SUV Protest

Claire Petersky wrote:
"gds" wrote in message
ups.com...

I don't quite get the subsidy comment.

Trying to find a relatively unhysteric view, he
http://4wheeldrive.about.com/cs/driv...a041603a_4.htm

You also subsidize them through insurance claims -- they are less safe, but
the drivers of SUVs pay the same insurance rates as those who drive normal
cars.

OK I have seen the tax break on the oversized SUV's and trucks. I agree
that is is subsidy.
Of course out tax code is full of these. Renters subsidize home owners
and the investers in income producing reale estate. Wokers subsidize
investors captial gains. I'm not arguing for or against these specfics,
just noting that we have many of these situations.

On the insurance issue I think it is a bit more complex. I have a hard
time parsing out vehicle safety vs. driver safety. I undersant that
there is a lot of self selection going on but I'm more inclined to lay
the risk on the driver than on the vehicle.

Stephen Harding wrote in
news:__Bif.782$iZ3.460@trndny03:

Andy Gee wrote:


But my biggest subsidy is peculiar to Manhattan. Stockbroker from
Connecticut drives to NY in his X5 because the farm state
congessional delegation decided to take my federal transportation
money and pay for a road from his subdivision and not pay for a rail
hub in the former World Trade Center site. I think we're getting a
museum and a bus stop or something instead. Fair enough. But he
then emits ozone precursors at

So how do you feel taking subsidies from the American taxpayer
to promote your mass transit system? I believe the over-riding
bulk of Federal mass transit subsidy actually goes to NYC.



I'm going to put my statistician hat on for a moment. Federal mass
transit money is part of Federal transportation money, which includes
highways. If there is a transportation bill for $286 billion, of
which, say, $20 billion is for mass transit, and New York, where the
overwhelming majority of mass transit riders lives, gets the majority
of that money, we're still paying out much more to other people's
highways.

Sure, but there's a lot more people using national highways than
people in NYC using mass transit!


Please let me clarify this. Someone (me, for example) in New York City
pays out $1.40 or so in Federal taxes for each dollar in Federal money
received. Add to that a the cost of living factor -- $100,000 is
"average" in Manhattan but lets a family have lots left over in most
other places. Plus, unlike other places with air quality issues, New
York City's air problems are almost exclusively from sources originating
from outside the city: automobile commuters and midwestern coal power
plants. Finally, I'd like to separate true "national highways" which
should be a common expense from local roads masquerading as Interstates.
The only thing they do is at value to local sprawl, and should be paid
for locally.

--ag

Stephen Harding wrote:

IMHO, mass transit isn't going to work in the US until private
transit costs so much time (or money) in congestion (or use
costs) that alternatives start to kick in. That seemed to be
starting to happen with $3/gal gas but now that's gone [for a
while]. I think $5/gal gas will probably do more for public
transit than just about anything else anyone could come up with.


Frankly, higher gas prices may get people to re-think what vehicles they
buy - i.e. take gas milage into consideration, or get a hybrid..

BUT - many places there is NO WAY to use Mass Transit simply because it
DOES NOT EXIST!. Yes, in cities you can get around, but here in the NJ
suburbs you cannot get from point A to point B via mass transit unless
points A&B happen to be along one of the rail lines going into NYC (or
Philly for southern NJ). And if you don't live along one of the rail
lines, you have to drive to get to a train station. Also many buses are
INTERSTATE (i.e., originate in NJ but terminate in NYC). Although they
make many stops in NJ, you cannot get off in NJ, you can only get on the
bus (You must stay on all the way into NYC). This is fine if you are
commuting into NYC....

Janet

Lol, I live in Silicon Valley and soccer moms are driving pink hummers.