Nick, I retired in '08 and took prednisone for my
breathing; then became a more well-rounded
character. -- j

Uh, they would have to get rid of the gas tax, and I have yet to see a politician who could stand to get rid f a tax. Just cutting it requires they get psychotherapy.... besides, you still have the problem of "We have to raise rates for..." and when pricvatized you have no choice, what options do you have? Not drive? Personally, I would opt for a monorail system with 4 or 6 person cars that has interchanges and connections that could be computer controlled, and have pylons made from recycled plastic with polymer for strength. Maybe a sci fi idea but the energy spent on building roads is probably nearly the same.

Well, you have encapsulated it nicely. That is the problem and Kalifornia is already there, with their Boob In Charge wanting 4 billion or so for more rail. Brown could be the poster boy for your statement

Yes, you get that in most shops, usually an in and out number to prove they didn't go joyriding. There are many ways to log your miles, and do not involve GPS. Just remember, the cubical cockroach thinking this stuff up may not know a thing about cars or their workings.

I would prefer to privatize the road system, to the extent it can be done without creating chaos.

I would have the homeowners pay for their neighborhood streets, and make everything else toll. I'd standardize on one type of transponder (probably EZ-Pass, which is already used in about 15 states), avoiding any need for toll collectors.

In California every time you take your car in to be worked on, even if it's just a tuneup or oil change, they have to show the odometer reading on the receipt. I find this useful in my tax practice -- you can use it to calculate miles driven during the year if the owner didn't keep a log.

I agree with you re. cronyism, but I have no problem with a tax if it amounts to paying your own way (in econ-speak a "Pigouvian tax").

The big problem with road-use taxes is that the greens have sucked a major part of the take out of the highway trust fund (federally and in most states), usually to spend on things like public transport which promises to reduce highway congestion but doesn't. Then they let our roads fall apart, but nobody will vote to increase the fuel tax because it'll just get diverted and wasted again. Oregon, with its deliberate policy of never building or widening roads (because driving is "evil"), is probably the worst state in the Union for this problem.

Nearly all truckers (all but the local ones) already have to log their miles and stopping places on a daily basis, and get taxed by the mile (and apportioned among the states by miles driven). It's not that hard to do for them, because most of them are satellite-tracked by their dispatchers. But it would be expensive to expand that system to cover other road users.

John, STOP IT! They still have a yeasr and a half to do evil, don't give them any ideas. And they already are doing that through Obama Care, it's called "Wellness" your company has the legal right to fine you for being overweight.

I have to look into this maybe a limited run and I will put it in the gulch shop....I really, really like it, it is right on the money, so to speak, or could be considered udderly great...

GREAT!!!! now remember, you are created in her image, so of course you are Udderly at her mercy.

So it is easier to go after the individual, rather than business? Thats reassuring and fair. Any time the term "politically impossible" is used, it is either "really dumb", "a special interest", "my idea", "my donors do not approve" or a random mixture thereof. None of which I give a rats ass about, keep your troll like claw out of my pocket Salem. You are, of course, correct. Weight and size do matter, and should be factored into the fees needed. One big part of the problem is the trolls in charge LOVE to call a banana a tool, so they can charge you a tax on it as a luxury. Or some other off the wall thing, that allows them to take money for one thing and use it for what they want, bankrupting the system in the process. If they can't float a bond and go into huge debt, they are left with manipulating the tax system. This has gone far enough, and I think people will not pay a 100% increase. I want to see the IQ scores of the 5000 "pilot" tester, and their mileage. I bet they will end up driving 100 miles a year or some such.

Oh, do not fall for it, you can bet Kommisar Brown will need a few billion more for his train, and maybe some to buy bottled water from Oretopia, so I will bet you see it within a year, as soon as Oretopia pays all the development costs, and can export the looting method..

Constitution????? Let's not forget we have Constitutional rights (yes, even in Oretopia). This must be challenged on several levels... just pleased that at least this over-reach did not originate in The Peoples Republic of Kalifornia!!!

What a great and terrible image!

Nightmares now...

Jan

Well Michael Bloomberg and his successor in NYC sure as hell tried to legislate what you could eat and drink, according to what THEY thought was right...
And now Moochelle does, too... Don't look surprised!
:)

Ha Ha. You guys reminded me of this:

http://thepeoplescube.com/peoples-blog/o...

You have to scroll down half a page or so.

and, since my weight can be measured, Michelle
should take measures to tax it! -- j

Oregon is punishing technology advance. In this case those that have improved the mpg that in an ironic twist, the government forced industry to undertake in the first place.

But somehow, politicians understand this kind of logic. The rest of us, not so much.

$30 or so in NC for the yearly tithe, and some new models are exempt for the first few years. My '04 Prius has never failed CA or NC emissions tests.

CafePress?

You must live here or in a similar Socialist State. The voters have tried to control their addiction to money as you say above, and BOHICA becomes trite after a while.It all goes back to the picture Ayn Rand painted in AS, these greedy goons know no bounds, and they really think they can better spend your money, and have a mission from God to do so....I hate to dissuade them from their fantasy...but no.

Oh man, they still would find a way to tax the crap out of it, just with the catch all "registration". What you use has no bearing on it, they will still take..and take...and take...like good addicts.

Indeed, thanks...

Oh, the infamous car checks. Luckily if you live outside their zone of death around Portland, you don't need it.Most people I know who live up there spend hundreds for their car to pass, as they take a perfectly running car into a check, and then are told they failed, go to a shop, ay hundreds and magically it passes. Most people never even get told why, the standard is "adjustment". What frigging adjustments do you need today on a car? That is a whole nother scam...But yes, I will pay based on milage after they seperate bikes and trains from the system, and cull all the idiots that sit in Salem doing nothing. DOT is a blackhole with no accountability. Sort of like the rest of government...

NOOOOO.. a thousand times I say NOOOO. Never, ever give your authorization for those greedy goons to take money, they are drug addicts, you will have nothing left after they tell you why "you owe"...Never trust government. Like they said "Trust but verify" and you can't verify liars.