"BP profits hit record $13.4bn on soaring oil price
BP, the British oil giant, unveiled a 23 per cent rise in profits this morning, boosted by record global crude prices."
How you doin'?
Ready to get stuck some more, Americans?
Here's the nubber:
"Luisa Paiewonsky, commissioner of the Massachusetts Highway Department... questions whether drivers will permanently change their habits"
I guess the ENVIRONMENT really isn't THAT SERIOUS an issue, huh -- especially since they are COUNTING ON those GAS TAXES!!!!
"Road work funds shrink; As car trips dip, so does revenue" by Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | July 29, 2008
As drivers trim car trips and flock to public transportation, the state is beginning to take in less money from the gas tax, raising concern it will have fewer dollars to repair crumbling roads and bridges.
But WE GOT PLENTY for OCCUPATIONS and BANKS and ISRAEL!!!!!
In addition, the financially troubled Massachusetts Turnpike Authority is collecting less toll money and is no longer expecting to reap as much from the toll hike that went into effect in January as it had once projected.
Yeah, because of the Big Pit.
And how come their PROMISES never match the REALITIES?
The numbers mirror a national concern about the fate of the federal gas tax, the primary source of funds for state road and transit projects, which is also faring poorly. The looming question is whether Americans will continue to cut back on car trips and switch to more fuel-efficient cars. While those lifestyle changes would help reduce congestion and greenhouse gases, they could leave states with serious shortfalls if political leaders do not find alternative ways to pay for roads, bridges, and public transit projects.
I'm smelling HIGHER TAXES, aren't you?
All because we are LIVING GREENER!!
Maybe we ought to RETHINK THAT (like ethanol), huh?
Massachusetts faces $15 billion to $19 billion in unfunded transportation needs over the next 20 years.
I can't pick up that tab.
The commission recommended raising the state gas tax in the short run and finding an alternative to replace the gas tax in the long run, such as tolling by the mile.
Oh, OF COURSE THEY DO!
That's the damn answer to everything: RAISE TAXES!!!
And I DON'T LIKE the SOUND of this MILE shit!!!!
The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon, while the state tacks on 23.5 cents per gallon.
HOLY EFFIN' CRAP!!! And they are broke?
Because the rates are set per gallon, the government does not get any richer when prices spiral higher, as they have in recent months, leading to a decrease in how much people are driving.
Awww, POOR, POOR STATE GOVERNMENTS!!!
Can you believe this GARBAGE WHINING in the BG?
Yup, HELPING OUT the ENVIRONMENT is a LOSER for GOVERNMENT!!!
Boo-hoo-hoo!!!!!!
And wait until you get a load of the Feds!!!!
"The decline in American driving is deepening," US Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters said in a conference call with reporters yesterday. Between November and May, the year-to-year drop in the total number of miles driven by Americans was equal to 200 trips to the sun and back, she said.
WOW!!!!
Peters calls the gas tax "antiquated" and has long pushed for alternatives, including systems that charge drivers based on the miles they drive.
Oh, I DON'T LIKE the SOUND OF THAT!!
We have ALREADY PAID for the ROADS, dammit, and this doesn't sound like FREEDOM to me!!!!!!
The tax pays for the bulk of highway projects around the country, through the highway trust fund, which took in $1.5 billion less than projected for the first six months of the year, she said. That fund is facing an estimated $3.1 billion shortfall next year, Peters said.
WHERE did all the $$$ go, because it sure as hell didn't go to fixing up the infrastructure!!!!
Don't tell me the $$$ got shipped to Iraq, too!!!!
Peters and President Bush have instead proposed borrowing money from the public transit fund to cover the gap, something environmental and transit advocates oppose.
Yup, borrow, borrow, borrow. That's all we get from this lying sack-of-shit president!!!!
Massachusetts gets more than $600 million a year from the highway trust fund to reimburse the state for a slew of projects, including critical bridge repairs.
Peters yesterday pledged that the federal government will meet commitments made through September 2009. After that, Massachusetts and other states "will either have to scale back their programs or come up with additional revenue" if federal lawmakers fail to come up with an alternative to the gas tax, she said.
Translation: FUCK YOU, America, we got WAR LOOT to SPEND!!!!
Two bills that would give Governor Deval Patrick authority to borrow more than $3 billion to shore up bridges and roads are making their way through the Legislature. The money would be paid back with state and federal gas tax dollars.
(Blog author just shaking his head; and they want us to go green, huh?)
State officials will be watching the gas tax trends carefully, along with other tax collections, in deciding how much money Patrick can afford to borrow, said Jay Gonzalez, assistant secretary for capital finance.
He's just as bad as Bush, and is this Mass. economy ever a piece of shit.
Yup, borrow, borrow, borrow, guv!!!!
Luisa Paiewonsky, commissioner of the Massachusetts Highway Department, said she believes the money will be there one way or another, because federal and state officials realize how crucial the repairs are.
Like that ever guaranteed anything!
This woman is a fool or a liar, take your pick!!!
She also questions whether drivers will permanently change their habits. "I would caution against using a few months worth of data in sounding the alarm bell," Paiewonsky said.
Still, the Turnpike Authority, which is seeking state help to avoid financial collapse, is drastically reducing its expectations based on recent collections. In June, 5.4 percent fewer drivers paid tolls on the Pike than they did last June.
The Pike lowered its toll collection estimates by more than $12 million for the budget year that began this month, which will mean less money for maintenance and hiring staff, said Alan LeBovidge, the authority's director.
Or PAYING OFF BANKS, huh?
--MORE--"
And the problem is NATIONWIDE, people:
WASHINGTON - US motorists, paying record prices for gasoline, drove less for a seventh consecutive month in May, pointing toward the first annual drop in road travel since 1980.
"Four dollars per gallon may have been the trigger point we've been looking for," said Kenneth McGill, managing director for travel and tourism at consulting firm Global Insight Inc. in Lexington, Mass. "It's interesting to see Americans finally reacting to the price of gasoline by rationing consumption."
Get used to THAT TERM, Americans, because it ain't gonna be long!!!!
Gas prices in Massachusetts dropped 8 cents in the last week, and a gallon now averages less than $4 for the first time since early June. A statewide survey released yesterday by AAA of Southern New England found an average price of $3.95 a gallon for self-serve, regular unleaded gasoline. That's 13 cents lower than three weeks ago, and in keeping with the national average. A year ago, the average price for a gallon of gas in Massachusetts was $2.86.
Gasoline at US pumps averaged as high as $4.11 this month before slipping to $3.96 Sunday, according to AAA. Spending more on fuel leaves consumers with less for other goods and services. The report on driving adds to evidence of a slowing US economy already beset by the worst housing market since the Great Depression.
And you-know-who is leaving in five months.
Leaving this damn destruction and mess for SOMEONE ELSE to CLEAN UP!!!