On Toll Roads and Oregon's Tax On Miles Driven

[Nbadan]

Oregon is testing the idea of collecting highway funds through a tax on miles driven, rather than gasoline consumed.

Eighty percent of Oregon's highway money comes from its 24-cents-per-gallon gas tax. If the state promotes reducing gasoline consumption and consumers tend to buy the fuel-efficient vehicles, including hybrids, highway revenues would take a hit, The New York Times reported.

The test program uses a global positioning system to track miles driven, using a black box to calculate how many miles are clocked in-state, out of state and during rush hour.

The experiment is designed to increase state revenue for road maintenance without raising gasoline taxes, but critics say collecting GPS records poses new privacy issues.

more: Big News Network

As always, the Government and complacent corporate media aren't going to clue you in on what's really going on here, but the blogosphere will...

Here's how the system will really work and why toll-roads are part of the plan...

a)They will use embedded readers integrated directly in the road.

b)The RFID will be in the state registration sticker that you place on your license plate and renew yearly.

c) You will be billed monthly.

d) You will be fined monthly if you exceed the time vs distance between particular readers...points will be assigned for moving violations

e)RFID will also be in your realID, It will be illegal not to have it on you because there will also be a checkpoint function to the system.

Here are the specs from Government do entation soliciting vendors:

a)RFID-capable of being read from 20 ft. @ a speed of 55mph, up to 55 person simultaneously for busses.

b)Reader- capable of reading from greater than 20ft, to specifications above. Capable of reading multiple vehicles simultaneously. Must be capable of being cast in concrete.

The real and horrifying elements of what's really going on here.

What they are not telling you about this, is they have already been putting in the infrastructure for this. They have done it quietly. Articles like this one are just the announcement.

What's going on is, they plan on taking all the roads your grandparents already have paid for, the legitimate governmental authority that sits above the roads, the law enforcement and fining authority, and hand the whole lot over to their buddies and choice public/private organizations(PPO's) who will then have total regional authority over your movement. You will no longer have representation, and you won't be able to vote them out. They are working right now to change the law to allow for this in Ohio.

The king of Spain will be operating the new trans Texas corridor through his company Cintra, and many of the key free highways in Texas. This Oregon thing is much the same setup(although the GPS plan is a bit of misdirection), as well as the ones proposed in Ca, OH, IN(Cintra just won the contract for Indiana in mid March) and most of the east coast states.

They will hook into this a point system that will take into account all aspects of your life(yes, child payments and tax scofflaws and more), and use your license as hostage.

The tolls they're proposing begin @ $.15 a mile(multiply that by your MPG, for a per gallon price, mine works out to over $4 a gallon on top of the price of gas...right now fed excise is about $.50 a gallon), that does not include the price of gas and the included federal tax that won't be going away.

Texas is the initial testing ground, but other states are going forward at light speed.

In Texas, despite opinion polls 95% against and overflowing angry city council meetings, citizens ONLY narrowly defeated the proposal to start putting RFID in the registration stickers.

The crooks don't care, they are ignoring the defeat, they are going ahead with a pilot program and putting in the RFID in anyway, and challenging the people to vote them out.

PS: the TransTexas corridor project has had a whistle-blower go public, and say the concrete mix was totally below spec and is already falling apart before completion. They are cutting the cost every way possible, and are using illegal labor.

People really need to get up to speed on this issue. They have no idea whats in store for them.

[scott]

Well, no one has ever accused Oregon of being run by economists. These are the folks who brought us the "17 Reasons You Aren't Allowed to Pump Your Own Gas."

They are pretty classic... sorry to hijack your thread Dan...

http://www.oregonlawyer.com/ors/Stat...tatute=480.315

The Legislative Assembly declares that, except as provided in ORS 480.345 to 480.385, it is in the public interest to maintain a prohibition on the self-service dispensing of Class 1 flammable liquids at retail. The Legislative Assembly finds and declares that:
(1) The dispensing of Class 1 flammable liquids by dispensers properly trained in appropriate safety procedures reduces fire hazards directly associated with the dispensing of Class 1 flammable liquids;

Oregon boasts a population full of people "trained" in the pumping of gasoline. Good thing, because we often hear about gas pumps exploding due to people without proper training pumping gas in the other 48 states who don't have similar laws (can't pump your own gas in New Jersey either).

