Can Washington still afford its roads and ferries?

Seattle Post-Intellgencer ^ | March 13, 2011 | LARRY LANGE

[Robwin]

Transportation-finance is a hot topic in Olympia this year, and it's not going away.

In an era of gaping money shortfalls, lawmakers have considered measures allowing tolls to be charged on Interstate 405 and letting King County decide whether to use annual car-license fees to help run its bus system. It's not clear yet whether these ideas will be approved by both houses of the Legislature this session. But bills have also been proposed advocating other ways to raise money - like mileage fees and adding sales taxes to gasoline.

And a bigger package of funding measures -- some gas tax increase and more vehicle and weight fees -- could appear this year, leading to another statewide vote.

Legislators seem to agree that the current financing system, based largely on statewide gas taxes and sales tax support for transit service, won't work in the future.

Sales taxes, approaching 10 percent in urban areas, declined during the recession and continue to be off during a slow recovery. More efficient cars mean less fuel sold and less gas tax collected, so "we need to identify a long-term, sustainable funding source for our transportation system," said Rep. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, echoing many in both political parties.

[Robwin]

Most of the proposed tax-fee increases fall on the West Siders who richly deserve them. However (yet another) increase in gas taxes will affect us all. As always the Dim answer to budget shortfalls is to plunder the taxpayer more and more, but never to reduce spending.

[Robwin]

ping

[Secret Agent Man]

These liberal assholes can never cut anything. Never. Government must always get bigger.

Not anymore. Nobody can afford it thanks to them.

[Freeper Fanatic]

Simply Believable!
Flushington State has only it's democrats to blame. They have been in complete control of this state for years. They have nobody to blame but themselves.
I hate the idea of tolls. I don't mind the gas tax as long as it is used for roads and not stolen for other crap. Gas tax I'm fine with. I see it as one of the only truly fair taxes. If you drive a lot, you buy more fuel and so pay more tax. If you drive less, you pay less tax. If you drive a big truck, you use more fuel and pay more tax. If you drive a small car, you use less fuel and pay less tax. If there is a shortfall for roads funding, I'm fine with a couple more cents a gallon. It can be targeted by local tax authority for a greater or, well it's a tax so it will never have a lesser amount. If you want to describe a tax as a fair tax, the fuel tax is about as close as you will ever get to being fair. The only thing I'd change is perhaps a mileage tax and this is only because of smaller cars, hybrids, and electric cars that use little if any road fuel but still are using the roads so should be paying road tax. I don't like getting the state's RFID tag for your car to drive through toll stations as I really don't like the idea of the state tracking my movements at all. This is already being done via cell phone but now the state would be doing the tracking too. Paying a fuel tax is so simple, no special equipment required and we keep our privacy when traveling. On-star is another feature I would never have. The same ability that the nice operator can open your locked door can also be an oppressive government tracking and shutting down your vehicle.

This is not the Washington I grew up in.

[rfp1234]

WA needs to prepare for a massive Japan-like quake. But any tax increase is unfair to the residents who choose to live away from the coast.

[ModelBreaker]

1. Stop current road construction, except where safety is a clear issue. Finish only to extent necessary to make safe.

2. Only maintain current roads with the highest traffic levels.

3. When you run out of current money, stop.

Repeat next year.

[Leisler]

You know that when good times come back, they’ll reduce taxes right? Right?

There is a rachet effect. Raise taxes during hard times, and then spend the flood of money that comes in on good times, expand the government and keep it there until bad times, where you then raise taxes to keep the government the new increased size.

High taxes, big government, huge debts. They’re for the children. /s

[Leisler]

Road wasting is a huge, politically, union industry. It must go on, or else. Better you and your family go without, then friends of the legislature have hardship.

[NCDragon]

Take the Inland Boatmans Union OUT of the equation! The crew members of the ferrys need to have their wages reduced to something more sustainable. If I remember correctly, (when I was based out there years ago), the peeps who waved the cars on-board made something like $60K+ for an entry level job? Unbelievable!

[Prospero]

Ah, the old "Internal Improvements" debate, writ large. Can the Congress fund canals over the Blue Ridge paid for by tariffs collected in Charleston harbor?

Well, as long as we're all modern and everything, someone should ask how San Francisco managed to build the Golden Gate bridge during the height of the Great Depression...

[pnh102]

Of course, raising rates for users of the ferries, buses and other forms of mass transit was never a consideration.

Perhaps if the users of these facilities had to pay the actual cost of operating them, like how we drivers do with roads, then they would be more concerned about costly inefficiencies which exist in those systems.

[max americana]

The question begs, why the people west of the cascades have to put up with the idiots from the People’s Republik of Tacoma?

[sionnsar]

Thanks to Robwin for the ping.

Say WA? Evergreen State ping

Quick link: WA State Board

FReepmail sionnsar if you want on or off this ping list.
Ping sionnsar if you see a Washington state related thread.

[Secret Agent Man]

Democrats always raise taxes in all times - here’s how:

Bad times: raise taxes because revenues are falling. May cut some small things but will promise to bring back when things are better. “Rich” are doing just fine, unfair they are unhurt as they are doing so well. Need to expand services for the poor.

Good times: raise taxes because people can afford it, “rich” need to pay their fair share, want the “poor” to benefit from the good times too. We waited to spend on things until times are better, so now is the time. Need to expand services to make things work better.

Middle times: need to raise taxes to maintain services. Keep up with inflation. Just to keep existing services, maintain what we’ve got. We won’t expand anything, but we can’t cut anything, either.

Libs always find a way to raise taxes. Same thing with consumption taxes (cigs, sugar, etc):

Using too much: raise taxes to reduce consumption of things libs think are bad. Can increase spending because we’ll collect more (won’t ever figure in loss of revenue by people who curb consumption).

Using too little: raise taxes, revenue has fallen, we can’t cover our spending we thought we could do based on how much people WERE consuming. You stupid people have decreased your consumption of what we said was ‘bad’ and you screwed our projected revenue estimate, now we have to raise taxes even though you are consuming less.

Using about same amount: raise taxes, under guise funds will be used on educational programs to reduce consumption of “bad” things as deemed by the liberals. Cite all the direct and indirect problems including global warming, litter, plastics, etc. Raise taxes because current consumption while fairly steady, is “still too high” (per their subjective standards).

[Cuttnhorse]

Shoot, I’d skipper the ferry from Bellingham to Friday Harbor for nuttin...in fact, I’d pay to drive!

[proudpapa]

In Whatcom County, the local Lummi Tribe is holding the county hostage over a lease to run a small ferry to Lummi Island.

It’s extortion...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014428783_lummi08m.html

[beelzepug]

“...I’d skipper the ferry from Bellingham to Friday Harbor...”

That would be a new route. We can’t afford the ones we have now.

[Cuttnhorse]

Really? Was putting around the San Juans for 7-days on a rented 37-foot twin diesel...thought there was connection from Bellingham...must be from Anacortes??

I still want to drive!!! For nuttin