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> My beef is that cyclists increase traffic congestion but don’t pay taxes to fund the infrastructure they’re using. Okay, let's play the measuring game. I h
by thwayunion 4y ago
> My beef is that cyclists increase traffic congestion but don’t pay taxes to fund the infrastructure they’re using.
Okay, let's play the measuring game.
I have paid over $200,000 in income taxes this year so far, as well as another massive heap in property taxes. I also own two cars on which I pay various taxes.
What's you income and property tax bill to date?
Regarding gas specifically:
1. There are zero states where gas taxes pay for all road construction and maintenance. Zero. None.
2. More importantly, motorists generally have no sense of how much their gas is subsidized. For example, a huge portion of that $200K of income taxes goes towards our military, who spend a lot of money to kill people and/or maintain the threat of killing people. That violence and/or threat of violence is absolutely necessary for you to maintain your petroleum-dependent lifestyle. (Of course, my taxes are trivial compared to other costs, such as those to the victims of the violence necessary to maintain US energy needs.) And that's before other issues like the environment and climate change (separately), the SPR, etc. etc.
- notch656a 4y agoUnless they're only consuming locally produced goods, pedestrians and cyclists are also availing themselves of subsidized gas at the hands of the machines of violence. Lets not pretend they're morally superior. And in fact, they are still almost always dependent on tractor-trailer compatible roads and gas guzzling vehicles, they just offload the petroleum consuming dirty work to others.
- thwayunion 4y agoNo. If the US didn't use gas for personal transport or pleasure vehicles, its domestic supply would be more than sufficient.
- notch656a 4y agoIn the long run the domestic supply is a non-renewable resource. Even excluding use of "pleasure vehicles", there is no scenario where the domestic supply is viable at current rate pedestrians and cyclists are consuming it in the long run. >domestic supply Interestingly, US has been a net exporter of petroleum for the past 2 years. Even including use of 'pleasure vehicles' like those that take grandma to the doctor from her country home so she doesn't die. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/oil-and-petroleum-products/imports-and-exports.php https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/oil-and-petroleum-produc...