Democrats think they have their teeth in a new way to get a piece of hide out of Governor Larry Hogan over the Transportation Trust Fund (TTF). Their target is because Governor Hogan has proposed two major changes that will bankrupt the TTF for new projects, one is stopping the gas tax increase where it’s at now, and the other is restoring cuts made by Governor Martin O’Malley to the Local Highway User Revenue allocation.
The unspoken argument is that if Hogan stops the gas tax it basically is the end of the Purple and Red line, two projects that will cost $3 billion each, one for the Washington suburbs and the other for Baltimore. The spoken defense is that the people spoke during the last election by passing a constitutional amendment to prevent raids of the Transportation Trust Fund. Democrats also got the equivalent of a House of Card style kid being shot during a teacher’s strike when a piece of road debris fell off a bridge and into the windshield of a grandmother’s car.
The stopping of the gas tax is pretty straight forward. There are two components of the gas tax, one is a hidden sales tax of 5% that was being phased in, that is currently at 3% and the second is that the gas tax’s base rate of 30 cents per gallon is indexed to inflation so that it will go up in perpetuity to keep up with the rising cost of construction. The base tax rate just went up by 3.5 cents at the first of the year and went up .5 cents last July. This indexed portion of the gas tax goes up no matter what without a vote. What Governor Hogan is proposing is to stop it all where it’s at, and if the legislature wants to increase it to fund a transportation project, then they can have a separate vote. Democrats argument against stopping the gas tax is that it’s such a small tax that the average driver won’t notice (they’ll be saving $80 a year) yet it would do so much good (the Purple and Red lines).
The second phase that is the rhetorical target is the restoration of the local highway user revenues. Prior to FY2010, counties would get a share of local highway user revenues which comes from the gas tax and other fees. It used to be 30% and Governor O’Malley dropped the local share down to 9.6%, 7.7% of which is dedicated strictly to Baltimore City, 1.5% to all the counties, and .4% to all the municipalities in Maryland. This has been the biggest complaint from local governments and during the campaign Hogan promised to restore it. His legislation will follow through with that promise and eventually get the local share back to its 30%. Democrats have targeted this as a “raid” on the Transportation Trust Fund because it is altering the amount of money that goes to the fund, even though the money will still be used for transportation programs, just ones decided by local governments rather than state governments.
Democrats keep pointing to the fact that Hogan promised during the campaign not to raid the Transportation Trust Fund. Of course he technically can’t raid the TTF because the voters passed a constitutional amendment that prevents money being transferred out of the TTF, but the rhetoric from the Democrats that this is a raid sounds much better for them. When challenged they like to accuse Republicans of only being FOR the raid because Hogan is a Republican, rather than acknowledging that this isn’t a raid.
Senate President Mike Miller summed the whole thing up best though, Larry Hogan will regret stopping the gas tax increase because the system is unsustainable. Inflation occurs and roads, busses and rail get more expensive to maintain and build. 30 cents per gallon will not do as much as 30 cents per gallon will in 20 years. But Hogan also has to balance this with his ideology and legitimate belief that good government is actually voting for things, the desires of his base, and telling voters he tried, because in reality, all he can do is try, Mike Miller isn’t letting this go anywhere.
Democrats claim to continue to need money is being doubly worked with the Baltimore Sun putting an article up about how little the federal government is putting in since their gas tax hasn’t gone up, and then during yesterday’s snowpocalypse the bridge on Liberty Road was damaged by a plow and temporarily closed.
On the flip side, the Democratic chair of the Transportation and Envrionment Committee accidentally admitted that Larry Hogan wasn’t really raiding the Transportation Trust Fund as Democrats have claimed.
Democrats = Dumb ass. Why do you think the party icon is a donkey? How stupid are them people? they really think WE WANT TO PAY A GAS TAX INCREASE?? let them pay it. should have to show your voter card to buy gas so they can charge you a different rate, shouldn’t be a problem, being they support it and all..
I am so sick of each party but more so by the foaming at the mouth camp followers who attack the other side.
I’m fine with that “Mr Kitty”, as long as there are two complete sets of highways (or lanes). One would be in good shape (used exclusively by the “Dumb ass Democrats” who are willing to pay for well maintained infrastructure), and the other for those of you not willing to pony up your fair share to maintain the system.
In time (and with weather like we’ve had these past couple of winters), it won’t be long until all the tight wads will be paying a whole lot more for ruptured tires and front end alignments (and potentially a whole lot worse) than the additonal expense that they would have paid for the indexed fuel tax!
