OT but not completely

The market for odometer tampering is about to ASPLODE. :-)

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/...in674120.shtml


---
"There's nothing wrong with a little shooting as long as the right people get shot."
- Inspector Harry Callahan

On Tue, 15 Feb 2005 10:07:44 -0500, Shag
> scribbled this interesting note:

>The market for odometer tampering is about to ASPLODE. :-)
>
>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/...in674120.shtml

I heard just the other day that new cars average twenty onboard
processors and about sixty megs of code...

How are they going to enforce this requirement on older cars like ours
that have no onboard processors and no coding whatsoever?

Here in Texas it would require owners to retrofit their cars with
these gadgets, which would be difficult since even with state mandated
inspections cars are only required to have what they came with from
the factory.

I think pay-as-you-go systems are good, in general, since those who
use the resources pay for that usage. It doesn't matter if that is via
an ad valorum tax like the current gasoline taxes or a per mile
tax-the end result is the same; those who use the most (gas in one
case, roads in the other) pay the most.

We already have built in incentives, it is simply that most people
have grown accustomed to the current gas tax structure and it only
works to fund roads, not to help people to decide not to buy that
Hummer with its mileage that makes the 402 in my work truck seem fuel
efficient!

A by-the-mile (or buy-the-mile, if you prefer) tax structure will do
nothing to encourage fuel efficiency. Only the rising price of
gasoline will do that. Remove the current gas tax, install a
by-the-mile system, and the price of gasoline will drop by the amount
of the current tax. It won't matter if your car gets 5 mile per gallon
or fifty miles per gallon, so far as the tax paid is concerned since
you only pay that tax by the mile.

Let's use a pay-as-you-go system. Let the market decide what kind of
vehicles should be produced. Gas prices will respond according to the
laws of supply and demand. The taxes paid will reflect actual usage of
the public resources (i.e. the road systems.) Seems fair to me. If you
drive a fuel efficient car and don't drive much you end up paying very
little either in tax or for gas-the best of both worlds!


--
John Willis
(Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

On 2005-02-15, John Willis > wrote:
>
> I think pay-as-you-go systems are good, in general, since those who
> use the resources pay for that usage. It doesn't matter if that is via
> an ad valorum tax like the current gasoline taxes or a per mile
> tax-the end result is the same; those who use the most (gas in one
> case, roads in the other) pay the most.

Or the existing toll scams that some states have?

Considering the tollways in Illinois have some of the absolute ****tiest
driving surfaces I could imagine AND a toll system, I have my doubts any
sort of pay-by-mile system will have any measurable benefit to citizens.

What amuses me is, as soon as you cross the state border into Wisconsin
(who have no tolls), the highway is perfectly smooth.

Paying based on usage is fine by me, but only if the government can be
trusted to actually funnel that money back into the roads. From what
I see, they can't.

On 15 Feb 2005 18:56:17 GMT, Seth Graham > wrote:

>On 2005-02-15, John Willis > wrote:
>>
>> I think pay-as-you-go systems are good, in general, since those who
>> use the resources pay for that usage. It doesn't matter if that is via
>> an ad valorum tax like the current gasoline taxes or a per mile
>> tax-the end result is the same; those who use the most (gas in one
>> case, roads in the other) pay the most.
>
>Or the existing toll scams that some states have?

Ooh, that ****es me off. When I was driving back from NYC in the
middle of "Blizzard, 2005" the roads were bad enough that the toll
booths on the expressway were closed... at least they were closed at
the point I got on the expressway. Of course after I'd driven on it a
while and came to the exit point, the toll booths were open. They
asked for my ticket which I did not have since the booths that give
out the tickets were closed when I went by them, so they "had" to
charge me the maximum amount possible. What kinda sh*t is that?
GRRRR!!! I don't plan on taking a trip "up yonder" again any time
soon.

>
>Considering the tollways in Illinois have some of the absolute ****tiest
>driving surfaces I could imagine AND a toll system, I have my doubts any
>sort of pay-by-mile system will have any measurable benefit to citizens.
>
>What amuses me is, as soon as you cross the state border into Wisconsin
>(who have no tolls), the highway is perfectly smooth.
>
>Paying based on usage is fine by me, but only if the government can be
>trusted to actually funnel that money back into the roads. From what
>I see, they can't.


