Am I correct in understanding that as a part of his campaign, Senator McCain is asking the government to incorporate these changes rather than introducing legislation in the Senate to make these changes?
I wonder where he is planning to cut spending to pay for the cuts he proposes. I do see the proposals to halt spending beyond current levels, but I do not see cuts. And I would hate to think about the road projects that might be halted due to lack of funds from the gas taxes.
There is still a State and local tax I believe on the gas, I don't know what the percentages are,but that's where the money for the roads/highways comes from not the Federal. The tolls on the turnpikes also generate funds to maintain the roads.
You're correct that there are still state and local taxes on gasoline. I'm sure those help fund local street projects and state highway work. But aren't federal highways funded by the Highway Trust Fund, which is funded by federal gasoline taxes? I know it used to be that way. The San Francisco bay area, where I live, does not have turnpikes so I can't address that form of funding for roads. Are those owned by the state or by private companies? I'm aware of privately owned turnpikes in Texas. We have tolls on the major bridges in one direction, though if I'm not mistaken those are publicly owned.
Recently PA's Governor Ed Rendell wanted to pass a Bill to privatise the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I don't think it got a very good reception. Rendell hasn't been the best of Governors. I do give him credit for attending our troops who have been killed in Iraq's funerals,though. The other item that was proposed to be privatised in PA is the Liquor Stores.I doubt that will pass. PA just recently got some Casineos.
I still say there is no reason other than Corporate Greed that the Gas has to be so costly in the first place. there are some elite few lining their pockets very well while we American public suffer. Say the gas is 4.00 a gallon, your tank holds 17 gallons(average for a compact car) you purchase gas when your tank is about empty, at 4.00 a gallon, it will cost you 68.00. .18 cents less on a gallon saves you 3.60 cents. that isn't a whole lot of help, now is it?
The report also said bringing all the nation's bridges up to snuff would cost $188 billion over the next two decades.
While the number might sound staggering to some, Dinges says it's "doable."
"That's simply maintaining what we are doing right now," he said.
"New technology, money -- there are resources involved, but I think the big thing is really political leadership, and that has to come at all levels of government," he said.
"There has to be an honest discussion about the financial resources it takes to maintain these systems," he said, adding that infrastructure needs to be a priority.
"There are no Republican bridges. There are no Democratic drinking water purification facilities. We all use these systems," he said.
But Stidger said states aren't getting the money they need to repair their roads and bridges. They're forced to resort to a process of "patch, patch, patch and nothing ever gets repaired," she said.
She likened the process to putting a Band-Aid on a broken elbow and said, "There's only so much you can do with inadequate funding."
The bulk of Highway Trust Fund revenue comes from an 18.4-cents-a-gallon federal gasoline tax. The fund is the primary source of federal money for transportation infrastructure and the interstate highway system.
That tax has not been adjusted since 1993, despite inflation and sharp increases in construction costs, according to the fund's Web site.
"In the eyes of many, political resistance to raising the tax, or indexing it to inflation, remains almost insurmountable in the current climate," the Web site states.
Not only aren't we going to increase it, we are going to cut it entirely for a while??
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"_Raise the tax exemption for each dependent child from $3,500 to $7,000."
LOL!!!! Cha-ching $$$$$
Am I correct in understanding that as a part of his campaign, Senator McCain is asking the government to incorporate these changes rather than introducing legislation in the Senate to make these changes?
I wonder where he is planning to cut spending to pay for the cuts he proposes. I do see the proposals to halt spending beyond current levels, but I do not see cuts. And I would hate to think about the road projects that might be halted due to lack of funds from the gas taxes.
There is still a State and local tax I believe on the gas, I don't know what the percentages are,but that's where the money for the roads/highways comes from not the Federal. The tolls on the turnpikes also generate funds to maintain the roads.
Recently PA's Governor Ed Rendell wanted to pass a Bill to privatise the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I don't think it got a very good reception. Rendell hasn't been the best of Governors. I do give him credit for attending our troops who have been killed in Iraq's funerals,though. The other item that was proposed to be privatised in PA is the Liquor Stores.I doubt that will pass. PA just recently got some Casineos.
I still say there is no reason other than Corporate Greed that the Gas has to be so costly in the first place. there are some elite few lining their pockets very well while we American public suffer. Say the gas is 4.00 a gallon, your tank holds 17 gallons(average for a compact car) you purchase gas when your tank is about empty, at 4.00 a gallon, it will cost you 68.00. .18 cents less on a gallon saves you 3.60 cents. that isn't a whole lot of help, now is it?
How quickly we forget.
Try this article to remember why we NEED the damn federal gas tax....
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/02/bridge.infrastructure/index.html
The report also said bringing all the nation's bridges up to snuff would cost $188 billion over the next two decades.
While the number might sound staggering to some, Dinges says it's "doable."
"That's simply maintaining what we are doing right now," he said.
"New technology, money -- there are resources involved, but I think the big thing is really political leadership, and that has to come at all levels of government," he said.
"There has to be an honest discussion about the financial resources it takes to maintain these systems," he said, adding that infrastructure needs to be a priority.
"There are no Republican bridges. There are no Democratic drinking water purification facilities. We all use these systems," he said.
But Stidger said states aren't getting the money they need to repair their roads and bridges. They're forced to resort to a process of "patch, patch, patch and nothing ever gets repaired," she said.
She likened the process to putting a Band-Aid on a broken elbow and said, "There's only so much you can do with inadequate funding."
The bulk of Highway Trust Fund revenue comes from an 18.4-cents-a-gallon federal gasoline tax. The fund is the primary source of federal money for transportation infrastructure and the interstate highway system.
That tax has not been adjusted since 1993, despite inflation and sharp increases in construction costs, according to the fund's Web site.
"In the eyes of many, political resistance to raising the tax, or indexing it to inflation, remains almost insurmountable in the current climate," the Web site states.
Not only aren't we going to increase it, we are going to cut it entirely for a while??
Hi ML!
Hey, could you tell us how much money goes to the oil company in profit for each gallon of gas sold? I'm just wondering about their profit margin.
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