Can you say “third world country” (much less…..spell it?) 🙁
Glim,
A ‘third world country’ is one where the dictatorial government owns everything. The ‘fair share’ crap has ballooned us into our current mess. With everyone but the government working part time, how do you propose we continue to fund all this? Personally, I don’t want to ‘maintain the system’ at all. Funny, I don’t have to do a thing to get my wish. It will, most assuredly, collapse of its own weight in due course.
Do you know what the term third world country refers to? If you did you would know that originally third world nations were those not aligned with NATO or the Soviet bloc. Nations such as Brazil, Mexico, India, Columbia, Ireland, Austria, Ireland, Switzerland etc. Most of the countries did poor economically. But many of them had democratically elected governments. After the Cold war the term became used to refer to impoverished nations however it still means non-aligned nations. Those nations have changed!!!!
WIKI – THIRD WORLD, “Due to the complex history of evolving meanings and contexts, there is no clear or agreed upon definition of the Third World.[1] Some countries in the Communist Bloc, such as Cuba, were often regarded as “Third World”.”
‘third world’ like ‘banana republic’ are broad-brush, common descriptors of impoverished countries where the government directs everything. If the US becomes ‘third world’ it will be because the government has drained the middle class.
I would say nice try on your post… but not really.
Three commuters – A drives from Belair to the vicinity of BWI each day and pays the toll through the Ft. McHenry tunnel and return for a round trip of about 45 highway miles. With the recent increases to tolls that commute costs the commuter about $1000 annually. Commuter B lives just over the PA line and comes down 83S each day and works in Baltimore City. That commute is about 60 highway miles and costs the commuter nothing by way of tolls. Commuter C travels from upper Fallston to Chesapeake Hospital each day and twice a week to Hopkins for avg. total commute of 30 miles. This commuter’s annual income is $250,000 and and they pay nothing by way of tolls. This toll collection system is inherently unfair as the monies collected serve the entire system not just the costs to maintain Ft. McHenry, etal. In fact commuter A pays to maintain Hwy 83S for commuter B including upgrades to 83 S. that commuter B doesn’t pay for and commuter A never uses. The system is subsidized only by those unfortunate enough to live on the other side of whatever pinch point the state deems the skimming should occur. Once again how you feel about the gas tax is always dependent upon whoever’s ox is being gored. Rid the state of tolls and raise the gas tax – nobody should use the roads and be largely subsidized by others.
Get the facts straight. The tolls for I-95 do not go towards the repair or upgrade of I-83. All tolls for 95 go to the Maryland Transportation Authority which is used for repairs and upgrades on I-95 the other Toll Facilities (Bay Bridge, ICC, etc.)
Looks like somebody whose ox isn’t being gored doesn’t like the message. So the tolls on 95S (both the optional go around) or the Ft. McHenry or 895 tunnel pay just for those facilities? Those monies do not go into a transportation fund “pot” and are not used for any other purpose beyond maintenance of those roads? Liar…Oh and by the way in either case my B and C commuters still get off scott free even those both use MD highways every day.
Money Tree, No they do not go into the transportation pot. The Mass Transit Authority has their own budget with the revenue generated from the tolls. They may get additional funding from the Federal or State, but they control their own revenue generated from the tolls.
So now who is the Liar??
Mass transit? Who said anything about mass transit. This is about people that commute using MD highways, roads and bridges only some of them subject to tolls. That $1000 extra might be paid by a citizen whose entire after tax income is less than $30,000 while the doctor making $250,000 also using 95 south pays squat. And yes, the money is used by the state of maryland as authorized by the federal transportation authorities. Where the collected monies end up is up to the state. Swim in your ignorance if you want. Facts are facts.
I misspoke about Mass Transit. I meant to say the Maryland Transportation Authority. It is confusing because they both go by the MTA. I apologize Mr Money Tree. I guess by misspeaking that means I am an ignorant man. But you are right that facts are facts. And the fact is you are completely wrong about where the toll money goes.
As far as the $1,000 extra that $30,000 per year citizen might have to pay? There are alternate ways to travel to avoid paying tolls. Instead of going thru the tunnel, one can go around the beltway for free. What about the numerous people that use I-95 from Harford County to White Marsh that don’t have to pay a toll? They don’t pay any more than you or I do.