(2) Appropriate safety standards often are unenforceable at retail self-service stations in other states because cashiers are often unable to maintain a clear view of and give undivided attention to the dispensing of Class 1 flammable liquids by customers;

You should never pump gas without proper supervision from someone trained to use a cash register.

(3) Higher liability insurance rates charged to retail self-service stations reflect the dangers posed to customers when they leave their vehicles to dispense Class 1 flammable liquids, such as the increased risk of crime and the increased risk of personal injury resulting from slipping on slick surfaces;

You know it! It's these folks stealing windsheild wipers and slipping on all the gasoline spilled on the ground that are driving up insurance rates for all of us!

(4) The dangers of crime and slick surfaces described in subsection (3) of this section are enhanced because Oregon's weather is uniquely adverse, causing wet pavement and reduced visibility;

Fog and slippery pavement are known causes of crime - we can learn a thing or two from Oregon.

(5) The dangers described in subsection (3) of this section are heightened when the customer is a senior citizen or is disabled, especially if the customer uses a mobility aid, such as a wheelchair, walker, cane or crutches;

Senior citizen slippage is rampant as gas stations I tell ya!

(6) Attempts by other states to require the providing of aid to senior citizens and the disabled in the self-service dispensing of Class 1 flammable liquids at retail have failed, and therefore, senior citizens and the disabled must pay the higher costs of full service;

Instead of giving them a choice of potential slipping (recall, this is a HUGE problem) for cheaper or paying more for full service (if they can find it)... we'll just force every to pay for full service.

(7) Exposure to toxic fumes represents a health hazard to customers dispensing Class 1 flammable liquids;
(8) The hazard described in subsection (7) of this section is heightened when the customer is pregnant;

Millions of Americans die from toxic gasoline fume related injuries each year... I guess.

(9) The exposure to Class 1 flammable liquids through dispensing should, in general, be limited to as few individuals as possible, such as gasoline station owners and their employees or other trained and certified dispensers;

Once you've seen the 15 minute training video, the fumes are no longer toxic, apparently. Nor are they toxic if you don't touch the gas pump handle and just stand a few feet from it while a trained professional takes care of everything.

(10) The typical practice of charging significantly higher prices for full-service fuel dispensing in states where self-service is permitted at retail:
(a) Discriminates against customers with lower incomes, who are under greater economic pressure to subject themselves to the inconvenience and hazards of self-service;
(b) Discriminates against customers who are elderly or handicapped who are unable to serve themselves and so must pay the significantly higher prices; and
(c) Increases self-service dispensing and thereby decreases maintenance checks by attendants, which results in neglect of maintenance, endangering both the customer and other motorists and resulting in unnecessary and costly repairs;

Pure. Comedy.

(11) The increased use of self-service at retail in other states has contributed to diminishing the availability of automotive repair facilities at gasoline stations;

While automotive repair facilities are no longer as gas stations, its not because people have to pump their own gas.

(12) Self-service dispensing at retail in other states does not provide a sustained reduction in fuel prices charged to customers;

Ya sure about that, Oregon? Meanwhile, Oregon boasts some of the highest gasoline taxes in the country.

(13) A general prohibition of self-service dispensing of Class 1 flammable liquids by the general public promotes public welfare by providing increased safety and convenience without causing economic harm to the public in general;

The value of the 15 minute training video once again proves itself!

(14) Self-service dispensing at retail contributes to unemployment, particularly among young people;

And there it is!!! The source of our declining morals in America... NOT ENOUGH JOBS AT GAS STATIONS!!!

(15) Self-service dispensing at retail presents a health hazard and unreasonable discomfort to the handicapped, to elderly persons, small children and those susceptible to respiratory diseases;

And now Oregon is just repeating itself.

(16) The federal Americans with Disabilities Act, Public Law 101-336, requires that equal access be provided to disabled persons at retail gasoline stations; and

Well, okay.

(17) Small children left unattended when customers leave to make payment at retail self-service stations creates a dangerous situation.

Gas stations... public enemy number 1 for children. Are children all over the country spontaneously combusting at these self serve stations? What are these children doing.....drinking the gasoline when mom's not looking? Thanks for looking out for the kids, Oregon.

