Can you imagine what they’d be up to if there weren’t surpluses?
Looks like toll roads are being looked into again for Tennessee:
While charging for highway access has been a common way to fund road building and maintenance in much of the country, most of the South has resisted the trend.
But that could change as federal funding for road projects dries up and states try to ward off gas-tax increases amid spiking fuel costs.
Tennessee has had substantial surpluses. Yet, they’re looking into this, increasing cigarette taxes (while also looking to ban smoking – and that’s just stupid), and taxing your propane for grilling. Even when they’re fat and happy, it’s not enough.
I say no thanks.
May 29th, 2007 at 10:42 am
Someday I will set aside the time to write an essay that has been bubbling in my head for a while:
“What is the government gonna do for taxes when electric cars don’t need fuel at the station?”
Sure, there will be some people who will “recharge” in a hurry at the station, but most people will be “recharging” at home (in the evening) and there won’t be any “gas tax” to pay for “road repairs and improvements”.
I don’t think the politicos and greenies have looked ahead and realized that a conversion to non-gasoline economy will destroy a huge income stream.
It may come to be that nearly all roads will become toll roads….
May 30th, 2007 at 2:44 am
While charging for highway access has been a common way to fund road building and maintenance in much of the country, most of the South has resisted the trend.
Been a while is I traveled much, but the only toll roads I’ve ever driven on were east of the Mississippi. Does some of the northern midwest and some of the northeast constitute “much of the country”?
May 30th, 2007 at 7:44 am
The East and West coasts are “much of the country”. Hence the way they refer to everything else as “fly-over country”. As in, “they fly over it when going from one to the other”. If it isn’t on the coast, it doesn’t really matter to them.