The best piece of legislation that was passed was the lock box on the Transportation Trust Fund. Now the gas tax that we pay is dedicated towards the much needed repairs in our State. It’s all about accountability, and Governor Hogan is trying his best to put that back into our government.
Big of you – so our lower middle income person can spend and extra 2 hours commuting each day and untold additional fuel costs to avoid a toll our wealthy doctor avoids completely simply because he exits before the tunnel. Dump the tolls and raise the gas tax otherwise you have I equal load being carried by some for arbitrary reasons based on nothing other than geography.
Good luck in that Democrat lane. My guess is that it will be mighty short lane. Studies for the past 25 years have demonstrated that Republicans pay significantly more in taxes than Democrats.
I will say that as much as I complain about Maryland taxes, I am glad we don’t have more toll roads like they do in PA, IL, or Ohio. Toll roads are just mean and unwelcoming to our visitors.
The bigger problem here is what is our gas tax going toward, why is the money paid by drivers being given to mass transit. Why don’t we require farebox recovery and for those that actually cost the money to pay AT LEAST 50% of what they cost. That’s not too unreasonable is it Justin Glimmer? Right now Baltimore area bus routes don’t even meet the 30% they are required by law to meet.
Governor Hogan isn’t really stopping the gas tax increases. He said he wants to make the legislators vote on the tax increases. With an “Index”, they can hide behind the automatic increases without any accountability of a voting record. Make the Democrat Delegates and Senators accountable for their actions and have the increases a matter of public record to see who is always raising taxes. Yes, our roads and bridges need repairs in the worst way, no argument there. But Governor Hogan is trying to make the citizens aware of just how the Democrats of this state have been doing whatever they want regardless of what the citizens desire.
Concerned,
That is Hogan’s rhetoric and it is true that to raise the gas tax it would require a vote, but his legislation doesn’t add that provision, it repeals the gas tax increase and stops it where it is. The defacto result is if you want to increase the gas tax, you have to have a new vote to do so, which matches Hogan’s rhetoric, but the legislation still stops the gas tax legislation where it is at.
To counter the rhetoric though, his legislation stops the portion of the gas tax that did have the vote, the hidden sales tax. You could read this in HB483
The dems put the gas tax auto increase into law because they didn’t want to be on record voting for more taxes,cowards. Repeal the auto increase and if we really need a gas tax increase then explain it to the voters. Few people use mass transit because it’s dangerous and inconvenient. Spend the money on repairing existing roads and bridges.When that’s accomplished build mass transit. I’ve driven on better roads in Mexico than here and they’re made of dirt.
According to Martin O’Malley the gas tax was only to be considered if Congress DID NOT pass the internet sales tax law, if I remember correctly.So Martin didn’t get one tax so he created another.
“Few people use mass transit because it’s dangerous and inconvenient.”
Wikipedia:
“Washington, D.C. has the second highest percentage of public transit commuters in the United States, behind only New York City.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transportation_in_Washington,_D.C.
The MARC system provides reliable transportation for just over 400,000 Marylanders per month with an on-time percentage in the high 90’s. Hardly a sign of dangerousness and inconvenience.
Oops! That should have read “per day”, not “per month”.
The MTA system, including MARC, provides reliable transportation for just over 400,000 Marylanders per day with an on-time percentage in the high 90?s. Hardly a sign of dangerousness and inconvenience.
(My apologies for the corrections. This has not been a good day for my typing skills.)
Activate spell check and pay attention to the red line.
Will do, spelling-wise.
The Red Line looks very exciting. It will provide much needed east-west access throughout the city, a boon to workers and tourists.
Just as the spell checker red line indicates an error, Keith’s comment errs in not mentioning the detrimental impact on traffic that the Red Line will bring to the roads on which it shares the pavement with cars and trucks, and in not mentioning the long travel time that a commute on the Red Line will take due to traffic signals and congestion on the streets.
Most people will do what they do for Howard Street. They will drive along a different road, leaving the road with the transit option for those utilizing the transit and those who absolutely must be on that road. It is a big city. It isn’t very difficult to bypass a rail line.
Yea, OK, the MTA is effective. Do you realize that the fare that the MTA charges covers less than 20 percent of the cost to run the system? The rest of us in Maryland make up the other 80 percent. How effective is that? What business can run when they lose that much money every day? Oh that’s right, just keep raising taxes to cover the losses. Ant the addition of the “Red Line” will just keep adding to the taxpayer subsidy known as the MTA.
