🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <D.Nash-1111940958320001@bubba.ots.utexas.edu>,
Donald L. Nash <D.Nash@utexas.edu> wrote:
>No it isn't ridiculous.  You pay a specific tax on your car (the license
>plate), which goes to road creation and upkeep.  That's the whole notion
>behind license plates, to make the road users pay for the roads they use. 
>Bike owners do not pay this tax but they get to use the roads anyway. 
>Property taxes, sales taxes, income taxes, etc. that bike owners do pay
>aren't dedicated specifically to road creation and upkeep.

I thought license plates served as identifying badges for cars.  Silly me.
You mean to tell me the $65 or whatever a license plate costs is how our
roads are funded?  That's news to me.  As far as I know it's news to the
city council, who are always looking for sources of road repair money.
Federal highway dollars pay the lion's share of road building costs. This
money is our federal income tax dollars.  Local repair costs are raised
from sales tax.  Both sources are paid by everyone, whether they drive,
cycle, walk, or stay in bed.  Some drivers, however, feel they have more
rights to access.  In order to do this I would prefer gasoline taxes,
which would tax every vehicle according to the amount of road damage
it does: more for larger vehicles, etc.  It would also encourage
conservation.

>Try driving in the UT area during rush hour.  The lanes are narrow and
>there are a lot of bicyclists because of all the students at UT.  They do
>get in the way around here.  It is a different story out on the open
>highway where there is usually a paved shoulder for the bikers to ride on
>out of the way of the cars.

Try not driving in the UT area during rush hour.  Try letting pedestrians
and cyclists have the right of way on campus.  I would have no objection
to closing the campus to motorized vehicles from 7-6.

>Please stick to the topic.  Bikes may be environmentally friendly and
>healthful, but this has nothing to do with the topic being discussed. 
>Someone asserted that bikers have the same rights and responsibilities as
>drivers and I have challenged that assertion.  

As someone mentioned, it's not an "assertion", it's state law.  Access
to government infrastructure is not based on tax contributions, in 
theory.

Ben
--
Benjamin Sloan	     "...the Oklahoma City police are a bunch of crazed
ben@utig.ig.utexas.edu  no-neck gestapo who don't know nothing about nothing 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and hate anyone who does."    -author Bruce Sterling