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[quote user="henry6"] So what you guys are saying is that since everything costs money it should be discarded and nothing be done?  And that anything which involves taking care of people, even if for the benefit of society and business, should be disregarded?  That spending any money is spending too much money?  [/quote] I don't know how you extracted that conclusion from what I have said.   My initial post on this topic, if I remember correctly, was to point out that trucks are not the majority users, i.e. by vehicle count, of the Interstate Highway System.  Subsequently, I pointed out that in addition to the user fees paid by trucks, most trucking companies (private and common carrier) pay substantial corporate income taxes, which flow to the general fund.  Some of these monies flow back to the highway funds at various levels and, therefore, cover some of the incremental damage done to highways by heavy trucks. Mr. Payne is correct in that he has highlighted a serious financial shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund, and it has serious implications for the future of our roadway systems.  If he believes that anyone (CBO, Joint Committee on Taxation, etc.) can come up with a hard clad projection that has a high probability of playing out over the long run, i.e. more than a couple of years, he probably is wrong.  In any case, for a solution to be workable, it must be politically doable.   Whatever we want, someone has to pay for it.  If the users don't pay for it, the taxpayers have to pick-up the difference.   Freight rail in the United States is a good investment.  As a result the freight railway companies have little difficulty raising capital for their operations.  Truck companies, airlines, and water borne carriers are also able to raise funds in the capital markets. They too can obtain funds in the capital markets. Passenger rail, at least in the United States, is a different kettle of fish.  It is a poor investment. Everyone in the private market knows it; no one is likely to lend money to a passenger rail operator. However, the folks sponsoring the Texas High Speed Rail Project may prove us wrong.
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