Posted on 02/18/2012 1:44:27 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
For years, we’ve been hearing from experts across the political spectrum about the need to invest more in our failing transportation infrastructure in Maryland. The D.C. region is at the top of the list of the most-congested cities in America, and Baltimore is not far behind. Almost half of Maryland’s roads and bridges are in poor or mediocre condition, and 55 percent of our urban highways are heavily congested. Maryland’s construction industry and its thousands of workers have been decimated by years of severe cuts in transportation investment. Despite what is clearly a growing need, Maryland’s transportation program is a shadow of its former self. Our failure to invest has cost us tens of thousands of jobs, and the price tag will only go up if we don’t reverse course.
This year, in his State of the State address, Gov. Martin O’Malley called on state legislators to add $613 million in dedicated transportation funding by applying the state’s 6 percent sales tax to gasoline sales at the wholesale level. The governor’s diagnosis is correct: Our economy is slowly choking to death, and we know what medicine to take. The fact that it may not taste good going down is no reason to refuse treatment. Our region’s health suffered for years as we endlessly debated building the Intercounty Connector, a roadway that is now taking cars off the Beltway and giving motorists some relief. We need to take bold action once again.
The gas tax has not been raised in Maryland since 1992 and, because it is not indexed to inflation, it has lost roughly 60 percent of its value. Without a major increase in funds, we simply will not be able to keep pace with basic maintenance needs...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
You heard the man: WE’RE DOOMED! Now shut up and open your wallets for mass transit!
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
They should just move everyone to the Agenda 21 Concentration Kamps ASAP.
Living in a state with a governor who is an anti-gas tax FANATIC (Texas), I can tell you that there are things worse than paying an extra 10 cents per gallon.
First, we had to deal with an INSANE plan to grab HUGE amounts of private land, just to hand over to private companies for monopoly-protected tolling (the plan has since been killed, more or less). Now we still deal with what should be freeways, but instead charge us 25 cents per mile to drive - for those mathematically challenged, figure it’s equivalent to paying $10 per gallon for gas, because that is what it comes out to for a typical car.
Yes, we all HATE gas taxes...but having governors that sell off highways and rights of way to foreign companies is not so great either. The bottom line is that if you want to be able to drive around, plan to pay a REASONABLE tax on gas, otherwise get tolled THROUGH THE TEETH, as in many thousands of dollars per year.
Sorry if I (again) offended the Perry Girls.
/MS Heh!
It’s okay - the people of Maryland love high taxes. :)
I agree. Government has the legitimate authority to raise taxes to pay for public uses. Note that I use the original constitutional concept, not the idea of paying for anything that has a public purpose (meaning everything government wants to do).
Plus, it’s factually true that taxes that aren’t indexed to inflation lose value over time. As the article notes, the tax lost 60% of it’s value since 1992, a staggering loss of value thanks to our federal government btw.
The problem here, I think, is that so much of these taxes are simply squandered. The government pays far more and the work takes far longer than they should.
BobL, as I believe I have said before, I’m not so much against the tax hike itself, as I am against the way it’s doled out. When it comes to transportation revenues (gas tax, a piece of the sales tax, etc.), about half of what’s not stolen to balance the general budget is used for mass transit, leaving the roads to decay and degenerate.
I’m simply not going to support a gas tax increase, unless I know that the hulking wreck known as Georgia Avenue in Aspen Hill will be fixed, unless I know that widening of highways that need to be widened will actually be done, unless I know that the coming interchange between Georgia Avenue and Randolph Road and other projects will actually commence as promised, etc.
But with this being a corrupt, Democrat state, I wouldn’t hold my breath.
I would question that 60% stat. I also read that Virginia’s gas tax, which was last increased in 1986 or 1987, lost half it’s value to inflation. So, you see, there is a conflict between the two stats.
If MD were to convince enough folks to move away, the traffic problems would be solved without further investment.
Considering that gas prices are going up and will continue on their own O Malley picked a hell of a time to spring this gas tax increase. Will be interesting to see how they react to rising prices with this gas tax increase
I remember 2006 and 2007 with Marylanders bitching and moaning about high gas prices, the same ones that love this guy. Watch him announce a investigation into gas price gouging after he passes this gas tax increase. He knows no shame.
And most Maryland voters are idiots.
Just once, it would be nice if lunatics actually had to endure what they advocate right away, instead of passing the consequences off to future generations.
Don’t know how accurate it is, but a web-based CPI calculator shows that it takes $1.62 now to buy the same thing as $1.00 in 1992.
http://146.142.4.24/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=1&year1=1992&year2=2012
About $15 a gallon should do it.
Judging by who they elect over and over, they really do!
“It’s okay - the people of Maryland love high taxes”
Not in the part of Maryland where I was raised (Carroll County). It’s crazy because, as Carroll County and the counties west were strongly Republican areas, the Democratic-dominated state legislature and the Democratic governors virtually ignored us.
Maryland’s politics are virtually controlled by three areas: Baltimore City, PG County & Montgomery County (Democratic strongholds). That’s where virtually all the state spending goes and it’s all the government in Annapolis cares about. Only when Bob Ehrlich was Governor (though he was a RINO), did Carroll County really get any glance from Annapolis.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.