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Re: California OKs funding for high-speed rail line
Author: Pittsburgher
Date: 07-07-2012 - 18:50
Rich Hunn Wrote:
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> I'm certainly not "anti-everything", and as to the
> highways, they'd pay for themselves if the
> FED and the states would quit siphoning off
> "dedicated" taxes for everything but highways. As
> I
> said before, no matter how attractive the HSR
> project might seem it still has to be paid for
> and
> at last report California is in no position to do
> so or should the people be forced to continue
> forking over their hard earned money for dubious
> projects. Face it, other than the gun, right not
> there's little difference between the government
> and some dude out in the parking lot when it comes
> to demanding money.
No they wouldn't even if all taxes spend on gasoline went to highways. Here in Pennsylvania, the State Constitution prohibits expenditure of gasoline taxes on anything except roads and bridges and yet the condition of the road network is in horrible shape.
At the Federal level, the Highway Trust Fund had to be bailed out with $50 billion from federal non-highway revenue sources which is $10 billion more than spent on Amtrak for its entire 41 years!
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm certainly not "anti-everything", and as to the
> highways, they'd pay for themselves if the
> FED and the states would quit siphoning off
> "dedicated" taxes for everything but highways. As
> I
> said before, no matter how attractive the HSR
> project might seem it still has to be paid for
> and
> at last report California is in no position to do
> so or should the people be forced to continue
> forking over their hard earned money for dubious
> projects. Face it, other than the gun, right not
> there's little difference between the government
> and some dude out in the parking lot when it comes
> to demanding money.
No they wouldn't even if all taxes spend on gasoline went to highways. Here in Pennsylvania, the State Constitution prohibits expenditure of gasoline taxes on anything except roads and bridges and yet the condition of the road network is in horrible shape.
At the Federal level, the Highway Trust Fund had to be bailed out with $50 billion from federal non-highway revenue sources which is $10 billion more than spent on Amtrak for its entire 41 years!
