Posted on 09/28/2019 6:37:13 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
A cardinal rule of government ought to be: stop wasting money before demanding taxpayers hand over more. When it comes to the Highway Trust Fund and the gas tax, Congress has failed to learn this simple lesson.
The federal highway program is set to expire a year from now, but lawmakers looking to fund their pet projects are eager to get started. So the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has already approved a bill that would authorize billions more in projects than the federal gas tax will bring in. The thing is though, they don’t know how to pay for it.
So naturally, the first thing they want to do is raise the gas tax. That’s actually the last thing they should do.
A healthy road system is integral to a dynamic economy. It allows people and goods to move where they need to efficiently and safely.
The national highway system is financed by the federal gas tax -- a user fee paid by American drivers and collected in the Highway Trust Fund. Washington divvies up the money among the states to help fund road maintenance and improvements.
But Congress routinely writes a highway bill whose cost exceeds what the gas tax takes in – including billions for things that have nothing to do with roads and bridges. The highway bill recently approved by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is no exception.
This bipartisan behemoth, sponsored by Sens. John Barasso (R-Wyo.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.), is being touted as the largest highway bill in history. It would provide $287 billion, $60 billion more than the last highway bill, which was bailed out by $50 billion in general fund revenues.
Now the Senate Finance Committee is charged with finding a way to pay for all this.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
PING!
Perhaps a new goal for Trumps 2nd term would be a line item veto.
I would also like to see each state only allow announcement of election results when each and every precinct is done counting. Of course, this is somehow racist
Imagine Clinton or Obama with a line item veto.
Still think that’s a good idea?
Frivolous and wasteful projects are the food source of the swamp. This has been going on since democrats became majority in congress since the IKE era.
So true, that's what they do. Squander the taxes on non-related items, then squawk for more higher taxes. Sickening!
That's what they do around here with bridge tolls. A temporary increase that becomes permanent. Rather than fix and maintain the bridge, they spend the money on luxury ferry boats and buses, trails, bike paths, and non-bridge projects. Then they demand higher tolls.
Same happens locally with roads. Car owners pay increased registration fees and higher gas taxes. The money is then used to reduce lanes on roads in favor of bicycle lanes and signal lights for bicycles. They should make bicycle owners pay registration fees!
Billions stolen from vehicle owners, and billions more is demanded for frills! Pisses us off. They need to fix the damn roads for vehicle owners.
“Imagine Clinton or Obama with a line item veto.
Still think that’s a good idea?”
What else do they do to stop tacking pet projects 100% unrelated to a bill that has to be passed?
Ok. They gave Clinton the line item veto in 1996. The USSC struck it down in 1998
What is so hard with states paying for their own roads? Even the Interstates within those states should be paid for by the states.
Not to mention lucrative salaries, benefits and pensions.
“A cardinal rule of government ought to be: stop wasting money before demanding taxpayers hand over more.”
Hahahahahahahahah - what planet do you live on?
The other Clinton, Hillary.
No, because many states would simply let them decay. Further, the Feds imposed the Interstate system for national defense reasons, it should be the Feds that pay for them.
Many states have a solution to that - they only allow a single subject per bill. No tacking on a park to a street repair bill, no tacking on a machine gun ban to a liability bill.
Start by issuing an EO overriding the ridiculous unfunded mandate requiring “ADA compliant curb cuts” on any highway project involving an intersection....even if those “ADA compliant curb cuts” are unconnected to any sidewalk.
To the credit of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation—in spite over a decade of DemonKKKrat Governors—they remind the taxpayers that these “ramps to nowhere” are part of every project.
These planning nitwits blow $$$$ on failed light rail, bike paths, walking paths, amtrak and other fraudulent projects. How pathetic .
Tell me this was copied from the Babylon Bee because I am dying laughing here. What naif wrote this foolishness. The wellfare of the taxpayers has nothing to do with anything that goes on in DC, and the editorial board of the Hill knows that as well as anyone.
Stop wasting taxpayer money - hee hee hee. That's a good one!
The writer works for Citizens Against Government Waste, not The Hill.
That's just as bad. A member of such an organization must know that the problem is not inept officials but a thoroughly corrupt process unless CAGW is in on the game too, getting money to bloviate without having any positive effect except getting a paycheck.
Well, people need a place where they can roll their wheelchairs into the tall grass after crossing the road, don’tcha know.
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