tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post2046399885406427718..comments2023-10-30T09:03:07.163-07:00Comments on California High Speed Rail Blog: Congress Likely To Delay Transportation Bill To 2011Robert Cruickshankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06906581839066570472noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-77227102712424548482009-06-30T17:14:38.083-07:002009-06-30T17:14:38.083-07:00More DC games..if Boxer thinks all those valley Re...More DC games..if Boxer thinks all those valley Repubs are going to like her better in 2010 because she held off on this bill and did not raise the gas taxs she is DREAMING..they hate her..any loss of support in SF and LA will see here defeat.YesonHSRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-47169702474627391672009-06-30T15:46:27.317-07:002009-06-30T15:46:27.317-07:00Europe has the best public transit in the world? R...Europe has the best public transit in the world? Really? Did Japan sink into the sea or something?Alon Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12195377309045184452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-39225479958741994072009-06-30T11:14:11.622-07:002009-06-30T11:14:11.622-07:00What hasn’t been suggested, but that which I will ...<i>What hasn’t been suggested, but that which I will continue to bring up, is a simple abandonment of the idea that transportation must be sponsored by its “users.” We are all beneficiaries of a strong transportation network, and filling the Trust Fund mostly with general fund sources is a viable and long-term solution that would require none of the shenanigans that currently deteriorate efforts to raise the gas tax or impose a VMT. ...<br /><br />it is certainly time to provide general fund support for transportation projects.</i><br /><br />This misguided sort of wishful thinking is the exact opposite of how Europe approaches transportation, and their system is far more serious about environmental sustainability than the US. Europeans heavily tax automobile users with stiff fuel taxes, and most of that revenue goes into the general fund for other things such as health and education. Europe never had the scale of America's heavily-subsidized, massive road-building programs, because they diverted the heavy fuel taxes away from new transportation infrastructure. Europeans obviously drive smaller, more efficient cars, and alternatives are more competitive in Europe. Their transportation system is better for the lack of a Highway Trust Fund or general revenue being pumped into mega-building.<br /><br />Cutting off the massive public subsidies for road-building will actually improve the competitiveness of alternatives. Unfortunately, the transportation sector is awash in inefficient public subsidies, and increasing them isn't going to help.Fred Martinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-34953417426765920042009-06-30T10:50:44.297-07:002009-06-30T10:50:44.297-07:00That's because americans are not going to pay ...That's because americans are not going to pay the taxes that europeans pay. Given the choice, and we've had decades to choose, americans prefer to just get by and keep taxes as low as possible.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-39267722165724868052009-06-30T10:38:13.285-07:002009-06-30T10:38:13.285-07:00"Fuel taxes in Europe are higher than that. C...<i>"Fuel taxes in Europe are higher than that. Coincidentally, Europe has some of the best public transportation in the world."</i><br /><br />Or not coincidentally. Europe also has some of the best roads in the world too. Compared to Germany, for example, Bay Area and California roads are pretty damn shabby.<br /><br />The public transit infrastructure and service levels (both intra- and inter-city) ... well, there's no comparison. Ours is a shameful joke -- if you can even find it.Reality Checknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-29836726526788881962009-06-30T09:57:45.193-07:002009-06-30T09:57:45.193-07:00The interstate system should convert entirely to t...The interstate system should convert entirely to tolls at rate which pays for 10 percent of maintenance and expansion.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-82346624385599646232009-06-30T09:46:38.939-07:002009-06-30T09:46:38.939-07:00TomW said: "You could use that exact same lin...TomW said: <i>"You could use that exact same line to argue railways deserve more subsidy, rather than roads getting less."</i><br /><br />Why not both? Then if one strategy fails, we'll still have a backup.<br /><br /><i>"US road usres pay 1.46c/mile in fuel tax... whereas driving on the Penn Turnpike costs about 8c/mile. In order to get that much through tax, fuel taxes would have to rise to around $2.48/gallon."</i><br /><br />That would agree with the <a href="http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/008264.html" rel="nofollow">TxDOT study</a> which found that "to completely pay for the 15 miles of SH 99 from I-10 to US 290 in Houston in gas taxes would be $2.22 per gallon."<br /><br />Fuel taxes in Europe are higher than that. Coincidentally, Europe has some of the best public transportation in the world.traalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06817876905415539336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-8336233664449935612009-06-30T09:41:42.328-07:002009-06-30T09:41:42.328-07:00The democrats in congress are backing down on a lo...The democrats in congress are backing down on a lot of things that cost money and or political capital because the midterms are coming up and despite the president's popularity, they still have to listen to their constituents at home. Americans just don't like taxes and any representative who votes to increase taxes when americans are unemployed and broke fears losing an election. It is unlikely that dems will hold on to the majority after 2010 and while Obama is likely to get a second term, he won't have the free reign he has now. Of course if the economy pics up in the next 12-18 months the dems may be safe but there is a lot of backlash against all the federal spending. There is a disconnect between between Obama's popularity on the one hand and the dislike of taxes and spending on the other and once you get outside the bay/LA bubble the concept of cutting defense and raising taxes to fund "socialism" as they call it, is not going to fly and the republicans are gaining some political ground by framing the argument in these terms. just as with health care, even the dems have been "got" by the huge amount of money flowing into Washington from the health care lobby, and added to the pressure from the constituents who have good insurance who outnumber those who don't and who don't want to pay for others "welfare". Luckily California will be getting a nice chink of money for our project and it will move forward.