We want something for nothing!!!
Why do we expect to get things from the government for free? I live in a region where the roads are noticeably more crowded than they were when I was a kid because in Virginia, it is difficult for the government to pay for things (that's another issue). When I was a kid, you could zip from city to city and not get delayed much by traffic except during peak times at a couple of bottleknecks (tunnels). Now, even on the alternate routes, traffic gets slow or backed up easily and when one or more of the tunnels gets blocked by an accident, you can forget crossing the water.
Our local governments have come up with plans for expanding the highways before they get as bad as they are in areas like Northern Virginia/Washington D.C. The plans, however, will cost hundreds of BILLIONS of dollars to implement. A few years ago we were given a nice tidy option. An increase in the local sales tax of one cent to pay for EVERYTHING. That's one penny on a dollar to pay for roads we need NOW, that have no funding in the foreseen future. I for one like to see things happen while I'm still alive to enjoy the benefits. The government gave us this option and put it to vote, at which point the plan was voted down.
Last year, the government learned its lesson and decided to just impose a plan to pay for the projects and not involve the public. The government created lots of fees, and planned tolls, and an authority to collect the money. This plan was much more expensive to everyone than a simple penny on a dollar, and we were lucky that because the state court ruled it was unconstitutional for the government to create a taxing authority, we were free from the fees.
Now the government is thinking of a sales tax and possibly gas tax increase in the area. My rant is WHY DO WE EXPECT EVERYTHING TO BE DONE, BUT THEN CRY IF THE GOVERNMENT WANTS TO INCREASE TAXES TO PAY FOR THINGS. We have to accept what has to be done at times and stop being grown kids. We could have had the construction already started at a penny on a dollar sales tax, but now by the time any work gets started, the roads will be more congested and we'll have even more of a nightmare to deal with. We have to understand that sometimes you just have to bite the bullet for the good of everyone. What we're doing is the equivalent of going to a grocery store knowing we need a gallon of milk. When we get to the door and the cashier chases us down to ask for the money, we tell them the manager needs to deal with it because we need our milk and we're not paying for it!!!
YOUNG OUT.
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