Mileage Tax Is A Terrible Idea

Currently this country has far too many miles of overcrowded and deteriorating roadways, and crumbling bridges that are reaching the danger point. This is because for the years they were in power, the Republicans were more interested in giving tax breaks to their rich buddies and promoting the use of fossil fuels.

This has left America in trouble. We now must not only rebuild our poorly kept infrastructure, but we also need to reduce our dependence on and use of fossil fuels. These carbon-based fuels are not only destroying our climate, but they leave us far too dependent on oil imported from foreign countries (many of whom are not our friends).

To undertake the massive rebuilding of our infrastructure, huge amounts of new money are now needed. At its current level, the federal gas tax cannot supply the money in the amounts that are needed. That is why some in Congress have come up with a new idea for taxing Americans. They want to tax U.S. drivers for each mile they drive. This is a terrible idea.

How are they going to do this? Are they going to use GPS devices to monitor where and how much each American drives? If so, this is a clear invasion of privacy. Frankly, it is not the government's business to know where, when or how much any American drives. Using such an electronic device to monitor Americans just smacks a little too much of Big Brother.

Senator Boxer (D-California), a proponent of the mileage tax, doesn't want to use the technology to monitor Americans. Instead, she said we should use the "honor system" and let each American report his own mileage. This is just as bad. Then you would have honest people paying the tax and dishonest people being rewarded by not having to pay.

And there are plenty of cheaters who wouldn't pay their part. Just look at the income tax and note how many people try to cheat on their taxes. Are we going to have to have mileage tax inspectors to keep people honest? Do we really want that?

But collecting the tax without invading a citizen's privacy is just one of the things wrong with this mileage tax. It would also encourage the use of carbon-based fuels at a time when we really need to discourage their use. With a mileage tax, the person who drives a small energy-efficient car will pay the same as someone who drives a huge gas-guzzling SUV, if they drive the same amount of miles.

Americans have always loved their large and powerful gas-guzzlers. They are not going to have any incentive to give them up, if the small cars must pay the same tax for mileage driven. There is a better way to finance our infrastructure -- the existing gas tax.

It makes a lot more sense to simply raise the gas tax to raise the needed money. That will raise the cost of gasoline -- perhaps significantly. But that is actually a good thing. The more gasoline costs, the more Americans will have an incentive to drive less miles and drive those miles in more energy-efficient vehicles.

This will give us a double-barreled bonus. It will reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and it will also help to slow the impending global climactic change caused by the use of carbon-based fuels. Doesn't that make more sense?

The mileage tax is a terrible idea, and we need to nip it in the bud before it gains momentum.

A Republican Making Sense ?

I think it's become obvious to anyone who drives that TxDOT has let our Texas roads fall behind where they should be. There are many roads and bridges in bad need of repair, and in some areas, the roads just aren't capable of handling the ever increasing traffic. Both parties know something has to be done -- the question is what.

The governor and most of his Republican cronies thought they had the solution a few years ago. They wanted to turn many roads over to private companies who would build new toll roads or turn existing roads into toll roads. The highlight of this plan was the boondoggle called the Trans-Texas Corridor. The only problem was they forgot to ask Texans what they wanted, and they quickly found out Texans don't want private companies building toll roads.

Our governor would still like to build the private toll roads. He just wants to do it slower and more secretively -- maybe do it in smaller pieces and under the people's radar.

Frankly, this is the most expensive way for Texas motorists (and the most lucrative for his corporate buddies). It would be cheaper for everyone to just raise the gas tax and build free roads, but few legislators in Austin have the political courage to do that (from either party).

However, it looks like at least one legislator is trying to do the right thing, and surprisingly, he is a Republican -- Senator John Carona of Dallas. Carona has just sent a letter to his colleagues in both houses with a proposal that could put Texas on the right path, or at least make a start down that path. His proposal is to:

* index the motor fuel tax so it increases with inflation (this may be the only way to raise the tax until the legislators grow a spine).

* make TxDOT a more efficient agency with fewer employees.

* get TxDOT to raise funds by fully levering its debt capacity.

* minimize toll roads & private partnerships.

* amend Tx Constitution to prevent diversion of transportation funds to other uses.

Now I'm not crazy enough to believe this proposal will solve all our road problems, but it is a hell of a lot better than building private toll roads. It is a start -- a step in the right direction.

Gas Tax Should Be Raised Significantly

There is no doubt that the roads and bridges in Texas and the United States are in need of serious repair. For the last few years, Republicans both on the state and national level have been only interested in cutting taxes for their rich friends, and have ignored our crumbling infrastructure.

Now we are left with overcrowded highways full of potholes and bridges on the verge of collapse. It is obvious that something must be done.

A congressional committee was assigned to determine what should be done. The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission has now reported its findings. Like it or not, this committee says we must bite the bullet and raise the national gas tax by 25-40 cents a gallon. The federal tax is currently 18.4 cents a gallon.

