The big issue here is that David Strom says taxpayers shouldn't be being forced to subsidize transit. To me, this inevitably evokes the response, "why should I subsidize highways tearing my city apart for the sake of single-rider SUV's?" The amount of taxpayer subsidies going into driving are so much higher than anyone realizes. First of all, we have to consider tax breaks for the oil companies, to the tune of billions of dollars (I apologize, I'm away from home and don't have all the necessary numbers). Then there is I believe $20 billion spent annually on maintenance for our nation's highways. Some $80 in environmental remediation, not even taking into account all the effects of suburban sprawl. And, another $80 billion for "free" parking. Think of all those people who can drive to work and have free parking provided by their employers. Well, each spot is valued at an average of $1000 a year. It seems like no big deal, because the employers are still paying for it, right? But guess what? They get a TAX WRITEOFF for employee parking. Fact is, all the gas tax pays for is new construction. But, it doesn't even cover all of our construction. These means two things: taxpayer money going toward construction, but more importantly, all NON-HIGHWAY roads (read: city streets) have to be covered by cities' general funds. The irony here is that David Strom doesn't want taxpayer subsidies. He believes that we should be responsible for paying for what we use. BUT--he's opposed to raising the gas tax!!! So what does he want? The answer-he wants to be antagonistic.
--Jeff Rosenberg Cedar/Riverside --Spending the week in New York and enjoying GOOD TRANSIT! REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
