Republicans trying to raise gas tax

[mu21503]

The party of small government,low taxes and conservatism is now pushing to raise the federal gas tax. What a shocker. Since gas prices have dropped they feel now is the time.

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/228986-momentum-seen-in-push-for-gas-tax-hike

 

[herdfan06]

I was thinking the same thing, how can one claim to be against taxes and want to raise taxes?

 

[dherd]

simple you just wait 'til the first day of the session after the
election. your idiot base will have forgotten you raised their
taxes to give more tax cuts to wall street billionaires before
the next election comes around after you and your 24 hour
tv and radio networks tell them you are for tax cuts and getting
govt off their backs. they are too stupid to realize that in 30 years
of that rhetoric the republican base tax have done nothing but rise
while college tuition for their kids has quadrupled, their salaries
are stagnant if they can find a job, and gas was up to $4 gallon.

 

[HerdFan73]

Did you all even read the article? Show me where one Republican in congress is "pushing" to raise the gas tax.

 

[herdfan06]

Originally posted by HerdFan73:
Did you all even read the article? Show me where one Republican in congress is "pushing" to raise the gas tax.

Exhibit A
Exhibit B

 

[alphasig1053]

Originally posted by dherd:
simple you just wait 'til the first day of the session after the
election. your idiot base will have forgotten you raised their
taxes to give more tax cuts to wall street billionaires before
the next election comes around after you and your 24 hour
tv and radio networks tell them you are for tax cuts and getting
govt off their backs. they are too stupid to realize that in 30 years
of that rhetoric the republican base tax have done nothing but rise
while college tuition for their kids has quadrupled, their salaries
are stagnant if they can find a job, and gas was up to $4 gallon.

Democrats have been pushing for this tax hike for years. In fact, they introduced a bill a little over a year ago that would almost double the tax. So why are you upset about it now?

 

[dherd]

take your pick:




Senator
John Thune (R-S.D.), current ranking member and incoming chairman of
the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation surprised
the media when he announced on a Sunday morning talk show that a gas tax
increase is possible.
"In an interview on 'Fox News Sunday,' Thune
said, 'I don't think we take anything off the table at this point.
Those discussions continue… It is important that we fund
infrastructure,' writes David Keup of the National Monitor.


http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/228986-momentum-seen-in-push-for-gas-tax-hike

 

[herdfan429]

Yeah I don't see why the big deal is. Consider it the repubs caving to democrats. Dtard should be ecstatic
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[Raoul Duke MU]

Holy shit, there are Republicans that actually have some sense? There is hope for the GOP after all.

This needs to be done. Yesterday. The highway fund is going broke and our infrastructure is in poor shape. And the alternative - GPS tracking and a tax per mile - raises privacy concerns.

 

[herdfan429]

If the govt was bringing in record revenue you might have a point Raoul.

 

[HerdFan73]

Saying something is possible is not the same as actively pushing for it. Not to mention, this article also states the bill would have a hard time passing the house.

 

[Raoul Duke MU]

Originally posted by herdfan429:
If the govt was bringing in record revenue you might have a point Raoul.

I don't care if revenue is high or low, we have deferred building and maintaining infrastructure for too damn long. You have to be a complete nutjob to not think interstate infrastructure is a prime objective of a strong federal government. Deficient infrastructure hampers economic growth.

And I disagree strongly with those who think tolls are the answer. Everyone benefits from good infrastructure and economic growth. Increased tax revenue from growth is distributed throughout states and the federal government, and increased growth raises all ships in the harbor. NO free riders, you gain too, pay it.

Let me give you an example: here, we are building two new Ohio River bridges, both to be tolled (which will affect Indiana users more than Kentucky, but that is another bitch and rant). The eastern of the two bridges will open up the largest development tract in the Midwest to better access to multiple interstates in the area. The taxes from that growth will go to Indianapolis to be distributed all across the state...why in the hell should non-locals benefit yet not pay the cost of infrastructure? Bump up the federal and state gas taxes instead of tolls.

This is not a tax for welfare, or stupid wars. This is a tax that WILL benefit YOU.

 

[herdfan429]

I agree with that Raoul what I don't agree with is the fed got waiting money of studying the mating habits of earthworms in Timbuktu while on lsd. Govt should absolutely fund infrastructure v

 

[mu21503]

If memory serves didn't they pass a 787 billion (with a B) stimulus plan in 2009, that a large portion was supposed to be used for infrastructure.?
So we drop close to a trillion bucks that most of which can't be accounted for, and you all think we should allow them to raise more money?

I absolutely believe that we need infrastructure repair, however, those leeches take more than enough money. They should not be entitled to one more red cent.

