From: stephen@sprunk.org   
      
   On 04-Jun-14 14:19, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:   
   > On Wednesday, June 4, 2014 12:11:35 AM UTC-4, Stephen Sprunk wrote:   
   >> That still wouldn't have been enough, though, because the costs of   
   >> steel and concrete have risen far faster than general inflation due   
   >> to China's rapid industrialization over the same time period.   
   >   
   > Further, when more land is required for any improvement, more money   
   > is needed as land costs have shot up significantly in developed   
   > areas.   
      
   On average (ignoring bubbles), land values go up at about the rate of   
   general inflation.   
      
   > Also, safety and environmental standards have increased tremendously,   
   > so what was adequate construction design 50 years is more expensive   
   > today to meet current needs.   
      
   Wider lanes and lower grades do increase costs, but that pales in   
   comparison to the sharp increase in materials costs.   
      
   >> The result is enormous cross-subsidies for truckers, and they have   
   >> a very powerful lobby that will spend billions to keep that in   
   >> place, so don't expect this to change any time soon.   
   >   
   > The aviation industry also has great influence, and they're not keen   
   > on losing any passengers to Amtrak, even though an enlarged Amtrak   
   > would have a neglible effect on their operations.   
      
   The irony is that better intercity rail service would mostly impact   
   short-haul flights, which have the lowest (often negative) margins,   
   leaving them to handle just the more profitable long-haul trips.   
      
   Sadly, execs are often more concerned with growing total revenues (and   
   hurting their competitors) than their profit margins.   
      
   > However, their trade association frequently castigates Amtrak as   
   > being very detrimental to them.   
      
   That is not uncommon; industries often spend enormous amounts of money   
   lobbying against things that will ultimately benefit them.   
      
   >> Tolls aren't perfect, but they're better than a fuel tax.   
   >   
   > A lot of folks object to tolls, and they also have an overhead in   
   > collection and administration.   
      
   That's pretty much the only advantage of a fuel tax: it's easy and cheap   
   to collect.   
      
   It's not surprising that folks object to tolls, especially for roads   
   that were previously "free" and when they're still paying fuel taxes   
   that don't support the tolled roads.   
      
   >> It works well for limited-access highways, which are by far the   
   >> most expensive to construct and maintain.  Let local property taxes   
   >> pay for the local surface roads.  No gas tax is needed for either.   
   >   
   > While fuel taxes aren't perfect, as mentioned above, they still are   
   > somewhat related to actual usage, while property taxes bear no   
   > relation at all.   
      
   Local surface roads directly benefit the property owners; just _having_   
   a road is of benefit, regardless of how much they use it.   
      
   > With fuel taxes, motorists can choose more   
   > efficient driving habits, a choice they do not have at all with   
   > property taxes.   
      
   OTOH, there is such a huge range in fuel economy, especially with the   
   advent of plug-in hybrids, that it doesn't have much of a link to the   
   usage of roads.  Also, it doesn't take into account the variation in the   
   costs of different roads.   
      
   > Sadly, politicians these days are terrified of any tax increase even   
   > though they are necessary to pay for the services the public   
   > demands.   
      
   Well, at least politicians from one party are; the other, not so much.   
      
   > Some of the politicians' fear may not be justified.  For instance,   
   > the various port authorities near NYC and Phila have raised their   
   > respective bridge tolls to unreasonable heights, partly to pay for   
   > non-road projects.  There are expose newspaper articles of scandal   
   > and outcry, yet the tolls remain in place as do the politicians who   
   > control those authorities.   
      
   Are they elected?  And are those elections open or is the electorate so   
   lopsided (or districts so gerrymandered) that voting is moot?   
      
   S   
      
   --   
   Stephen Sprunk         "God does not play dice."  --Albert Einstein   
   CCIE #3723         "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the   
   K5SSS        dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking   
      
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