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Automotive News & Views How does gas at $4 and higher impact you?
2183 messages, Last post on Nov 21, 2009 at 5:13 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: steve_ (Jan 03, 2009 7:51 am)  I think it is more a case of mismanagement than lack of funds when you look at the different states. Getting any figures on how the money is spent from different sources of revenue is complex. I do know the National average to educate a kid in public schools is $9866 per student per year. CA has districts that are pushing $20k per student per year. You could buy a heck of a good PRIVATE education for that amount. So private roads? One of the best kept secrets in CA was a private toll road 73, that cut across and saved driving through the I5 to I405 interchange. It used to cost about $2. Then as people found out about it and it got built up around there it became just as crowded. I avoid any place North of San Clemente if possible. It is just horrible driving. Other than parts of the Coast, there is not much worth seeing until you get way past San Francisco.
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Replying to: gagrice (Jan 03, 2009 8:23 am) |
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Replying to: steve_ (Jan 03, 2009 7:51 am) As does Southern California. THUMS has oil islands in LongBeach/LA harbor. Three large off shore drilling rigs are off Hunington flats about 8-10 miles off shore. But that isn't the point. The point is a bate and switch on conservation. Some cried that without higher taxes we wouldn't conserve. So we conserved and as a reward we get higher taxes anyway? Isn't that like telling your child, "be good while we are out visiting friends or when we get home you will get a spanking", and when the child is good and you get home you spank them anyway? If we could get a movement going it might be time to get our fellow SUV drivers back on the road in greater numbers. If they are losing tax revenue because of falling SUV road taxes and lower fuel useage isn't it our civic duty to use more and drive more? Like I have said before once the government gets a taste of a particular tax it is like an addiction and they budget for X amount of tax revenue. When they ask the public to cut back then they, the government, should cut back as well. If we cut back in driving and fuel useage by 6 percent they should cut back in spending by 6 percent not raise taxes even more. The banks, wall street, and the auto manufacturers played it right. Don't co-operate and mess up and the average tax payer will bail you out. When are we going to get a bail out? |
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If you frequented the Real-World Trade-In Values forum when gas prices peaked last summer, you'll recall the posters looking to trade late-model SUVs for small, fuel-efficient cars. In many cases, the outstanding loan balances far exceeded the resale value of these trucks, so the posters had to roll significant negative equity into their new loans. In the absence of high gas prices, these transactions made no sense. The posters reasoned thusly: "Sure, my loan payment will be $XXX higher, but I'll save $XXX+YYY per month on gasoline." I wonder how many of these people are suffering from buyer's remorse today?
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I think someone mentioned the concept of a tax based on mileage a while back. I didn't pay much attention since it seemed such a new age wacko idea. Now I hear on the news today that Oregon wants to do just that, impose a tax based on how many miles you drive. While this might make some sense at first glance, the more you think about it, it is an awful idea. First off, what about those who live in rural areas that have to drive 2, 5, or 10 times the milage to reach basic services. This would be blatant discrimination of city vs. country folks. Without acess to any reasonable alternatives the people in eastern Oregon would have to pay or do without. (sorry dear, can't take you the 40 miles to the hospital, my taxes would go up). Second, the way they plan on assessing the tax is to install a GPS tracking device in every car. Did some one say Big Brother? Although they say they won't use the GPS to violate your privacy I've seen enough abuse of the E-Z Pass system here in NY to be very wary. Just wait until your wife's divorce lawyer subpoenas your records to track your movements. And if you think the government is above messing with your private information just ask "Joe the Plumber" what happened in Ohio.  Oh, and finally, who is going to pay for all the equipment and infrastructure required to make the system work and collect the tax? How much money would really reach the roads? 
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took it to boston the other night. it's still the best vehicle we have for travelling in the winter. the rear passengers enjoyed having their own heat. it was single digits on the way home. glad i had it as i had the priviledge of driving on the toll road mass pike, which had some pot holed sections that you couldn't see in the dark. |
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Replying to: steve_ (Jan 02, 2009 9:54 pm) The solution is to spend fuel taxes on building and maintaining roads, not diverting the fuel taxes to social service agencies & other causes unrelated to vehicles. Socialists usually recommend raising taxes rather than being efficient with their tax income because it is easier to rob one group to pay for another cause than to be diligent with the income at the time. |
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Replying to: jimbres (Jan 03, 2009 8:43 am) I suppose somebody could start a forum with a title along those lines and then people could share experiences about dropping off their late model SUVs in favor of a small car and what, if any problems, they've had with huge negative equity amounts or lack of space for their families. Just a thought.
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Replying to: tankbeans (Jan 03, 2009 9:10 am) Not sure how many people are going to admit it though.  Sorry you sold your SUV? |
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Replying to: oldfarmer50 (Jan 03, 2009 9:01 am) Since they have to travel over 2, 5 or 10 times as much road wouldn't they use 2, 5 or 10 times as much of that road and wouldn't they do 2, 5 or 10 times as much wear and tear on the road? So to be fair shouldn't they pay more for road upkeep? Second, the way they plan on assessing the tax is to install a GPS tracking device in every car. Well you could do a yearly inspection and just read the odometer and assess the tax on that.
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