---
"There's nothing wrong with a little shooting as long as the right people get shot."
- Inspector Harry Callahan

"Shag" > wrote in message
...
>
> They asked for my ticket which I did not have since the booths that give
> out the tickets were closed when I went by them, so they "had" to
> charge me the maximum amount possible. What kinda sh*t is that?
> GRRRR!!! I don't plan on taking a trip "up yonder" again any time soon.
>
>

............That was just a special deal for southerners.

On 2005-02-15, Shag > wrote:
> On 15 Feb 2005 18:56:17 GMT, Seth Graham > wrote:
>>
>>Or the existing toll scams that some states have?
>
> GRRRR!!! I don't plan on taking a trip "up yonder" again any time
> soon.

Don't ever visit Illinois then.. this year they implemented a new
featu double tolls UNLESS you have their prepaid RFID thing
installed.

It can cost over two bucks just to visit a friend and come home if
you have to use the highways.

On 15 Feb 2005 22:10:15 GMT, Seth Graham > wrote:

>On 2005-02-15, Shag > wrote:
>> On 15 Feb 2005 18:56:17 GMT, Seth Graham > wrote:
>>>
>>>Or the existing toll scams that some states have?
>>
>> GRRRR!!! I don't plan on taking a trip "up yonder" again any time
>> soon.
>
>Don't ever visit Illinois then.. this year they implemented a new
>featu double tolls UNLESS you have their prepaid RFID thing
>installed.
>
>It can cost over two bucks just to visit a friend and come home if
>you have to use the highways.

Hell, I think it was $6 they charged me just at that one toll booth.
Made me think of the term "highway robbery." I don't mind paying a
toll if the $ goes to the roads, blah blah blah, etc, etc. But when
the damn "entry" booth is closed and then the exit booth is open and
they charge you the max because THEY were not doing their job, that
****es me off. They should have charged the MINIMUM (in my vastly
important opinion) since they had no clue at what point I'd got on the
expressway thingie. *grumble grumble dumb yankee rules mumble mumble
Tim forgot to capitalize Southern _again_ grumble mumble*


---
"There's nothing wrong with a little shooting as long as the right people get shot."
- Inspector Harry Callahan

"Shag" > wrote in message
...
>
> Tim forgot to capitalize Southern _again_ grumble mumble*
>
>


...............Oh no I didn't........lol


timmy

"Seth Graham" > wrote in message
...
> On 2005-02-15, John Willis > wrote:
>>
>> I think pay-as-you-go systems are good, in general, since those who
>> use the resources pay for that usage. It doesn't matter if that is via
>> an ad valorum tax like the current gasoline taxes or a per mile
>> tax-the end result is the same; those who use the most (gas in one
>> case, roads in the other) pay the most.
>
> Or the existing toll scams that some states have?
>
> Considering the tollways in Illinois have some of the absolute ****tiest
> driving surfaces I could imagine AND a toll system, I have my doubts any
> sort of pay-by-mile system will have any measurable benefit to citizens.
>
> What amuses me is, as soon as you cross the state border into Wisconsin
> (who have no tolls), the highway is perfectly smooth.
>
> Paying based on usage is fine by me, but only if the government can be
> trusted to actually funnel that money back into the roads. From what
> I see, they can't.

Yes, and the tolls slide. The nearer you are to O'Hare, the higher per
mile charge. And the mile long bridge coming from Indiana is $2,00 soon to
be going up.

As I bump along every day on the 294, I think my butt is falling in love
with my carseat. Especially the short chunk between the 55 and the 290,
isn't it loverly? I saw a little red 68 one day over in the right lane.
Poor guy, I wonder how many times he's hit his head on the roof on that
stretch?

Charles of Kankakee

"Tim Rogers" > wrote in message
...
> "Shag" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> Tim forgot to capitalize Southern _again_ grumble mumble*
>>
>>
>
>
> ..............Oh no I didn't........lol
>
>
> timmy
>
>

Yeah, Tim. Ya did. I lived in The South for 11 years. I have ancestors
that fought on both sides of 'The Late Unfortunate Incident', too. There's
one county in Mississippi I'm probably related to half of. Small county,
though.

Charles of Kankakee