Whenever I see statements like this, it makes me want to scream.
MONEY IS FUNGABLE!
Nothing peronal BobL, but I'm so sick and tired of people buying the big lies it makes me want to throw up on Obama.
FUNGIBLE.
“MONEY IS FUNGABLE!”
Of course it is. After all, what do you think EVERY STATE does that has a lottery to “help education”?
But it is different with a gas tax, as diversions only go ONE WAY - from drivers to the general fund (or something else). It’s NEVER the other way. In other words, if the federal gas tax in this country was raised to 45 cents, and ALL of the money was REQUIRED to be used for legitimate freeway expansion and maintenance - then highway spending would essentially triple and we’d get some really nice roads, WITHOUT TOLLS.
The dirty little secret that the government knows, but most people don’t know, is that HIGHWAYS ARE CHEAP, relative to what can easily be collected in a gas tax - that’s why Europe can get away with 10 dollar gas and spending virtually all of it on healthcare - people can and still drive there, lots of them.
An increase of 25 cents per gallon will cost the average driver around $120 per year, and will allow highways to keep up with traffic and NOT HAVE TOLLS. To me that sounds like a steal...and I suspect others agree, particularly when they have to spend over $10 a day in tolls (which is very easy to do here in Houston, and will be much easier for everyone when we let private companies run the roads).