Should STATEWIDE gas taxes go toward mass transit???

[Bloomin Onion]

Then I don't know why they had to stick with the tunnel and not just have an above ground train, if they insist on building it with taxpayers money.

Maryland is unique in how statewide taxes are used for mass transit. Many states like Texas and California have regional sales taxes and regional gas taxes to fund mass transit projects that benefit those regions. People on the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland really shouldn't be taxed to pay for the LIght Rail or the DC Metro and certainly not to fund the construction of more lines.

[Marshan Man]

People on the Eastern Shore and Western MD often use mass trasit if they move to or visit the metropolitan areas.

MD's a small state. It's not TX or Cali...totally different animals.

[Seadog]

But this post is about STATEWIDE. LIke in the link, people in the Chicago area counties are paying higher taxes to support their mass transit, not taxpayers and drivers in the entire state of Illinois.

If these benefits you mention happen (which will only be if mass transit was safer), these benefits are limited to the Baltimore area and the DC area. Why should taxpayers in Hagerstown, Westminster, and Salisbury pay to get cars off the road in Montgomery County?

I was proposing spending statewide taxes on statewide mass transit. In the countries I mentioned in my post, it is quite possible to get around with out owning a car because their various modes of transit are interlinked, unlike the hodge podge non-system that Baltimore has.

Going from Tokyo to Yokohama, Seoul to Gumi, Naples to Rome or even from Barcelona to the top of Montserrat is a cinch (I've made all of those trips).

[Bloomin Onion]

People on the Eastern Shore and Western MD often use mass trasit if they move to or visit the metropolitan areas.

MD's a small state. It's not TX or Cali...totally different animals.

Eastern Shore and Western Maryland residents rarely come here, and when they do, they usally drive their car here!!!!!!! And if they do use mass transit like 2-3 times a year they pay the fares, just like they would if they visited New York or Chicago.

[Bloomin Onion]

Seadog, America is not Europe or Asia. Just like other countries have universal health care but we don't. A lot of liberal look at Europe or Asia and want us to be like that, along with the PlanMaryland thing. In Europe, people have to live cramped together in cities because gas is so expensive (it is TAXED heavily) and property values are ridiculously high as well. Europe's gas taxes also go to non-tax things like social services, etc, including many things that benefit theri illegal immigrants like those in the UK and France who are still angry nonetheless and still riot and claim the governments do not give them enough. And we really don't need mass transit in our rural areas, it doesn't make sense to have buses connecting Salisbury, Hagerstown, Cumberland, Frederick, etc unless everyone also lived in the centers of these towns.

A lot of Americans do not want public transporation or high density in our neighborhoods. We live suburban and rural lifestyles in America vs other countires because this is what we prefer. Its nice visiting London, Paris, or Rome but I would never live want to live there.

Plus really they are only increasing the tax to pay for the Baltimore Red Line which even Bobby Zirkin is questioning. Too bad as a Democrat he can't go on further and actually advocate cutting funding for Planned Parenthood, CASA de Maryland, and Section 8 housing and Medicaid like we really need to do.

[ivanbalt]

Eastern Shore and Western Maryland residents rarely come here, and when they do, they usally drive their car here!!!!!!! And if they do use mass transit like 2-3 times a year they pay the fares, just like they would if they visited New York or Chicago.

I never go to Western Maryland therefore my taxes shouldn't pay for their roads. That's how this mentality works right?

[Bill Angel]

I never go to Western Maryland therefore my taxes shouldn't pay for their roads. That's how this mentality works right?

I live in Maryland now, but spent my childhood in Connecticut. I recall that some of the roads connecting cities were toll roads, where every few miles drivers using these roads were throw some money into a collection basket at a toll booth. So the drivers who actually used those roads paid for the maintainance on that road via toll collection fees. That is really a fairer way to collect revenue to maintain a highway than a tax levied against all the drivers in the state via a tax on gasoline.

[Bloomin Onion]

I live in Maryland now, but spent my childhood in Connecticut. I recall that some of the roads connecting cities were toll roads, where every few miles drivers using these roads were throw some money into a collection basket at a toll booth. So the drivers who actually used those roads paid for the maintainance on that road via toll collection fees. That is really a fairer way to collect revenue to maintain a highway than a tax levied against all the drivers in the state via a tax on gasoline.

Connecticut is still overtaxed like all New England states. People in the Southern and Western states (aside from Florida and California) never have to deal with this. In Louisiana, where I was raised, it costs $3 for a roundtrip across the 24-mile Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in New Orleans. You have mountain tunnels in Colorado that are free. Yet next year it will cost $8 to cross Baltimore harbor. The toll hikes were also unfair in that they are expecting Baltimore region and Eastern Shore and Cecil County residents to pay for Montgomery County's ICC, which MoCo's liberal elites demanded that the state build for them over opposition from the rest of the state.

