are we going to see higher gas prices

Syrch

Diamond Member
May 21, 2004
3,382
2
0
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20163843/

Updated: 1 hour, 24 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The Minneapolis bridge disaster that suddenly is the symbol of the nation?s crumbling infrastructure could tip the scales in favor of billions of dollars in higher gasoline taxes for repairs coast to coast.

There are 500 bridges around the country similar to the Minneapolis span, and ?these are potential deathtraps,? says Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, former chairman of the House Transportation Committee.

?We have to, as a Congress, grasp this problem. And yes, I would even suggest, fund this problem with a tax,? he says. ?May the sky not fall on me.?
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One-quarter of the nation?s bridges, including the one in Minneapolis, have been classified as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. One-third of major roads are judged by federal transportation officials to be in poor or mediocre condition.

Beyond the human tragedy of the Minnesota bridge collapse lie some daunting numbers: The cost of the backlog of needed repairs to roads and bridges is now $461 billion. Road conditions are a factor in one-third of the 40,000 traffic fatalities every year. Traffic congestion costs drivers $63 billion a year in wasted time and fuel costs.

There?s no evidence to suggest that the Mississippi River disaster was a direct result of federal underspending. But there is wide agreement that the bridge is symptomatic of a national problem that Congress and the White House are going to have to address.

?It?s a tragic wakeup call,? said Matt Jeanneret, spokesman for the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. ?This is gut check time for members of Congress for what they are going to do at the federal level.?
 

NuroMancer

Golden Member
Nov 8, 2004
1,684
1
76
You can join Canada in super high gas taxes that go into the general budget and don't actually get spent on roads!(At least not all of it) Yay!
 

FoBoT

No Lifer
Apr 30, 2001
63,084
14
81
fobot.com
technically the amount of tax is independent of the price

Missouri passed a law 2-3 years ago so that all the state road tax would go to roads, the state legislature had diverted the money many years ago to the general fund and the road we horrible

now, they are fixing things up nicely, including bridges. they are even replacing the one lane bridges in my county :thumbsup:
 

jagec

Lifer
Apr 30, 2004
24,442
6
81
You think it's "possible" that we'll see higher gas prices? On a finite resource?

No wai!:Q
 

Shawn

Lifer
Apr 20, 2003
32,236
53
91
If we had teleportation like we should have had by the year 2000 we wouldn't even need cars.
 

So

Lifer
Jul 2, 2001
25,923
17
81
Originally posted by: Shawn
If we had teleportation like we should have had by the year 2000 we wouldn't even need cars.

I blame George Bush. He cut all the funding for science.
 

jlee

Lifer
Sep 12, 2001
48,518
223
106
There?s no evidence to suggest that the Mississippi River disaster was a direct result of federal underspending.

However, we shall employ the 'universal solution' -- throw more money at the problem and hope it goes away!
 

Wheezer

Diamond Member
Nov 2, 1999
6,731
1
81
"The Minneapolis bridge disaster that suddenly is the symbol of the nation?s crumbling infrastructure"

I don't get it.

That symbolizes one thing and one thing only...somebody, somewhere, fvcked up.

pure and simple.

Much to the disappointment of many, the tsunamis of 2004 did not signify the demise of humanity, nor did Katrina signify the demise of the US.

There will be more hurricanes, there will be more tsunamis and more bridges will fall down.

Do we want these things to happen? Nope.

But they are what they are and nothing more.