They further said the states should also raise their portion of the gas tax. Currently, Texas has a 20 cent a gallon tax.

The committee is right. We cannot ignore our infrastructure any longer. I believe we should raise both the federal and the state gas tax by 25 cents a gallon for each.

This would add 50 cents to the cost of a gallon of gas, but it is needed. However, I would couple this rise in the gas tax with an absolute ban on new toll roads, including the Trans-Texas Corridor.

Of course our Republican leadership is howling over the proposed gas tax hikes. They would like voters to believe they are opposed to taxes being raised. That is a lie.

They are not opposed to imposing new taxes on Texas and United States citizens. They just want to hide their tax raise by calling it a toll, and funneling it into the pockets of rich corporations instead of using it to build new (free) roads and repairing older roads and bridges.

The truth is that their hidden toll tax would actually cost ordinary citizens more than an honest raising of the gas tax, and it would provide less in the repairing and modernizing of our infrastructure.

It is time to stop believing the Republican lies while paying their exorbitant hidden taxes. It is time to significantly raise the gas tax, ban all new toll roads and rebuild our infrastructure.

TxDOT Running Out Of Money ?

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) says it is having "cash flow" problems, and is threatening to delay $900 million of construction projects statewide. They cite rising construction costs and $600 million in federal funds that have been cut.

Frankly, after their recent actions, I'm not at all sure I trust TxDOT anymore. If they are so short of funds, why are they wasting $7 to $9 million dollars on a public relations campaign to sell the idea of toll roads, which they would then turn over to private companies? Wouldn't this money be better spent on our state roads and highways?

We have already seen that they're willing to make secret contracts with private foreign companies to take thousands of acres of prime Texas land and build a huge toll road (the Trans-Texas Corridor boondoggle). Are they telling us the whole truth now?

I don't doubt they don't have the money to build all the roads they would like to build. But I suspect the $900 million construction delay of roads already approved is just a heavy-handed attempt to blackmail Texans into accepting the private toll roads they want.

While all these private toll roads would create windfall profits for the corporate buddies of our Republican state leadership, it would be a very bad deal for ordinary Texans. Our state has a proud history of having one of the best FREE road systems in the nation. But since they came to power, the Republicans have been far more interested in cutting taxes for the rich and filling corporate bank accounts than in keeping our road system up-to-date.

Now they not only want to build new toll roads for private companies, they also want to turn many of our freeways into toll roads and give them away to private corporations. The whole fiendish plot is insane!

If more funds are needed, then the gas tax should be raised. At present, the state gas tax is 20 cents. While it would not be pleasant, a raise in the gas tax would actually be cheaper on Texas drivers than the many proposed toll roads. But they don't want Texans to know that, because then they couldn't give our roads to their corporate buddies.

Don't let TxDOT and their Republican masters blackmail you into accepting private toll roads. Vote these people out of office as soon as possible. Elect people who will replace TxDOT leaders and keep our roads open to all Texans.

Toll Roads Are Not The Solution

I think everyone believes that Texas needs more and better roads and highways. At one time, Texas had one of the best road systems in the nation. That is no longer true.

The question is not whether we need to build new roads and improve existing roads. We do. The question is how do we pay for the new roads and improvements.

Our governor and his cohorts think the answer is to privitize much of our road system. They want to let corporations build the roads and then own them for 50 years or more, charging Texans to drive on what should be their own roads. These corporations would be guaranteed enormous profits. If the tolls don't provide these profits (because many would not be able to afford them), then the state would be obligated to pay the corporations out of our tax funds. This is just a very bad deal for ordinary Texans.

The reason our politicians want to let corporations build and profit from our road system is because they are too gutless to solve the problem themselves. They think if they raise the gas tax to cover the costs of new roads, the public will be angry and won't re-elect them. I believe they are misjudging the people of Texas.

It is true that Texans got angry when the gas companies raised the prices recently and recorded enormous record-breaking windfall profits. The reason they were angry is because they knew they were being gouged and were receiving nothing for the huge increase in price.

Our legislators are afraid to raise the gas tax 10-12 cents a gallon. In truth, I believe that Texans would accept an even larger jump in the gas tax - as long as it all went to pay for much-needed new roads and improvements, and to avoid the imposition of more toll roads.

If after raising the gas tax we still need to build some toll roads, then the state should build those roads. There are some things that just should not be privatized, and roads are one of those things. They are too important to all Texans.

Years ago, a new roadway was needed between Dallas and Fort Worth, but funds were tight then as they are now. It was built and operated as a toll road. However, when enough money was collected to pay for building the road, they tore down the toll booths and made it a freeway (I-30). If we must have a toll road, it should only be to pay the building costs - not to put enormous profits into some corporation's pockets.

Private roads are a bad idea. It is time our legislators solved the problems we elected them to solve, and stop trying to sell us out to the corporations.