[Mitchum]

The ICC was built by Conservative Bob Ehrlich as a payback to his financial supporter Kingdon Gould.

[crabsnbeer]

The ICC was built by Conservative Bob Ehrlich as a payback to his financial supporter Kingdon Gould.

Interesting. Link?

Did bob have any brother in laws lobbying for mulit billion dollar mergers? How about ex-staffers getting deals on land and subsidies for solar farms in Hagerstown?

[Mitchum]

Link?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...092501457.html

I don't know if Bob even has any brother in laws.

[OldBay]

Link?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...092501457.html

I don't know if Bob even has any brother in laws.

The ICC has never been anything but a gift to "generous" developers.

[Seadog]

Link?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...092501457.html

I don't know if Bob even has any brother in laws.

Geez, a six year old article. And of course, O'Mally picked up the shovel from Erhlich.

The ICC would have been a godsend to me while I was still working in Rockville. It was finished about 30 years too late to be of much use to me. I would gladly have forked over $7 a day to avoid the horrendous traffic jams I endured in Montgomery Co five days a week for 28 years.

[Mitchum]

The article is 6 years old because that was when BGEhrlich was grabbing all the cashish he could from the likes of Gould and his related companies.

[BS21213]

Geez, a six year old article. And of course, O'Mally picked up the shovel from Erhlich.

The ICC would have been a godsend to me while I was still working in Rockville. It was finished about 30 years too late to be of much use to me. I would gladly have forked over $7 a day to avoid the horrendous traffic jams I endured in Montgomery Co five days a week for 28 years.

Geez. Who cares how old the article is? Does age change the facts in the article?

I get sick of you partisan types and how you all have blinders on when it comes to whichever party you think walks on water.

[Seadog]

Geez. Who cares how old the article is? Does age change the facts in the article?

I get sick of you partisan types and how you all have blinders on when it comes to whichever party you think walks on water.

Partisan???
You don't know a thing about me.

[BS21213]

uh-huh.

[Seadog]

uh-huh.

Ok, let me explain it.
I supported both Erlich and O'Mally because they both supported building the ICC.
The article is about money (bribes?) paid to "encourage" building the highway.
If Konterra thrives because of the ICC, and that creates jobs, great! I'm all for that also.
How does any of the above make me partisan?
I detest both the Democratic and Republican parties with equal vigor. Almost as much as I detested sitting at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Rt 28 for three cycles of the light every morning, knowing that a road that could have eliminated much of the traffic on Montgomery County's roads had been in the state transportation planning since the 1960s and hadn't been started.

[TFinan]

ROTFLMAO Another drive by post by BO, the Angry Asian.

Mitchum - BO has it right!! If Montgomery wants Mass Transit in their county - they should pay for it!! Montgomery is the 5th Wealthiest County in the United States but somehow the politicians in that county and Anne Arundel (10th wealthiest) seem to loose all the State Tax money and keep poormouthing. THE GAS TAX SHOULD NOT BE RAISED TO PAY FOR MASS TRANSIT. THE GAS TAX SHOULD NOT BE RAISED AT ALL!! As it currently stands, all Gas tax should go for roads and bridges and NEVER be used for Mass Transit or be stolen by the Governor. Counties that want Mass Transit should pay for it themselves and not burden the other counties with paying for the needs of only the few in Anne Arundle,Montgomery,Baltimore County and the cesspool Baltimore City. I believe Maryland needs a new way of electing State Wide Offices, 1 county 1 vote. Each county holds a caucus to determine who will get the county vote, the one that gets the most counties is elected. As it stands Montgomery & Anne Arundel and Baltimore County & Baltimore City usually elects State Wide Leaders. They also have the highest crime rates among the general population and crooked politicians. Maryland has to end its love affair with Tax & Spend Democrats, especially since the 4 areas mentioned also get over 90% of the State Taxes.

[TFinan]

The article is 6 years old because that was when BGEhrlich was grabbing all the cashish he could from the likes of Gould and his related companies.

It's interesting that O'Malley,Busch & Miller attacked Ehrlich for his ideas and when O'Malley won the election he did "exactly" what Ehrlich proposed with the full support of Busch and Miller. Let's not forget when O'Malley BRIBED the Unions and Latino Grooups for their vote and sold-out the employees to the Unions, who are guaranteed $4 million a year from involuntary Union Deductions from their earnings. The Unions are increasing their "Fair Share" deductions starting in July and employees have nothing they can do about the Unions increase because of O'Malley. And in addition, the Wind Farm that just happens to have the involvement of O'Malley's close friends and people should also take a "close look" at the current IT changes for the State (look at who got the majority of the contracts). It goes on contract when O'Malley created a whole IT Branch in Annapolis that still contracts a majority of the IT projects.