[RobinsontoDuncan]

Im suprised oregon is leading the charge on this, you know the ACLU is going to get involved

[Clandestino]

after reading this folks i am investing in alcoa because of dan and his buddies

[Sec24Row7]

LoL...

I had no Idea Oregon was a socialist nation.

[shelshor]

I wouldn't get to worried about it until one Oregon house or the other actually passes it; one person or another has been proposing it since, if memory serves, the 1994 Legislative session; so far it hasn't made it.
It usually fails when then folks in Easternn Oregon kick up a fuss because some of them have a 125 mile round trip to buy a loaf of bread or rent a DVD.
As for Oregon being a socalist state, they do have the Oregon Health Plan, which is sure enough an attempt at cradle-to-the-grave health care for all.

[boutons_]

"the roads your grandparents already have paid for"

Typical right-wing propaganda in a half-truth. Roads and esp bridges need annual maintenance, which often exceeds the original investment to build them (eg, Golden Gate Bridge). And when roads/bridges are financed with bonds, their building costs are spread over decades, NOT heaped onto one generation.

[boutons_]

Here's a "road usage" charge that doesn't go down well with a Repug ambassador:

==================================

London Mayor Calls U.S. Ambassdor a 'Chiseling Little Crook'

Verbal Spat Comes as U.S. Refuses to Pay City's Congestion Fees

By Mary Jordan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, March 28, 2006; 12:36 PM

LONDON, March 28 -- London Mayor Ken Livingstone, upset that the U.S. Embassy is not paying a quarter of a million dollars in traffic congestion charges,has called Ambassador Robert Tuttle a "chiseling little crook."

Last July, the embassy stopped paying London's $14 daily congestion fee, imposed on every car that travels into the city's center on weekdays.

"When British troops are putting their lives on the line for American foreign policy it would be quite nice if they paid the congestion charge," Livingstone, known for his inflammatory remarks, said Monday.

Rick Roberts, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy here, said he did "not want to dignify those remarks by responding to name calling."

State Department lawyers believe the congestion charge cons utes a commuting tax and that diplomats are exempt from taxes according to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, Roberts said. "We pay our parking tickets. We honor every commitment we have except tax. We are good citizens."

The $14 charge, which began in February 2003, was designed to lessen traffic congestion and persuade more people to use the subway and buses. Those who don't immediately pay the $14 fee incur stiff penalties. If the fee is not paid in one month, the $14 charge turns into a $260 ticket.

"When the ambassador calls on the [British] foreign secretary he is charged. It interferes with conducting business," said Roberts.

( huh? The ambassador's car+chauffeur costs a lot more than $14 for a drive to/from the PM's place. $14 "interferes" with business? )

He said Tuttle, who worked in the Reagan administration and has run one of the largest automobile dealer organizations in the United States, was sworn in as ambassador in mid-July, after the decision to stop paying the congestion fee was made.

That did not stop Livingstone from lashing out at him, as the man in charge now.

"This new ambassador is a car salesman and an ally of President Bush. This is clearly a political decision,'' Livingstone said. "It would actually be quite nice if the American ambassador in Britain could pay the charge that everybody else is paying and not actually try and skive out of it like some chiseling little crook.''

Bob Neill, leader of the opposition Conservative Party's group in the Greater London Assembly called Livingstone's remarks "the latest in a long line of offensive, offhand and irrational statements," according to Reuters news agency.

© 2006 The Washington Post Company

======================

"Red Ken" has always had loose lips, but the US not paying the $14, clearly not a financial decision, really makes the US look like a cheapskate and ungrate towards the US's only serious ally in Iraq.

btw, NYC and Wash DC also go after countries in those cities who abuse CD ('corps diplomatique") automotible privielges/immunities.

[Extra Stout]

"the roads your grandparents already have paid for"

Typical right-wing propaganda in a half-truth. Roads and esp bridges need annual maintenance, which often exceeds the original investment to build them (eg, Golden Gate Bridge). And when roads/bridges are financed with bonds, their building costs are spread over decades, NOT heaped onto one generation.

Um, boutons, you understand that you just accused Nba- ing-dan of being part of the Mighty Wurlitzer?

[boutons_]

WGAF who said it?