The President wants more toll roads and privatization of mass transit systems. It seems that since we are driving less and using more fuel efficient vehicles, we are paying less fuel tax. Fuel taxes are what are used to finance roads and bridges. Wall Street Journal story.
Our infrastructure is crumbling and what could be better than private roads, funded by well to do people with pay pass transponders on their dash boards? How about roads we all can use? Why would the private sector build transit projects in areas where they are not assured of a good return on their money? Rural areas would be stuck with expensive toll roads and little or no alternative. Are private companies going to build hiking and biking trails into their toll roads? Probably not. What would be their incentive? Would the private sector be U.S. companies or are we talking about selling off the country to foreign interests sitting on piles of U.S. dollars?
Another problem is right of way. Is it right for a government to take private property and give or sell it to another private concern because they want to make a profit? Wouldn't this be fascism? Oh yeah, and just because they are private doesn't mean the state would have much say over how they are built. See fight over O.C. toll roads.
It is my opinion that we should raise the Federal Excise Tax and the tax at the gas, hydrogen and ethanol pumps to pay for our nations roads and bridges.
As for mass transit, private companies don't do it very well, the airlines have to be bailed out all the time, and slow bus and train routes need to be subsidised anyway. Why give up control over these things when we are the ones that pay when they aren't making money?
Our infrastructure is crumbling and what could be better than private roads, funded by well to do people with pay pass transponders on their dash boards? How about roads we all can use? Why would the private sector build transit projects in areas where they are not assured of a good return on their money? Rural areas would be stuck with expensive toll roads and little or no alternative. Are private companies going to build hiking and biking trails into their toll roads? Probably not. What would be their incentive? Would the private sector be U.S. companies or are we talking about selling off the country to foreign interests sitting on piles of U.S. dollars?
Another problem is right of way. Is it right for a government to take private property and give or sell it to another private concern because they want to make a profit? Wouldn't this be fascism? Oh yeah, and just because they are private doesn't mean the state would have much say over how they are built. See fight over O.C. toll roads.
It is my opinion that we should raise the Federal Excise Tax and the tax at the gas, hydrogen and ethanol pumps to pay for our nations roads and bridges.
As for mass transit, private companies don't do it very well, the airlines have to be bailed out all the time, and slow bus and train routes need to be subsidised anyway. Why give up control over these things when we are the ones that pay when they aren't making money?
