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Re: Trucks? Taxes? Choo-choo's? Deregulation? And Carload? And policy?
Author: BOB2
Date: 12-16-2020 - 18:42
elbows on hobby shop counter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Interstate 80 is one of the nations arteries, and
> it is perpetually under repair. What could Pete
> do? Have the Fed Govt help states pay for
> repairs, perhaps? Too bad the railroads got out
> of the single carload freight business! Now the
> interstates are trashed from trucks.
>
> Wyoming is considering tolling I-80 to fund
> repairs. "Potholes appear faster than WYDOT can
> fix them."
>
> Nebraska is making repairs in Lincoln and will
> widen I-80 in Omaha from four main lanes each way
> to six lanes through Omaha between I-480 and 680.
>
>
> Illinois is planning to reconstruct a 16-mile
> stretch of I-80 from Ridge Road in Minooka to
> US-30 in Joliet and New Lenox.
>
>
>
> List goes on.
Try this for why the roads suck:
Truck Volumes and Loadings over time
Yes, it takes taxes, and they have not kept up with inflation or much higher repair and replacement costs to higher standards for still more and heavier trucks. No the auto user should not be paying as much in increased gas taxes to pay for it, because at only 20 times the weight, trucks are responsible for most of the serious pavement and structural damage, and require them to be built at much higher standards and costs. We have allowed maximums to rise from under 75,000 pounds to up to 105,000 pounds (depending mostly on the axle loading), and average truck volumes have nearly tripled since things like the I-80 were originally built. And, average truck loadings have doubled over the life of those roads. So the roads are old (some older than me)and beat(also a lot like me), and some bridges are literally falling down from time to time... And, since they bring the beer and toilet paper we will probably have to fix them sooner of later.
Choo-choo's have to pay for that themselves.... Deregulation of choo-choo's allowed for competition under the Staggers Act, which has had some good sides, in encouraging innovation like the intermodal revolution of the 80's. But, then, under the guise of "deregulation" we allowed massive monopolistic mega RR mergers, which undermine free market competition, undermining the benefits of the Staggers act and "free market" competition, with an oligopolistic monopolistic model complete with predatory and/or discriminatory pricing, which has negatively affected some RR markets, such as the carload sector, and has likely put a of trucks on those beat up old roads.
Some folks think deregulation means opening up competition and reducing price gouging, and improving the welfare of all producers and consumers with the most competitive costs. Others, belief that deregulation is letting them do whatever they want to corner the market by mergers in order to have sufficient market power to dictate what their customers will pay for what they have to offer (your cable company is a good example...)take it or leave it, and since now they have a very high degree of oligopolistic/monopolistic dominance, you have to pay to play... And, the impacts of those alternative viewpoints, on all of us, is one of the more interesting policy debates of our era...
Now, let's hear some more of that homophobic projection from the aptly named "troll"...
-------------------------------------------------------
> Interstate 80 is one of the nations arteries, and
> it is perpetually under repair. What could Pete
> do? Have the Fed Govt help states pay for
> repairs, perhaps? Too bad the railroads got out
> of the single carload freight business! Now the
> interstates are trashed from trucks.
>
> Wyoming is considering tolling I-80 to fund
> repairs. "Potholes appear faster than WYDOT can
> fix them."
>
> Nebraska is making repairs in Lincoln and will
> widen I-80 in Omaha from four main lanes each way
> to six lanes through Omaha between I-480 and 680.
>
>
> Illinois is planning to reconstruct a 16-mile
> stretch of I-80 from Ridge Road in Minooka to
> US-30 in Joliet and New Lenox.
>
>
>
> List goes on.
Try this for why the roads suck:
Truck Volumes and Loadings over time
Yes, it takes taxes, and they have not kept up with inflation or much higher repair and replacement costs to higher standards for still more and heavier trucks. No the auto user should not be paying as much in increased gas taxes to pay for it, because at only 20 times the weight, trucks are responsible for most of the serious pavement and structural damage, and require them to be built at much higher standards and costs. We have allowed maximums to rise from under 75,000 pounds to up to 105,000 pounds (depending mostly on the axle loading), and average truck volumes have nearly tripled since things like the I-80 were originally built. And, average truck loadings have doubled over the life of those roads. So the roads are old (some older than me)and beat(also a lot like me), and some bridges are literally falling down from time to time... And, since they bring the beer and toilet paper we will probably have to fix them sooner of later.
Choo-choo's have to pay for that themselves.... Deregulation of choo-choo's allowed for competition under the Staggers Act, which has had some good sides, in encouraging innovation like the intermodal revolution of the 80's. But, then, under the guise of "deregulation" we allowed massive monopolistic mega RR mergers, which undermine free market competition, undermining the benefits of the Staggers act and "free market" competition, with an oligopolistic monopolistic model complete with predatory and/or discriminatory pricing, which has negatively affected some RR markets, such as the carload sector, and has likely put a of trucks on those beat up old roads.
Some folks think deregulation means opening up competition and reducing price gouging, and improving the welfare of all producers and consumers with the most competitive costs. Others, belief that deregulation is letting them do whatever they want to corner the market by mergers in order to have sufficient market power to dictate what their customers will pay for what they have to offer (your cable company is a good example...)take it or leave it, and since now they have a very high degree of oligopolistic/monopolistic dominance, you have to pay to play... And, the impacts of those alternative viewpoints, on all of us, is one of the more interesting policy debates of our era...
Now, let's hear some more of that homophobic projection from the aptly named "troll"...
