User Fees

"George Patterson" wrote in message
...

The problem is that the State set up a bureaucracy decades ago to run the
toll
roads. This group knows that their jobs and power base disappears if the
roads
become free, so they are continually borrowing money to "improve" the toll
system. These loans could not legally be repaid with Federal highway
funds. Four
years ago it was "EZPass." The latest effort is to remove half the toll
stations
in one direction, expand those in the other direction, and double the
tolls.

Ah yes, nothing like digging holes and filling them back up again. Here in
Mass. a senior toll collector can collect up into the low 80k range with
overtime plus state-worker bennies and union rules. For what this costs they
could easily equip every car in New England with an EZ Pass unit and cut the
cost of collection by probably 90%. Then again, now that most gas stations
are self-serve it's pretty much up to the state to provide jobs for people
willing to work but not skilled enough to get ahead.

-cwk.