In a message dated 4/19/2006 12:43:27 PM Mountain Standard Time,
max_heim@sbcglobal.net writes:
The low US gas taxes are essentially subsidizing these people and the
real estate developers, since they do not remotely recover the related costs
to society (freeway construction, widening, and maintenance; expanded
highway patrols; water and sewer hookups to remote areas; school and
infrastructure construction in outlying areas while closing schools and
services in inner cities; loss of farmland near cities, hence increased
transportation costs for food; air and water pollution; climate change,
etc.).
No quibble about the cost of gasoline being too high, but I have to quibble
with the notion that our gas tax, or any tax for that matter is too low.
Since when should gasoline tax pay for everything? I think if you look into
it, the $.15+ per gallon your state gets (and the SUVer pay at least twice
as much in taxes as you do) should go a very long way to builing and
maintaining freeways and other roads. In many states schools are funded by
property
taxes, so if your home is in the 'burbs, your taxes on it fund the local
schools. Developers should be funding the water and sewer hook ups. Closing
schools in inner cities, if indeed they are not needed should save money for
the
cities. Loss of farmland, is due to most valuable use of the land. Don't
worry, the vegetable will grow in Mexico too. Air and water polution, and
climate change...don't worry, the new Ice Age will kill us all before this
becomes a problem, just check out Al Gore's new movie.
If you want to rant about the subsidizing of things by taxation, rant
against subsidizing large families for people who wont work, and subsidizing
illegal immegrants that do not pay taxes.
Just my 2 cents wand way off topic, but I had to get it off my chest.
Regards,
Robert B. Houston
63 TR4
74.5 MGBGT
73 MG Midget
b&Reminds me of my safari in Africa, somebody forgot the corkscrew and for
several days we had to live on nothing but food and water. W. C Fields
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