Very few government services are fully-funded by user fees. Personally, I don’t mind paying for other people’s free stuff. Eventually, others will pay for something I want. At least that is what I keep telling myself every time I look at my Social Security and Medicare taxes.
But if you have real job, you are paying for SS and MC.
I am paying for today’s retirees. My hope is that tomorrow’s workers will pay for me. That is how the system works. It is called “wealth redistribution”.
I am giving away free stuff today for the hope of my own free stuff tomorrow.
Keith, you are exactly what is wrong with the system. People like you are looking for “free stuff”. Why don’t you earn your own “stuff” instead of relying on my redistributed wealth. I worked very hard for what I have, and I don’t like giving it way to people like you.
We live in a society where “free stuff” abounds – Social Security, Medicare, defense, fire departments,police, public schools, etc. Everybody pays for the free stuff of somebody else.
Man up and get used to the reality of it.
After that, we can discuss which portions of the “free stuff” are most important. I, for one, gladly pay to get other cars off of the roads so that they aren’t in my way when I want do drive. This is called mass transit.
Honestly, though, thank you for refusing any Social Security and Medicare payments.
They’ve been taking SS and Medicare deductions from my paychecks for the last fifty years or so. Don’t see how that counts as being free stuff.
Who will be paying for our Social Security checks? Our money has already been spent by today’s retirees. The same is true of our Medicare benefits.
I, personally, hope that today’s young people will pay for me like I paid for their grandparents. Glad to see that others on this forum feel entitled to take money from young people’s wallets without so much as a thank you.
Someone should write a protest song about the MTA !!
Somebody already did write that song. Charlie and the MTA about the Boston MTA Cute song by the Kingston Trio that you can listen to on Youtube
I know, that’s why I posted that…… But now we are dating ourselves aren’t we Charlie.
Yeah, Just. I suppose we are. I seldom post because I’ve seen most of it before. Only the names (or fake names on comments forums) have changed. But take heart ,friend, in that you and I are only dating ourselves. Many on the Dagger reveal far worse about themselves than their age.
Keith,
There is plenty of money to honor Social Security and Medicare for those who have paid into the system for probably 50 years. It is the bloated alphabet agencies and the desire to enrich the millions who walk into this country and collect everything without having paid anything into the system.
Social Security and Medicare are not ‘free stuff’ to the heritage citizens in this country. And, the nation of immigrants argument does not hold up against the historic assimilation process. Until recently, immigrants were handed a shovel, not an EBT card.
All Social Security and Medicare taxes received by the government are paid out in the same year they are received, including loans to the Treasury. There is no “paying into”. There is a promise that future generations will pay for the next set of retirees.
Today’s taxpayers are paying for a promise of a future benefit.
Keith,
Trying to turn this into a semantics argument is crap. People ‘pay into’ the system. Nobody said the money was saved for them. Those pay stubs indicate why the money was removed from their paychecks… they ‘pay into’ the system.
Furthermore, restating the system and the problem is not an answer to the problem. The problem is all the illegals who collect but never ‘paid into’ it. So, don’t just give me the canned speech on how it is administrated. Mkay.
Ok. I pay into the system of mass transit, therefore I am entitled to use the subsidized rates when I choose to.
Keith,
Social Security and Medicare are payroll deductions with specific, stated benefits. There is no response to your post it is so silly. With your kind of logic you must be a policy maker for whatever type of governance we are suffering under.
Mass transit has a two dedicated forms of revenue. A portion of the gas tax and user fees. Those programs provide all taxpayers with a specific benefit in exchange for those funds.
The fact that you choose not to use them doesn’t make them unworthy of public support.
Illegals can’t collect social security, ssi or ssdi as these benefits require proof of legal status and other than ssi require having made contribution into the system. Stop making shit up as it makes you stupid unless stupid is what you do. In that case keep on carrying the torch the tea party thinks you are awesome.
Blue,
Wrong…. Wrong…. Wrong.
Under DACA and the latest directive from DHS, illegals will get all the benefits citizens get. And, if an illegal family has 3 children they can get an ‘earned income’ check for about $35k. You miss the point that the letter of the law has long since been abandoned. I guess the news channel you watch failed to cover the bus loads of illegals being driven to a Walmart to shop with their EBT cards. Illegals have been getting free medical, food stamps, subsidized housing – along with free education for years. Adding Social Security, free federal ‘income tax credit’ rebates and get-out-of-jail-free cards is just current icing on the cake. Congress already allocated 1 billion in January to transition millions more of them.
