[TriLUG] [OT] TriLUGger on the news

[Marc]

I am also in O-town and I can attest that it takes me several bucks
sometimes just to run some rather routine errands.  I like what David said
about why one part of an area (call it town, county, or metro area as a
whole) should have to pay an inordinately larger part of this tax (which is
basically what it is), whereas others pay less depending on where they live
and where they go.  It's like a 'tourist tax'.

Motorcyclists probably come out better than anyone else - they get nice
smooth roads the majority of which were paid for by the rest of us saps who
drive cars (what were we thinking?).  Still bikers are only a smaller subset
of the population, and they probably benefit more than the rest of us.

Also the toll itself is kind of crazy - why is is 2 bucks sometimes, 50
cents sometimes, 75 cents sometimes, etc.?  If the justification is that 'we
need more money for this stretch of road' - then they should only go up in
increments of maybe a nickel - not a quarter.  The state makes a HUGE amount
of money just charging people a quarter to take an exit ramp.   How does
THAT make any sense for a taxpayer - am I really giving a damn about a
smooth road if I am only gonna be on it for a couple of hundred yards?

Unless you want to 'calculate' everywhere you go, you just have to kind of
shrug it off and use the Sunpass (electronic credit card deducting device on
your dashboard).  The main alternative to this is to do like some people I
know, and scheme every street, every turn, etc.  My wife has a brain like a
GPS and can do that - I am not willing to do that even if I could.  The
hassle factor alone just irritates me.

I think that Florida has too many tolls, and not just in Orlando.  From what
I understand, at least some of them were set up initially with the STATED
AND AGREED INTENTION of raising money for a FINITE PERIOD  of time.  As with
many things government-controlled, once the camel had its nose under the
tent, there was no turning back.

Overall, I find this post very inspiring.  I would like to see a similar
movement begin here (or maybe there has already been one that I haven't know
about) !  Congratulations, David on starting a great conversation up there
and not just tacitly accepting what the government foists upon the
citizens!  Good luck with your fight!

Marc







On 5/22/07, William Sutton < william at trilug.org> wrote:
>
>
> Welcome to the "Magic" Kingdom...
>
> W.
>
> On Tue, 22 May 2007, Steve Litt wrote:
>
> > On Tuesday 22 May 2007 15:14, William Sutton wrote:
> > > Amen!
> > >
> > > Having been passed by traffic in So Cal going 55 mph with little or no
>
> > > shoulder, I'm comfortable with not much clearance.  I don't understand
> > > why someone needs to go into the other lane to pass me.
> > >
> > > The other thing that bugs me is people that honk at me when they pass,
>
> > > like I'm some sort of impediment that doesn't deserve to exist....
> >
> > I hearya brother!
> >
> > Orlando's the most bicycle hostile place I've ever lived.
> >
> > StevET
> >
> --
> TriLUG mailing list        : http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug
> TriLUG Organizational FAQ  : http://trilug.org/faq/
> TriLUG Member Services FAQ : http://members.trilug.org/services_faq/
>