rekmeyata

I read this, and at that point I decided the rest of what you were going to say was going to be as moronic as that statement. That's like saying, let's remove the wings on an airplane, sure it won't allow the plane to fly but it would generate spending, job growth, and tax money.

Robert C

No, it looks more like he is praising the Chinese system, where buildings are only expected to last twenty years, and are typically torn down before that. Simply building poorly keeps a lot of people employed in the constrcution sector.

tandempower

You both misunderstood what I was saying because you didn't read the full post. I'm not saying that degeneracy is good because it generates spending. I'm saying that many things that generate spending and jobs are degenerative and it's bad that the economy promotes degeneracy in this way.

The problem is we've been brainwashed into believing that anything that generates growth and jobs is good and anything that doesn't is bad but it's mostly the reverse. Things people are capable of doing without spending money and relying on others are good because they allow people greater independence. Walking and biking are more independent means of transportation than driving or other motorized transportation but they generate less spending and jobs for this reason.

Roughstuff

Very good points. Taxes PRIMARY purpose is to raise revenue. The social engineering and redistributive aspects of taxation are the nightmare we have gotten ourselves into over the last five or six decades, and as this thread shows, once you go down THAT road, there is no end to it. Car owning cyclists are so convinced their bicycles "entitle" them to this, that, and everything else, we forget completely we are car owners. By any measure...passenger miles, revenue miles, value-added miles, etc....cycling is a bit flea contribution to GDP, and ALONE is simply the reason why we get nickel and dimed when it comes to the transportation dollars. The automobile...unlike a bus, train, or subway...brings you WHERE you want, when you want, HOW you want. The marginal addition to wealth (aka convenience) by this precision is exactly the productive force unleashed which makes our lifestyle possible.

More students....more schools. (simple). More patients....more hospitals! (simple). More customers...more McDonalds. (Simple). More commuters? FEWER ROADS!

After decades of this we complain about congestion and poor road quality.

rekmeyata

AGAIN, you've said the same crap all you did was reword it a bit. And then you take it further by saying that walking and biking is more independent means of transportation then cars are? REALLY? Cars created freedom, mobility, and independency in America and the world MORE than any other form of transportation so far ever created, providing transportation for billions of people! geez, really man?

You went from saying something moronic to now being ridiculously moronic!

work4bike

Article on various myths surrounding taxing/licensing bikes Pay to Play: The Myths That Lead to Required Licenses for Cyclists | Bicycling

cyccommute 

Nope. Pushed up. While the Laramide orogeny is associated with small amounts of volcanism, uplifting of the continental crust is the main mechanism of mountain building in the western US. Think of it more like the crumpling of a rug when the rug is pushed across the floor.

You fail to understand the goofiness of Colorado's tax system. If I gave them $1 billion to fix the roads as a gift, it would be considered part of the general fund and they would have to reduce the rest of the taxes to make up for that windfall. A perfect example of this is Colorado's hospital provider fee. The hospitals in the state lobbied to get a fee put on the hospitals so as to send money from wealthy hospitals to rural hospitals. The "fee" goes to the general fund where it is distributed to the rural hospitals so that they can improve care.

But, because the fee passes through the general fund, it puts the state over a revenue cap and the state has to refund money to each resident...I got a whopping $40 back last year...while at the same time slashing $373 million from schools, roads and colleges. $40 doesn't go a long way to fixing damage to my bikes or car or to paying for college.

It gets even goofier when you understand that college tuition is also figured into the revenue cap so college students are paying higher tuition so that their money can be refunded to the taxpayers of the state.

It 'tis a dumb way to run a state!

cyccommute 

True, I'm getting more for less. But the general public is demanding more be done for less tax dollars. Thus the quality of the road suffers for everyone. We bicyclists are particularly hard hit because deterioration of the road surface is harder on our equipment and makes riding more difficult.

To be clear, I'm not talking about new road construction. Maintaining what we have is an important function of the revenue gathered through taxation. It's not sexy like new construction is but it's a necessary cost to society.

That's not much of a solution. While I ride a bike often and all year long, most people aren't going to do it...especially considering that they are receiving a 73% subsidy to drive their cars. If we could pass sensible taxes that cover the complete cost of motor vehicle operation...i.e. get rid of the 73% subsidy...more people would be encouraged to get out of their cars. But I doubt that will happen anytime in the near, relatively far or even very far future.