• UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    5
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    7 months ago

    Are we?

    Recently, yes. California’s spent 16 years not building rail. The Gulf Coast states have been tearing their rail out and replacing it with highways for over a decade. The Upper Midwest has just kinda given up on doing anything useful, and just watched its transit infrastructure collapse.

    • eskimofry@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      7 months ago

      The problem is that highway advocates don’t solve the problem of “who’s going to pay for all this?”. The reason infrastructure in America is in disrepair is that funding for highways is supposed to be gotten from tolls and road taxes. But since everywhere in America is a freeway… there’s no funding for repairs.

      Expecting the Government budget to cover maintenance of infrastructure is wishful thinking… unless you’re also willing to agree that the military is allocated too much money.

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        7 months ago

        funding for highways is supposed to be gotten from tolls and road taxes.

        Regressive taxation leads to overfunded main roads and underfunded side streets.

        Expecting the Government budget to cover maintenance of infrastructure is wishful thinking

        Roads are fundamental to the operation of any government. It isn’t simply that states need to maintain roads. It is that states need roads in order to exist.

        • eskimofry@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          edit-2
          7 months ago

          Roads are fundamental to the operation of any government. It isn’t simply that states need to maintain roads. It is that states need roads in order to exist.

          Is it right to say then, that the users of the roads pay for maintenance? Do you expect the government to print more money to pay for maintenance?

          Edit:

          Regressive taxation leads to overfunded main roads and underfunded side streets.

          As opposed to both main roads and side streets being underfunded without tolls and road taxes? Do you expect Government to print money to pay for all this?