Just amazing...the GOP answer to our infrastructure

[Neecy]

Tom Ridge was just on Hardball, and he's proposing a user's fee on bridges and roads. We're 'consumers', you see, of public roads so we need to pay for them.

Mike Barnicle just moved on to the next question without asking the obvious: aren't we already paying for transportation maintenance with gasoline taxes, state taxes, and federal taxes? And now we should pay AGAIN so we don't get killed on them?

Hey, how about applying our tax money to things they're supposed to be used for in the first place? Will the greed of these GOP bastards never end?

[jgraz]

1. No, the greed will never end

They need to be stopped and we need to stop them. Tom Ridge should be in prison, along with the rest of this criminal regime.

[JerseygirlCT]

26. No it won't end. Unless we stop it, they'll never stop. nt

[rzemanfl]

2. Fuck the former Minister of Disinformation. Once an asshole,

always an asshole.

[ClassWarrior]

3. Well said.

Will the greed of these Rape-Publican bastards never end?

NGU.

[Snotcicles]

4. I was going to say thats why we pay taxes. But then it dawned on me that KBR, has dibs on them. nt

[bahrbearian]

5. I wish there was some way you could put a user fee on the Military

we could charge the Oil companies, the Saudis , the Israeli's, and the supporters of Chimpy

[karlrschneider]

6. Just turn them all into toll roads. Make the toll $50,000. Hell, they'd only need a few customers

a day to make a profit!

[Johonny]

7. Funny enough I said that is what they would say this morning

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1495795&mesg_id=1495947

[brentspeak]

8. Yup. More idiotic Repub talk about privatizing the public roads

Roads and bridges that have already been paid for by the taxpayer.

[tabasco]

9. Saint Ronnie Reagan said government isn't the solution to our problems.

Well, we had a "problem" in Minnesota yesterday because of this republican philosophy. They want us to believe that giving tax money to rich people is a smart thing to do but funding public works is a luxury we can't afford.

[smtpgirl]

10. Exactly, corporate welfare, but no money for infrastructure!!!!

[smtpgirl]

11. Yep, St. Ronnie really was a good Pres, huh?

Tabasco, you are right, this crap started when St. Ronnie was in office.

What is sad is that Eisenhower started the national road highway system, but Ronnie dropped the ball the whole 8 years in office. We needed to arm Iraq, have a savings & loan failure (keating 5), the list goes on & on.

When will people learn, don't vote republican.

[TahitiNut]

12. Who would expect them to NOT look for ways to PROFIT??

Good grief! Ridge spewed the "public-private partnership" line yet again ... you know where the public pays for the shaft and the privateers collect the gold?

Fucking greedy basturds.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

13. Let's just privatize the bridges completely

and only allow those who can afford to pay the toll to use them. Heck, let's just privatize the roads, the city, the air, the water, the sunshine...

[iamahaingttta]

17. That's the idea!

Now you're catching on...

[Throwing Stones]

14. I propose a user's fee on idiotic statements

At 10k a pop, hell, one night of Tweety and O'really would've brought enough into the fisc to prevent a hundred Twin Cities tragedies.

[valerief]

15. Why don't these assholes ask for a war tax? All in favor of war can pay for it.

The rest of us can pay for bridge maintenance and levee maintenance and road maintenance other infrastructure stuff govt is supposed to do.

[B Calm]

37. This is the kind of replies I want from our Democratic leaders!

[bleedingheart]

16. Ridge was a shitty governor ...didn't see him do much to help PA

[senseandsensibility]

18. kick

Barnacle is disgusting; he's just as bad as tweety but in a different way. A couple of days ago he let Melanie Morgan get away with saying that Bill is still cheating on Hillary and will need a detective on his tail all the time. He didn't blink an eye or react or heaven forbid, ask for proof, just went on to his next scripted question. He's not only rigid and dull witted, but he is biased. That strangely incurious demeanor seems to pick up sometimes when he senses a chance to bash Dems.

[many a good man]

19. NoVa already floating idea of fast lanes for the rich

Politicians in Northern Virginia have proposed expanding the highways with expensive toll lanes that would get better maintenance and move faster than the public roads we poor slobs have to endure.

[ThomCat]

20. It's just another regressive tax idea from the republicans.

Why should rich people pay more than poor people for the public infrastructure. Make all those poor people pay for everything!

[Jade Fox]

21. Wow, that's gonna be a real popular solution......

:sarcasm:

So, we're citizens when it comes to funding pointless wars, but consumers when we need to drive to work or the grocery store?

[wildflowergardener]

22. tolls

Ok - so a private company takes tolls to pay for providing the maintenance for the roads and bridges. A private company wants to make a profit right? So, why aren't they going to just pocket the money and let the bridges and roads go into even worse repair than they are now?

Do they have an answer for that?

Meg

[underpants]

30. Several highways have recently been privatized to foreign owners too

Toll roads and bridges was a huge issue back in the heyday of the progressive movement (early 20's). Making them free was a fantastic economic boost for farmers as it increased their income as they didn't have to pay to get their goods to the store/market/rail line. Oh and the owner of these roads could charge just about anything they wanted or just refuse to allow someone they didn't like (or whose land they wanted) from using the road.

[Raine]

23. 1 word ... TAXES

that's what they are for!

[CrispyQ]

24. "We the People: A Call to Take Back America" by Thom Hartmann

It should be required reading. It is a fifth grade civics refresher course. It's written in a comic book fashion & is a quick read. Get this book & read it. Then have your kids read it.

It's time people realized the total bullshit they've been fed about how great the privatization of our Commons will be & how terrible it is to pay taxes.

An excerpt from this fantastic book:

The Loss of the Commons: http://www.we-the-people-book.com/downloads/WTP-Commons-excerpt2.pdf

http://www.we-the-people-book.com/index.htm

[tjwash]

25. That's what taxes are Tom.

:forehead slap:

I know it's a novel concept that they go anywhere but the republican oil wars.

[Supersedeas]

27. and the cronies who set up private companies will collect and pocket the 'fees'

and the maintenance still will not get done.

[Supersedeas]

28. and the cronies who set up private companies will collect and pocket the 'fees'

and the maintenance still will not get done.

[Supersedeas]

29. and the cronies who set up private companies will collect and pocket the 'fees'

and the maintenance still will not get done.

[Mythsaje]

31. Sounds a little like extortion to me...n/t

[Bake]

32. User fees? That sounds to me like a NEW TAX!

Scream it from the rooftops: The Pukes want NEW TAXES!!!!!

Bake

[Help me help Earth]

33. It's going to happen one day.

The GPS units going into new cars can get you directions, find a stolen car, and track your mileage and routes so gov can tax you and private companies can toll you.

[Elspeth]

34. I'll bet

I think that is the end goal of letting infrastructure go. To "privatize" everything.

[Help me help Earth]

35. I had a conversation with a libertarian friend about privatizing roads.

I asked him how he thought it was possible, and he created this whole ridiculous toll system/multiple private DMVs/color coded licenses for different areas to drive nonsense. It's funny how someone so interested in a private everything can't see how it could actually be achieved; a pandering and compromised government working with businesses willing to toss cash around. Mark my words, we will see this system within our lifetimes (the GPS road thing, as what I just described is more or less here).

[Elspeth]

40. Technology has made the facist dream really possible

God help us all.

[devilgrrl]

36. I think Smokers should have to pay for it.

eom

[spinbaby]

38. Breastfeeding, SUV-driving smokers n/t

[devilgrrl]

39. Starbucks swilling, cell phone gabbing, smoking, SUV driving, preganant women.

Make them pay!