Path: ...!eternal-september.org!feeder3.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail
From: AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: People Without Meaningful Lives Seek Power Over Others
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2025 13:42:41 -0600
Organization: Yellow Jersey, Ltd.
Lines: 71
Message-ID: <vmu63g$1p7vp$4@dont-email.me>
References: <5ZfjP.880262$DPl.350989@fx13.iad> <vmk664$2kbc6$3@dont-email.me>
 <ilsrojpo0slf2aaqibj6mc8jkqphdknpmj@4ax.com> <vmlpon$376i1$6@dont-email.me>
 <vmlsuk$38pj2$1@dont-email.me> <lv9dihFtb61U1@mid.individual.net>
 <vmocrb$5grk$4@dont-email.me> <vmoj1l$7kk7$1@dont-email.me>
 <vmokki$8agt$1@dont-email.me> <vmol95$8ei6$1@dont-email.me>
 <zwgkP.176573$vfee.122746@fx45.iad> <vmsbhb$1aqp1$2@dont-email.me>
 <vmt8re$1jmo3$2@dont-email.me> <vmu0lv$1o8bt$1@dont-email.me>
 <s745pj9vh9rnlhgonvfk51db8a9p0o169d@4ax.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Injection-Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2025 20:42:40 +0100 (CET)
Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="d80540f5094010b3ebd6ccb5bb3eceb2";
	logging-data="1875961"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org";	posting-account="U2FsdGVkX1/l1B0qCPkcd5Y8WqujfZmT"
User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird
Cancel-Lock: sha1:Qru0fGe5iDKHgjkcne+y38vqLQg=
Content-Language: en-US
In-Reply-To: <s745pj9vh9rnlhgonvfk51db8a9p0o169d@4ax.com>
Bytes: 4576

On 1/23/2025 12:59 PM, Shadow wrote:
> On Thu, 23 Jan 2025 13:10:06 -0500, Frank Krygowski
> <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> 
>> On 1/23/2025 6:23 AM, zen cycle wrote:
>>> On 1/22/2025 10:03 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
>>>>
>>>> In fact, I think if we could do so, road taxes should all be on such a
>>>> per-mile-driven system, maybe modified additionally for the weight of
>>>> the vehicle.
>>>
>>> Texas tried it
>>>
>>> https://www.dallasnews.com/news/investigations/2024/10/23/a-look-at-
>>> texas-private-toll-roads/
>>>
>>> at least in one case, it didn't go so well:
>>>
>>> https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-tollway-288-steep-price/
>>>
>>> "Since the tollway opened in November 2020, toll rates have increased by
>>> more than 160 percent, going from $11 for the full 20-mile round trip
>>> during peak hours to $29 dollars now. "
>>
>> That looks like an astonishingly bad agreement between the government
>> and BTG corporation. But note that BTG paid only a third of the cost of
>> construction, so even that "private" toll road was heavily subsidized by
>> taxpayers. I'm pointing this out to those who say rail transport should
>> cover all its expenses via fares, with zero subsidies.
>>
>> To try for a broader overview of road taxes: There are people who never
>> drive, and people who drive far more than others. Since the vast
>> majority of road-related expenses are _not_ covered by gasoline taxes,
>> why should a non-driver pay the same road taxes as a mega-driver?
>>
>> Why not tie those taxes the amount of roadway used by each driver, since
>> that (as well as vehicle weight) is a main determinant of roadway
>> expenses? After all, train fares are strongly affected by the the
>> rider's travel distance - IOW the amount of track used.
>>
>> To allay the fears of the paranoid: The government wouldn't need to
>> track your movements. You'd simply need to submit evidence of your
>> odometer total once per year.
> 
> 	That wouldn't work. Too many crooks around.
> 	First think people do when they buy a new car in Brazil is to
> ask the dealer to disconnect the odometer. So they can sell it years
> later with "very low mileage".
> 	[]'s
>>
>> Seems to me the crew that says "Let the market decide" should be all in
>> favor of this idea.
>>
>> And please note, I'm not making this argument for my own benefit. Quite
>> the opposite! As I've said, my life situation has changed in a way that
>> makes me driver far more annual miles than I ever did before, and I'm
>> doing it in an EV. I'm pretty sure I'm paying less than "my share" of
>> roadway expenses.

And reversing odometer mileage is a widespread and creative 
industry here as well.

p.s. The sloppy ones get arrested and charged. The smarter 
ones are doing the same thing, better, at this moment:

https://www.wmtv15news.com/2023/12/05/almost-1k-car-wholesalers-operating-out-one-arlington-building-prompt-potential-law-change/

-- 
Andrew Muzi
am@yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971