The effect of a proposal to increase gas taxes from 25 cents to 40 cents per gallon is explored. The idea is to use the revenue from increased taxes to shore up public transit, highways, and environmental initiatives. The author argues that the gas tax increase legislation would (1) negatively impact moderate income families, (2) increase the subsidy to Amtrak, and (3) create a powerful transportation agency with too much power and little congressional oversight. The author argues against this legislation.
This paper argues that a transportation stimulus package that is advocated by many members of Congress would be costly and would not stimulate private spending, as is claimed by the proponents of the stimulus package. The author suggests that the relationship between economic activity and spending on infrastructure is very moderate, takes a long time to appear and is not worth the wait.
Despite its muscular foreign and defense policy, Russia is plagued with internal weaknesses, including a shrinking population and a mortality rate considerably higher than the rate for the rest of Europe. By curtailing political and economic freedoms, the Kremlin may have strengthened its rule but weakened Russian society. Grasping domestic factors is vital in understanding what is driving Russia’s foreign policy.
Traffic congestion has increased in America's metropolitan areas. One of the major reasons for this increase is that highway capacity has not increased as rapidly as population, and vehicles traveling on the highways. Some states are experimenting with performance-based transportation plans to help mitigate traffic in their areas. As more and more performance-based programs are tried, it will become clearer how they can be successful. Performance accountability legislation can aid in this process.
There are inequities in the distribution of federal highway spending among the states, territories and the District of Columbia. States in the Great Lakes area and in the South are shortchanged. High income states benefit the most from the spending distribution. The federal highway program has become a spoils system since the early 1980s. The most equitable way to remedy these inequalities is to restore the highway program and the ability to keep and collect federal tax monies back to the states.
