Quote:
Originally Posted by trebuchet03
You should run for public office 
That solves the problem of no one running against them and gives everyone an alternative It's hard though - people tend to vote for the incumbent because they're the incumbent - even when they do a crappy job  |
The other problem is that "Funny" is a virtual unknown, even if I had the knowledge of civics and law that one must have in order to run for a governmental position, it would be too much stress for a B type like myself. These jerks just get me all fired up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by trebuchet03
I'm curious though - 1/3 of the state pays 90% of the tolls....
Is that 1/3 by area? Population? And, what percentage of highway road usage does that 1/3 utilize? (Just curious)
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This is around the Boston area. To give you some examples:
In 2000 the population of Suffolk county (Boston) was 689,807 people. The whole of Massachusetts in the same year had a population of 6,349,097.
That is where the percentage comes from (I know that it is only a little under eleven percent, but I am counting commuters into the city.)
In 2000 the population density of Suffolk county (Boston) was 10000 people/ square mile. The whole of Massachusetts in the same year had a population density of 810.
Land area (square miles) Suffolk county: 58.52 - Massachusetts: 7,840.02
HOW MUCH WILL TOLLS GO UP?
The Ted Williams and Sumner Tunnels:
$7 for cars paying cash (currently $3.50)
$6 for cars using Fast Lane (currently $3)
$9 for 2-axle for commercial vehicles (currently $5.25)
$3.50 per axle for all other commercial vehicles
Allston-Brighton Tolls:
$2 for cars paying cash (currently $1.25)
$1.50 for cars using Fast Lane (currently $1)
$1 per axle for commercial vehicles
And currently it costs 79 cents in wages for the toll collectors for every dollar of tolls collected. That means that only 21 cents on the dollar are going to pay the debt on the road (many of whose tolls have already paid for the cost of building its highway twice over, thus having no debt on them other than maintenance!)
The State gas tax (not federal) is at 21.5 cents per gallon. They are going to raise it by nearly 50% (an additional 9 cents), and 70% (I was one of the other 30%) of the state just voted to KEEP the income Tax! They are now coming around like crack-heads saying "I still need a little more money, can I have a little more money, please a little more." ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
You scared the ignorant, uninformed people of Massachusetts to forgo keeping the money that they earned, threatening higher taxes, and proceed just two weeks and two days later to "Punch the tax payers in the face" with more taxes. This is definitely not cutting the wasteful spending that you promised, Mr. Patrick. It is another screw-job on the people of my state.
Thanks for the question and being interested, Treb, I always value the opinion of someone as intellectual and intelligent as yourself.