ME have spoiled me. dionysus May 2014 #100

You may be used to tolls, but ... Laelth May 2014 #110

well, since we can't get an appropriations bill through, or raise taxes due to fillibustering or the dionysus May 2014 #111

We will simply have to reduce the amount that we give to the states for roads. Laelth May 2014 #114

yes, i care, i just don't agree with your conclusion. you could be right, you could be wrong. nt. dionysus May 2014 #118

I admit that my crystal ball is not perfect. Laelth May 2014 #121

point taken. maybe because where a grew up, where i live, and driving between the two, there dionysus May 2014 #123

There's very little we can get through the House, no doubt. Laelth May 2014 #124

Can I just say here you are correct about that huge outcry, because dixiegrrrrl May 2014 #138

The fact that northeasterners are acclimated to paying tolls to use their own public infrastructure lumberjack_jeff May 2014 #127

You lost me... Agschmid May 2014 #133

+1! Enthusiast May 2014 #134

Jesus, we can't fly NV Whino Apr 2014 #2

This. ^^^^^ +1000 n/t Beartracks Apr 2014 #8

They would if there weren't so many 1% asshole reps in the Senate and House. Cha Apr 2014 #15

All part of the plan. woo me with science May 2014 #33

The plan is the ownership society. zeemike May 2014 #41

On Wednesday's The Cycle on MSNBC, there was another piece of the picture featured ChisolmTrailDem May 2014 #42

I see it too. zeemike May 2014 #57

You are absolutely on target. dixiegrrrrl May 2014 #70

Damn....I had no idea how right I was. zeemike May 2014 #80

have you heard of "rentier" capitalism? dixiegrrrrl May 2014 #85

I first heard the term from Max Kaiser. zeemike May 2014 #89

Definitly what is ocurring, life will be a rental from the 1%. But what really gets to RKP5637 May 2014 #52

When you control the media you control the perception of the people. zeemike May 2014 #60

IMO democrats are horrible when it comes to communication and the media, and control of the media RKP5637 May 2014 #61

Well IMO zeemike May 2014 #63

Exactly!!! Well said!!! n/t RKP5637 May 2014 #66

Exactly. (n/t) villager May 2014 #102

^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^ truebrit71 May 2014 #96

You are correct. Enthusiast May 2014 #136

could not agree more! mountain grammy May 2014 #35

+1,000,000: "Tax the damned 1%!!!" Auggie May 2014 #77

Agree Bobbie Jo May 2014 #92

God I wish I could upvote this! n/t betterdemsonly May 2014 #95

Yup. n/t lumberjack_jeff May 2014 #128

and cut the military budget... awoke_in_2003 May 2014 #130

+1 an entire shit load. Enthusiast May 2014 #135

Ain't freedom great? me b zola Apr 2014 #3

USA! USA! USA! SammyWinstonJack May 2014 #116

Ike would vomit. Faryn Balyncd Apr 2014 #4

And the general public picks up the tab for the 1%'s ultra-low taxes again. /nt Marr Apr 2014 #5

And loses substantial basic mobility in the process, based on ability to pay. nt pinboy3niner Apr 2014 #6

It gets better... dixiegrrrrl May 2014 #29

I literally don't know anywhere on earth that doesn't contract out toll collection Recursion May 2014 #47

You are saying you-literally- know every toll system on the planet dixiegrrrrl May 2014 #82

No, I said I didn't know of any that don't Recursion May 2014 #83

+1 Blue_Tires May 2014 #105

Bump...nt Jesus Malverde Apr 2014 #7

Hey, I know - let's fart off any job creation and tax our way to prosperity!! n/t Beartracks Apr 2014 #9

and tax from a declining number of employed people, at that. dixiegrrrrl May 2014 #139

Is it Constitutional to base Freedom of Movement on ability to pay on Federally funded highways? DJ13 Apr 2014 #10

They'll just claim movement isn't restricted, JoeyT May 2014 #34

Yep... We're The Neo-Republicans Now... WillyT Apr 2014 #11

Awaiting with bated breath the coming avalanche of rationalizations n/t markpkessinger Apr 2014 #12

Post removed Post removed Apr 2014 #13

Sounds like another way to track people's movements, more than anything. LeftyMom Apr 2014 #14

That was my first thought. NBachers May 2014 #28

+1 They will be used as Homeland Security checkpoints. woo me with science May 2014 #31

talk about woo- tolls are going to be used to track us AND as HS checkpoints. LOL KittyWampus May 2014 #58

Don't forget the reassuring map. woo me with science May 2014 #62

We have more than our fair share of prophets wearing sandwich boards... LanternWaste May 2014 #109

Yeah! That'll mean jobs for the Bundy crowd! KansDem May 2014 #103

Exactly! LAGC May 2014 #44

Yep. dixiegrrrrl May 2014 #90

They already did remove the toll collectors on the Golden Gate. LeftyMom May 2014 #91

WTF? Why are Democrats now against this? It's a way to make driving more expensive Recursion Apr 2014 #16

You mean a way to make EVERYTHING more expensive, right? cherokeeprogressive Apr 2014 #17