 

[Raoul Duke MU]

The gas tax goes into the Highway Trust Fund. There it funds three things (in order of most to least): road construction, mass transit, and the fund for leaking underground gas tanks (which makes sense for abandoned tanks, no one wants that shit leaking).

The stimulus was a clusterfvck, but that is comparing apples and oranges, as is comparing any other spending by Congress. This goes where it is supposed to go, we just need more funds for it. Don't like it? Drive less.

 

[pj(HN)]

The Highway Trust Fund was part of President Eisenhower's Interstate Highway plan... It is funded by a dedicated fuel tax not General Revenue. It is really a user fee... You pay to use the highway system by paying for it at the pump. So the more you use the system and the more gas you use the more fees you pay... It is really a pretty good deal... It needs to be raised.



Now, when the Highway Trust Fund ran out of money a decade ago because the of the spike in gasoline cost the impacts it had on the US economy, trust fund dollars where down threaten the highway programs of all 50 states... Congress did act and move general revenue funds into the highway trust fund...



The same can be said about the WV Highway Trust Fund it is set up on the Federal model to provide the non-federal match to construction projects at an 80/20 match... A very good deal for WV sense we use more Federal Trust Fund dollars then we send to DC. We are what is called a "User" State... Actually the majority of the more rural states are user states and of course they vote Republican...



The problem in WV is that all 36,000 miles of road are funded out of the WV Highway Trust fund. Of which, only 11,000 miles qualify for the Federal match... So, simple think... There are 25,000 miles of roads that the WV DOT/DOH must maintain. We are one of four States in the union that are like this... 46 other States have other funding strategies in place to support the non-federal system... We need to break the system and give rural routes, county routes and municipal routes back to the local level for control and maintenance...

 

[marshallsig]

Hey dterd, where are all those shovel ready job we were promised?

 

[GeauxHerd]

Originally posted by Raoul Duke MU:

Originally posted by herdfan429:
If the govt was bringing in record revenue you might have a point Raoul.

This is not a tax for welfare, or stupid wars. This is a tax that WILL benefit YOU.

Agreed. Transportation should be #1 priority after national security. And they also go hand in hand.

 

[pj(HN)]

Originally posted by marshallsig:
Hey dterd, where are all those shovel ready job we were promised?

Really? LOL...

 

[dherd]

Originally posted by marshallsig:
Hey dterd, where are all those shovel ready job we were promised?

ARE YOU LIKE, JUST A PARROT?
HERE'S AN IDEA - READ A NEWSPAPER. YOU CAN ADD ANOTHER 300K OR SO JOBS TO THESE
TREMENDOUS FIGURES - WHICH ARE THE BEST SINCE THE LAST DEM PRESIDENT.


Ever
since the recovery from the Great Recession began more than five years
ago, the most crucial missing pieces of the economic puzzle were the
lack of consistently strong gains in hiring and better wages for most
working Americans struggling to make ends meet. Now, at last, those
pieces are starting to fall into place.
The Labor Department reported on Friday that employers added 321,000 jobs in November, a much stronger number than economists had predicted and the 10th consecutive month of net job gains above 200,000.
Even
more significant was that the improving job market finally delivered a
sharp jump in average hourly earnings for ordinary workers that was
double the anticipated 0.2 percent increase.
The jobless rate itself stayed at 5.8 percent.
The pickup in wage growth comes as gasoline prices are plunging, providing a double boon for consumers and retailers with the holiday shopping season underway.


Continue reading the main story


With
one month still to go, the total increase in payrolls of 2.65 million
is already the best annual figure since the late 1990s.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/06/business/economy/november-jobs-unemployment-figures.html?_r=0

 

[Raoul Duke MU]

Originally posted by GeauxHerd:

Originally posted by Raoul Duke MU:

Originally posted by herdfan429:
If the govt was bringing in record revenue you might have a point Raoul.

This is not a tax for welfare, or stupid wars. This is a tax that WILL benefit YOU.

Agreed. Transportation should be #1 priority after national security. And they also go hand in hand.

I completely agree with the national defense angle. In fact, Ike used national defense as the argument for the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956.

 

[Raoul Duke MU]

Originally posted by marshallsig:
Hey dterd, where are all those shovel ready job we were promised?

Although I believe the stimulus was an overall clusterfvck, there were indeed many of those projects. Here in my county, I-64 eastbound was widened to 3 lanes from I-265 to the Sherman Minton Bridge at the Ohio River/Kentucky state line. This was much needed for rush hour traffic as a shitload of commuter traffic funneled from I-265 onto the already crowded I-64.