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-8257478541696452262009-06-30T09:28:52.316-07:002009-06-30T09:28:52.316-07:00traal said: Not making transportation pay for itse...traal said: <i>Not making transportation pay for itself distorts the market for transportation... Railroads in the USA are underused because they must pay for themselves while trying to compete with heavily subsidized roads for interstate feight.</i><br />That is an argument for a level playing field, not for making transport pay for itself. You could use that exact same line to argue railways deserve more subsidy, rather than roads getting less.<br /><br />The average fuel tax in the USA is 45.6/gallon (source: wikipedia), and US cars averaged 31.2mpg for 2007 (source: http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/004903.html), implying US road usres pay 1.46c/mile in fuel tax... whereas driving on the Penn Turnpike costs about 8c/mile. In order to get that much through tax, fuel taxes would have to rise to around $2.48/gallon.TomWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13453251490705724225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-6686055958745135962009-06-30T08:41:23.854-07:002009-06-30T08:41:23.854-07:00"What hasn’t been suggested, but that which I...<i>"What hasn’t been suggested, but that which I will continue to bring up, is a simple abandonment of the idea that transportation must be sponsored by its 'users.' We are all beneficiaries of a strong transportation network..."</i><br /><br />But some of us benefit more, or more directly, than others. Not making transportation pay for itself distorts the market for transportation, creating inefficiencies and waste. Railroads in the USA are underused because they must pay for themselves while trying to compete with heavily subsidized roads for interstate freight.traalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06817876905415539336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-12547201550520628212009-06-30T07:56:06.273-07:002009-06-30T07:56:06.273-07:00If we really wanted HSR, we could develop a few fr...If we really wanted HSR, we could develop a few freight routes for rapid rail at 110 mph. These could be used in national defense if supplies needed to be shifted across the country quickly. It would be much quicker than the IHS.political_inoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-83915037839322065932009-06-30T05:42:54.445-07:002009-06-30T05:42:54.445-07:00The risk in delay to after the 2010 mid-terms is t...The risk in delay to after the 2010 mid-terms is that the Democrats may lose the filibuster-proof majority that the upcoming ruling by the Minnesota Supreme Court is widely expected to bring.<br /><br />Taxes are not inherently evil, they are a choice to make collective investments in shared infrastructure and social services. The state of California is a prime example of rigid ideological efforts to drown government in a bathtub.<br /><br />Democrats need to be intellectually honest enough to admit that overdue spending on infrastructure must be funded either through taxes or through cuts elsewhere in the budget. The Pentagon in particular has grown beyond all reasonable measure during the Bush years. The fact that US troops are on the ground abroad is no excuse for throwing taxpayer money out of the window on advanced weapons systems that are of little or no use in asymmetric warfare. The excessive reliance on expensive contract labor in waging the wars in Asia also represents a wasteful practice in the middle of a deep recession.<br /><br />In spite of Secr. of Defense Robert Gates' refreshing change of focus, Congress raised the DoD budget by 4% rather than begin cutting it right away by roughly the same amount. In just a single year, the difference amounts to almost $50 billion - as it happens, just the sum Rep. Oberstar wants to reserve for rail and transit capital projects over the next six years.<br /><br />A nation that permanently favors military over civilian investment is a threat to its own future wealth as well as to other nations. The cold war is long over, now the US should force its allies to shoulder their fair share of the burden of coping with the smaller conflicts that have flared up in its wake.Rafaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05471957286484454765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263762637946594105.post-29355020160964874832009-06-30T03:36:55.326-07:002009-06-30T03:36:55.326-07:00I think the gaping hole is funding. Also, the Obam...I think the gaping hole is funding. Also, the Obama administration is focusing all of their efforts right now on health care and climate change. They really don't see transportation as a major concern until after the 2010 midterms, which politically speaking, is actually quite understandable. It's a shame that that's how our system works, but it truly is about getting elected. It's one of the flaws of the system. Obama NEEDS to be using that political will he has (he's still in the 60% approval ratings yeah?) and his focus is on sweeping changes in health care and global warming. I think mass transit will see a good cut in the climate bill. I think Obama has to if he is thinking about delaying a badly need-of-reform transportation bill, which has been stuck in the muck through the Bush Administration. We will see our day in the Obama Administration. We want it now because of all of the hype high speed rail has been getting, but in reality, it could probably wait. We will lose some ground for sure, but at the end of the day, we will get what we want, a transportation bill that works for 300 million Americans it will need to serve. It sucks, we thought this was the year, but the right pieces are in place, we're just gonna need to wait our turn.Paul Hermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01528050306080668515noreply@blogger.com