Posted on 04/22/2014 2:42:16 PM PDT by ThethoughtsofGreg
The Department of Transportation (DOT) released a report this past Tuesday showing that the Highway Trust Fund will run out of money by this August. The fund is the primary way by which the government maintains our roads and highways. While the fund received a $9.7 billion dollar infusion from the General Fund just after the start of this fiscal year, the fund’s outlays continue to outpace receipts and it will soon be in the red.
To be sure, part of the reason for this is that transportation infrastructure costs are on the rise. As the highways built in the 1960s and 70s start to hit the end of their expected life-cycle, many of our nation’s roads and highways will need to be repaired or rebuilt. While these legitimate infrastructure costs are rising, money from the fund is regularly wasted on projects that are uncritical, serve a relatively small portion of the populous, or take much longer than intended. The result is that only 62 cents of every dollar of fuel tax collected actually goes to building roads according to the Heritage Foundation. Because a significant portion of large-scale transportation infrastructure projects are financed through the federal fund, states have little incentive to prioritize the projects they take on or keep costs down on existing projects. The infamous “Bridge to Nowhere” in Alaska is the classic example of this. $320 million was earmarked for a bridge from a small town to an island with a population of 50 people.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanlegislator.org ...
Yes!
Its out of TRUST!
In a world run by Democrats, funding for the Entitlement Army is always going to outrank funding for places for personal vehicles to spew their evil emissions into Gaia.
It is time to kill the federal gas tax
Let me guess...raise federal gas taxes! Liberals are idiots.
Don’t worry, the government will SOLVE this problem by installing transponders in our cars (or simply using license plate cameras - no difference), and then CHARGING US based on where we drive, when we drive, whether we drive alone, what we drive, and how far we drive.
We will get an ITEMIZED bill via E-Mail from the government. And the Tea Party will be HAPPY, because gas taxes never went, and tolls are a “user fee”, so no issue there.
My point is that, as we’re learning now in Texas, WE WILL PAY to drive, one way or another. That is a FACT.
One more step to being a turd world country: a crumbling, unsafe infrastructure.
Where the ONLY frigging airport around is.
There is tons of traffic for the ferry there.
I wish the media would quit mis-characterizing that.
/johnny
30 some percent makes it back to the highways and bridges - after the DC politicians and their pals blow the rest on waste, fraud, and abuse on their non highway projects ?
They’ve been blowing highway money on other non transportation related crap for decades. Its one more “Lockbox” that they made a key for and dip into it every chance they get.
That’s because they play trains, build bike paths, and greenbelts with the tax monies taken via fuel tax, instead of building roads and bridges for vehicles.
Both the feds and the states have been siphoning off highway tax money (mostly gasoline but there are others) for decades.
Had that money been invested in ongoing maintenance as was intended there would be no highway condition crisis.
“30 some percent makes it back to the highways and bridges - after the DC politicians and their pals blow the rest on waste, fraud, and abuse on their non highway projects ?”
Earmarks for congressional vote buying.
I bet it’s all being spent on special projects to make Eco-nuts, gays and Muslims happy
What “Highway Trust Fund?” Hahahahahahah!!
Rain gardens, bike paths, high speed rail, bus stations.....
Any gubmint program with ‘trust’ in it is doomed to fail.
Billions in Highway Taxes Diverted to General Spending
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2160309/posts
Out of Gas: Congress Raids the Highway Trust Fund
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2334601/posts
The (MN)governor’s bonding bill totals $850 million. Only 5 percent of that is dedicated to roads. This is all you need to know about where the governor’s priorities are.
In Jackson Michigan they approved $2 million from transportation funding to tear down a massive concrete wall they never should have built. Cascades park has a big fountain/waterfall with lights etc. In the 80s they decided to put up a big concrete wall to prevent non paying people from looking at it now they want to tear it down and put up wrought iron fence.
Fortunately a all hell broke loose and they decided to find the money somewhere else.
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