A carbon tax has been the holy grail of liberal revenue policy for a generation now Recursion Apr 2014 #18

A carbon tax on the big corporations is not the same as a tax on the lower classes. The Republicans rhett o rick May 2014 #23

Of course it is. Making people pay for road/carbon use is a VAT, pure and simple Recursion May 2014 #26

This is like the sales tax. It hurts the lower classes. But the conservatives among us rhett o rick May 2014 #27

You should change your avatar: Warren supports a carbon tax, too Recursion May 2014 #38

Unlike some here, I dont worship candidates. Besides charging the poor to drive rhett o rick May 2014 #76

Mass Pike not a State or Fed Funded road 4Q2u2 May 2014 #108

Thank you for the link newblewtoo May 2014 #112

It's a sensible thing to do, really. Spider Jerusalem May 2014 #37

This tax will hurt the poor the most. But I guess that's the idea, right? nm rhett o rick May 2014 #21

Just to be clear: the carbon tax advocated by Howard Dean and Al Gore is now a bad idea? Recursion May 2014 #24

But you support this tax on the lower classes. Isnt that your point here? nm rhett o rick May 2014 #25

Any VAT hits the poor and middle class Recursion May 2014 #36

Are you supporting this tax on the lower classes vs. taxing the wealthy? nm rhett o rick May 2014 #72

I'd like to do both Recursion May 2014 #73

We live in a society where the poor and seniors have to drive. They have no choices. rhett o rick May 2014 #75

Hey, it's all good as long as we win. Puzzledtraveller May 2014 #48

Seems so. nm rhett o rick May 2014 #74

The poor do the most highway miles? jberryhill May 2014 #106

The 99% would be taxed the most. The poor would be hurt the hardest rhett o rick May 2014 #125

I don't know what you means by "would be" jberryhill May 2014 #129

The price of food will rise if states are allowed to toll interstate traffic. Big time. Ikonoklast May 2014 #132

. Skip Intro May 2014 #19

thanks obama nt msongs May 2014 #20

WTF is this shit? blackspade May 2014 #22

The country is being deliberately transformed into something else woo me with science May 2014 #40

Err... that's what this is Recursion May 2014 #45

No it is not. blackspade May 2014 #53

So, what is your imaginary "gas tax" that doesn't land heavily on the poor? Recursion May 2014 #55

Regressive taxes always land heavily on the poor. blackspade May 2014 #98

So how do you get that passed in this Congress? MohRokTah May 2014 #56

It's already passed. blackspade May 2014 #99

There's calls to increase the gas tax. MohRokTah May 2014 #101

Another ''don't look backwards'' policy initiative, eh? DeSwiss May 2014 #30

And surely we'll borrow some money from some megabank in exchange for a contract for the rights Ed Suspicious May 2014 #32

"We don't want the rif-raff whose jobs we've shipped abroad to drive their hoopties... ChisolmTrailDem May 2014 #39

And so it goes Ichingcarpenter May 2014 #43

Let the coronation begin. defacto7 May 2014 #46

Welcome to my world. MadrasT May 2014 #50

Ouch! dixiegrrrrl May 2014 #87

Does that mean that we will not have to pay gas taxes anymore? liberal N proud May 2014 #51

it would be a disaster here (fl). take cars off i-95 and the minor roads ellenfl May 2014 #54

Trillions spent 8000 miles away nationalize the fed May 2014 #59

Roads,Bridges, Schools and Hosptials in Iraq & Afghanistan that got blown up... KoKo May 2014 #78

This allows the states to fix road. It is another way around the obstructionists in congress. They jwirr May 2014 #64

A really bad, regressive way to fund road maintanance. bobduca May 2014 #71

Collapsing bridges affect lower income workers, too. randome May 2014 #86

Yes, I agree but I can also see that it is either let the states use this method or nothing because jwirr May 2014 #107

The flaw with the "you already paid for them" argument is that they have yearly maintance karynnj May 2014 #65

Come on... I buy a house and I don't have to whistler162 May 2014 #131

Always looking out for the common US citizen. L0oniX May 2014 #67

Jesus. AzDar May 2014 #69

Change whatchamacallit May 2014 #79

Sounds a little dangerous ecstatic May 2014 #81

This is unusual to me... wercal May 2014 #84

Will the charges be progressive? i.e. $1 for the poor $100 for the rich? Tierra_y_Libertad May 2014 #88

I believe you have that precisely backwards...now do pass me the Grey Poupon would you? truebrit71 May 2014 #97

This is one of many reasons I have had it with neoliberal dems? betterdemsonly May 2014 #94

From the looks of it the Whitehouse really wants to lose 2014. Xyzse May 2014 #113

It looks that way to me. It's both puzzling and infuriating. n/t Laelth May 2014 #115

Then again, I guess I felt the same way around 2010. Xyzse May 2014 #117

My home state of Georgia is on the verge of turning blue. Laelth May 2014 #119

I live in MD, help in VA... Xyzse May 2014 #122

Obama spoke of his desire for "public private partnerships" in his second term. pa28 May 2014 #120

Less Hope And Change - More Begger My Neighbor cantbeserious May 2014 #126

Obama turning into a libertarian? B Calm May 2014 #137