Boo hoo,
DACA at this moment isn’t even implemented and it hasn’t allowed anyone to get Social Security Benefits as DACA isn’t a law to help people that haven’t paid into the social security fund. I doubt it will be allowed to stand by the Courts. What channel has such stories? Fox? Not really a trustworthy independent news outlet!
Boo boo
DACA (deferred action for childhood arrivals) applies to new arrivals, not anyone that has been in the US for a previous period of time. DaCa has been authorized by executive action but courts can turn it down soon. This law gives no tax credit benefits or any other benefit other than deportation his deferred. I think you are talking caca!!
I believe you are confused with DAPA whish isn’t the same. This law would give temporary status to illegals with US born children and as such have a different standing. You don’t have to agree with any of these proposals or actions, but please don’t make yourself self a fool by speaking foolish things…
Keith,
No again Keith. Stretching your definitions only makes you look stupid. Stop contorting yourself into a pretzel trying to hang onto an untenable position. Social Security and Medicare were special contracts with the citizens and that is why they have their specific payroll deductions. Over, done and finished. They are not a ‘rain tax’, a ‘gas tax’ or a save-the-whale tax… or whatever. They truly are the sacrosanct trusts with the government – making the thievery of their money all that much more of a sin.
Sounds like someone doesn’t like being supported by the taxpayers. It is okay, your ideology will remain intact.
Keith, you sound like someone who would be perfectly happy being on unemployment rather than work for a living. Oh yea, my government owes me my share of entitlements. Keep on taxing the hard working citizens so the typical Obama follower can get their free government entitlement handed to them.
Oh, I couldn’t go on unemployment. Without people like me, thereby nobody left to pay for you and your ilk feasting at the taxpayers’ trough. Somebody has to pay to refill it and since the taxpayers owe you for your entitlements, it appears that it isn’t going to be you.
why are we paying for all these bridge cops?they are pests who lay in wait to hand out minor traffic offences 24 7?.take rt 40 hatem bridge,u have the toll cops, harford and cecil co,sheriffs,hdg police,perryville police,state police,6 branches of police,i see excessive waste of of tax dollars and the fines they collect from the same tax payers,cut out the cops and put the $$$$ saved to highway repairs
Blue,
Nope!!
You say:
“DACA (deferred action for childhood arrivals) applies to new arrivals, not anyone that has been in the US for a previous period of time” – Wrong again. Are you really that ignorant on the subject?
DACA was initially set up solely for under 15 year old’s arriving before 2007! It was intended to provide safety against childhood trafficking. But, as usual became an open door policy. It recently was modified to include anyone under 31 that has been in the country since 2010. DACA was not intended for new arrivals and was specifically to address children who were already in the country. So, who is embarrassing themselves?
And concerning benefits you are wrong again because our process is currently pretty much lawless. Anybody showing up is not ask their status in sanctuary cities – or the entire state for that matter. All the thousands of children arriving within the last year were given immediate status as those having arrived before 2007 and 2010. And, the cost involves more than the children during processing. It includes parents and custodians – which is anybody crossing the border with any child claiming to be so. They are the ones on the buses using the EBT cards for a shopping spree. Are you ignorant of this or just trying to con the forum?
But lets really cut the crap shall we. Where illegals are concerned it is a no deportation and no questions ask process from the government. They get food stamps, free medical, free education and subsidized housing right now – and in many cases some quality for SSI right now. When the process is complete they will get ‘earned income’ credit which could be for a family up to $35k.
Those are the facts. I am tired of repeating myself.
You are entitled to your opinion but the facts do not support your statements. Show me the statute, not a slanted article from you faux news websites. Repeat, Daca and Dapa aren’t the same thing. Daca doesn’t propose to do any of what you say. It just defers deportation..
Both DACA and DAPA are caca. Send illegals back! We have enough deadwood mooching off already..
Blue,
Not just a moron… a stubborn moron.
Go to
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deferred_Action_for_Childhood_Arrivals
That will give you an overview.
Then go to
http://www.uscis.gov/news/dhs-extends-eligibility-employment-authorization-certain-h-4-dependent-spouses-h-1b-nonimmigrants-seeking-employment-based-lawful-permanent-residence
There you can read how they just keep piling on the benefits. A quick search will give you all the info you need to show you how you are a slimy piece of ignorant crap.