Right Wing Nation

I just got this in my inbox — this is from the PHIA (Pennsylvania Highway Information Association), who send out a newsletter periodically. So far, every newsletter has been nothing but “how can we screw you out of more money” liberalism, but this one is even worse than the others:

Chuck Larsen, ITS Program Coordinator for the Oregon Department of Transportation, will speak about his state’s cutting-edge efforts to adopt a new innovative highway funding mechanism at the PHIA annual meeting on Nov. 9. The meeting takes place from 10 a.m. to noon at the AACA Transportation Museum in Hershey (registration forms and directions listed below).

Larsen has worked with the Oregon Road User Fee Task Force, which produced a report this year detailing how Oregon’s gas tax is failing to achieve its original purpose – funding the operation and maintenance of Oregon’s road system. Specifically, it found in 2003 Oregon’s gas tax revenue in “cents per vehicle mile traveled” (after subtracting inflation) had declined by half since 1970.

PHIA’s Annual Meeting will be held Nov. 9 at the AACA Transportation Museum in Hershey.

PHIA Managing Director Ron Geist pointed out that Pennsylvania is experiencing a similar trend. “The purchasing power of our gas tax is steadily being eroded due to (1) gas taxes not keeping up with inflation; (2) voters not being favorably inclined to support any type of tax increase, and; (3) all the fuel efficient vehicles, especially hybrids, that are becoming very popular with the price of gasoline hovering around $3.00 per gallon,” noted Geist.

The Oregon task force suggested two potential user fees as the fairest and most stable replacements to the gasoline tax. The first solution is a mileage fee, which charges motorists based on how much they travel, and the second is congestion pricing, which charges drivers for driving during periods of high congestion.

Now, I don’t know anything about Oregon’s gas taxes or highways. What I want to zero in on, however, concerns Pennsylvania:

PHIA Managing Director Ron Geist pointed out that Pennsylvania is experiencing a similar trend. “The purchasing power of our gas tax is steadily being eroded due to (1) gas taxes not keeping up with inflation; (2) voters not being favorably inclined to support any type of tax increase, and; (3) all the fuel efficient vehicles, especially hybrids, that are becoming very popular with the price of gasoline hovering around $3.00 per gallon,” noted Geist.

How awful! You mean voters don’t want to pay MORE taxes and drive the price of gasoline up further? Why, how dare they! Evil greedy voters! Shame! And I thought hybrids were a good thing, yet here we have liberals whining because the greater fuel effeciency reduces gasoline tax revenue. But best of all are what Oregon is suggesting — and PHIA is considering:

The Oregon task force suggested two potential user fees as the fairest and most stable replacements to the gasoline tax. The first solution is a mileage fee, which charges motorists based on how much they travel, and the second is congestion pricing, which charges drivers for driving during periods of high congestion.

User fees. Don’t you love it when liberals, knowing full well we are already taxed to death and don’t want to pay more taxes, rename the tax to try to fool everybody? And I didn’t see any mention of Rendell diverting the gasoline taxes away from highways to prop up Philly’s failing public transportation system. Why didn’t they mention that? There is the reason they don’t have money to spend on highways. Why should we foot the bill? Raise the prices for tickets on that worthless public transportation system and use that money to fund the highways.