A leak out of the Patrick Administration yesterday floated the potential for a gas tax hike of 27 cents per gallon to deal with the state’s transportation system financing. AP reported that figure, citing an internal memo that had been leaked to them. Administration officials, refusing to go on record, said that a gas tax increase was only a potential part of their forthcoming transportation package, and that “potential” ran from 5 cents to 29 cents per gallon. At 29 cents Massachusetts would have the highest state gas tax in the country, eclipsing New York. This leak seemed to catch the Legislature by suprise, with House Transportation Chair Joe Wagoner and Senate President Therese Murray both expressing suprise. Wagoner and Murray both rejected the notion that the transportation system could deal with revenues absent a full legislative package, which the Governor has yet to file. From the Globe:
“I come from the school where the number one rule is no surprises,” said Representative Joseph Wagner, a Democrat from Chicopee who has been the House’s top transportation official. “These proposals are surprises. It’s not my preferred way of doing business.
“Perhaps it’s time for the administration to forward to the Legislature a proposal for reform,” he added. “Then we won’t see piecemeal things going on with tolls and taxes without any substance of proposed legislation.”
Murray expressed the same type of thought:
Senate President Therese Murray, who has not seen any plans and said the governor did not bring it up yesterday in a leadership meeting, also offered a tepid response.
“We’ve been very clear: reform before revenue,” Murray said in an interview. “There hasn’t been any reform. We filed a 268-page reform, and we expect it to be looked at and enacted before we go to revenue.”
Looks like the Governor has some work to do with key legislators on his ideas in this area. The Senate, with its proposal for reform, has boxed in the Governor and the House, leaving them to deal with the issue of revenues. Senate President Murray and Transportation Chair Steve Baddour deserve credit for dealing with administrative reforms that are an absolutely essential part of any transportation package. They also should get a nod of recognition for outflanking the Governor politically on this issue.
Bill Manzi.com 
Mayor Manzi:
Hi, The gas tax increase is a very STUPID idea on any amount. This would make Mass drivers to travel to NH to fill their cars. The Governor has to find other ways like eliminating wasteful spending as a way to help instead of taxing its residents to death.
Gerard
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Your Honor,
I will actually be patient on this. Just wait and listen. Although I would love to see a projected savings associated with this “reform” effort with independent audits to measure actual success or failure.
I would also like to see the budget reduced by the amount of the projected savings. Not transfered to a new expenditure. (fat chance)
Jules
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This morning I may have been delirious, but I thought my radio told me that the state was looking to put chips in our inspection tags, and charge us by the mile we drive.
NH: please hurry up and solve your school funding issues …
-FM
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Gerard:
I fear that if MA raises gas taxes, then southern NH will rise at least a little (and probably halfway) to meet them.
Jules has got this one: wait and see what the reform package looks like.
I’d rather gas taxes than toll booths, that’s for sure.
-FM
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Gentlemen,
How come you liberal fellows who were ready to impeach George Bush for trying to protect the country by “spying” on foreign phone calls, see nothing wrong with having a spy device attached to your car that will track you where ever you go?
Jules
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Jules:
I have a *big* problem with spy devices attached to my car: they will have to put a fastlane transponder into my cold, dead fingers. I view this in much the same way.
More insidious is the fact that I vaguely remember there is tracking technology already built into later models of car computers. I don’t recall the nature of it. When I go to buy a new car, I’ll do the research again.
PS: You should catch the Nova episode on the NSA: the NSA has been tracking all domestic email, phone, and fax traffic, as well as anything that crosses into our borders since soon after 9/11, well outside the FISA court rules.
Be careful of the flowers you speak into. Someone is listening.
-FM
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Fred,
I believe the cell phones have GPS devices in them. Can big brother be far away? Yes, it’s called the stimulus bill.
I am checking my flowers.
Jules
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Jules:
My cell phone doesn’t. 😉
-FM
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Jules:
Big Brother is here, courtesy of the Patriot Acts I and II. And don’t forget:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_speech_zones
-FM
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Fred,
Will congress paa the “fairness doctrine” which would attack content?
What is going to happen to the next review for the Patriot Act with this particular congress?
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Jules:
It’s an interesting point: up to this year, I hadn’t heard any Democrat talk about reviving the fairness doctrine, but I suspect it could get a hearing now that there are majorities in both houses. I’m not sure its role is to attack content, but make sure that there are opposing voices available, which I’m sure you would agree in a democracy is necessary.
I’d also be happy if the doctrine specified at least a rudimentary level of fact checking on statements made to pull ourselves out of the swamp that corporate media has become.
Good question too on the Patriot Act. I’ll be watching to see if the Democrats address it.
It may not matter much, since we’ve proved the Constitution probably isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. NSA will do what they will do.
I’ll tell you parenthetically that the original bill prompted me to write two of the longest letters I ever have to our Senators, which generated nary a response. I got more calls from Mitt Romney fundraisers.
-FM
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Fred,
Let’s do the math here.
You make content fair and balanced by censoring that with which you disagree?
Another thing should the Liberal party consider the global promulgation of content including newspapers, internet, TV as well as radio?
By the way, who is the czar of censors if this measure is passed? Who will have the power to stifle free speech? And, Fred, what makes this constitutional (if we still have one)?
One more step toward Socialism.
By the way, I also wrote to our senator Kennedy and he responded with a canned form letter.
Jules
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Jules:
Interesting that you skew “fairness” as “censorship”.
How is it you believe airing different points of view as censorship?
I know why your party is tuned to a fever pitch over the issue: it means that there may be a break in the steady flow of right-wing propaganda to the populace, which is used to maintain a level of control over those who listen.
As I’ve tried to show over the past few months of our conversations, much of what you hear from that flow is simply not true, easily demonstrable by rudimentary fact checking.
What purpose does it serve to continually promulgate falsehoods in a democracy?
-FM
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