[Public-list] An observation on the "user fees" discussion

[Daniel Sternglass]

A30 people,

Sorry to go off on a politicl tangent, just push <ignore> if you want...

Here's a recent article that (in effect) explains why gas is so cheap in 
the US. The notion of "user fees" for many public services is a myth. 
Take the highways, for example... Roads tolls represent just a miniscule 
part of the operating costs of the interstate highway system.

This year's federal highway appropriation is nearly $300 billion!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/highway_spending

In round numbers, that's roughly $1,000 apiece for every man, woman and 
child in the US, all paid out of general revenues...

If the average gas consumption per driver is 20 gallons a week (1000 
gallons a year), assuming 100 million drivers, that works out to **$3.00 
a gallon** for highways, collected as part of the income tax.

That's one of the main reasons that gas is well over $5.00 a gallon in 
most of Europe, and more in countries where more is imported. ($7.50 
where my sister lives, in London). They recover all the road costs from 
user fees, collected as gas tax. Think that would fly in this country? 
Most people don't understand where the *real* gas tax is "hidden."

If one believe that everyone is served by good highways, this is a fair 
system. One might say rich or poor, your oranges are trucked across the 
country. Also, it's a progressive tax, since it's part of the income 
tax. A similar argument is made about funding the the air traffic 
control system...

Personally, I feel that all Americans served by the federal system of 
collecting and disseminating weather data -- The NOAA and NWS serve a 
very broad-based public interest in my opinion. Amateur marine 
navigation is but a tiny part of it.

I think carving this up for the profit of the few is just plain old 
greed, especially since the Accu-Weathers of the world could never begin 
to pay the cost of operating the weather data collection infrastrcuture. 
JMHO.

--Dan S.
dans at stmktg.com