Imagine you're driving along Route 22 on your way to Bethlehem or Allentown. But when you get to the exit ramp, you're greeted by an unfamiliar sight - a toll booth. Under Donald Trump's much ballyhooed
$1.7 trillion infrastructure plan, which was
recently leaked, this could happen. As
Governing explains, it's a plan in which the federal government will pay only 20% of the cost, with the rest of the money coming from state government, local government and private investment.
Most of the money is going to Trumperica, the rural states who voted for him.
The private investment comes in the form of a public-private partnership called P3 or PPP. Basically, it privatizes America. The
Millions of Jobs Coalition criticizes the plan as one that "will rely heavily on selling off public roads to Wall Street billionaires and foreign corporations that would place new tolls on Americans and ignore the needs of everyday people."
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ReplyDeleteTricia Mezzacappa, stop posting here.
ReplyDelete"... when you get to the exit ramp, you're greeted by an unfamiliar sight - a toll booth."... collecting money for the local fire department/charity*
ReplyDeleteWe'll get roads and security when DHS turns them into check points. Along with a solar wall along the boarder...MAGA
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ReplyDeleteTRicia Mezzacappa, stop posting here.
ReplyDeleteGive it arrest O'Hare. Most people in the LV support President Trump. Your obsession with that woman clouds your judgment. You are starting to sound like CNN.
ReplyDeleteIf there is an infrastructure plan there must be a way to avoid it becoming a corrupt contract bonanza for unions and skimmers. I am not sure any such plan can be implemented without massive corruption and fraud. Maybe what your are reporting is the only way to avoid that?
ReplyDeleteI'll take my chances on Wall Street billionaires and foreign corporations. Our roads are the shittiest in the country, despite the highest fuel tax in the country. The PA Turnpike projects 3-6 percent toll increases each year for the next 26 years. The current system doesn't work and PA proves it's not a money problem. It's systemic corruption and incompetence.
ReplyDeleteMoving more spending and funding obligations to the states is the BEST way to go. If California wants to spend itself into ruin, so what? Its citizens have 49 other states to move to. When everything is Federal and foolish . . . there's no where to run.
ReplyDeleteWhatever this new plan is, it's worth a good look.
The usual Democratic organs in the media are afire this morning about this. The only verified fact is that it's all rumor and speculation. Funny if this "leaked" news is actually fact, the media tends not to notice the 55,000 FBI tweets which are missing, that are verified facts.
ReplyDeleteThis P3 pass down fiasco will adversly affect my family finances more than the immigrant scare Cult45 is spreading. The TrumpTax shift is already finding its way to our other pockets. Just think, your temporary tax rebate is gone already. Time to investigate what conservative states did with border security dollars provided under Obama. If a federally funded wall is good for Arizona, a federally funded highway is good for PA. Keep my tax dollars in PA. Screw you Lou. #TerribleTrump. #ReleaseTheTaxReturns
ReplyDeleteNorthampton county is trying P3, let's see how that works.
ReplyDeleteOnce again another democratic "anti Trump" leak by these agents of destruction. Here in Pennsylvania, anything is better than the current infrastructure landscape. Besides the law, the inept and corrupt legislature is still raiding the motor fund revenue to pay for police protection in rich townships such as Lower Macungie Township. This money, [which caries the highest gas tax in the nation], was to be used for PA infrastructure projects. Instead, they keep deep pockets LMT in the money. While I pay for local police services, plus state taxes, and engorged fuel prices, the fat cats in LMT enjoy their astro-turf parks and land space preservation; all at the expense of PA taxpayers. PA doesn't deserve any federal funding until they clean up their own house!
ReplyDelete6:07 The Turnpike has to raise its tolls to meet a financial obligation to PennDOT that was the result of a botched attempt to toll I-80. The Turnpike is obligated to pay PennDOT $450 million dollars per year. This money is primarily used for mass transit operations in the Philly and Pittsburgh areas. It has nothing to do with its ability to operate its roadway.
ReplyDeleteThe payment is supposed to phase out in 2022, but that is far from certain as it will require the legislature to find another source for the $450M and that will be a bitter pill for them to swallow.
I know it's tough, but let's give Trump credit here.
ReplyDeleteOur roads, bridges and airports are embarrassing compared to most developed countries. It's time someone does something. Also, this will mean work for Americans - including many union members. Better than wasting money on bombing/regime change overseas like Bush and Obama did.
Route 130 in texas is a privately owned/built/managed road. the company that owns it (and its oversea investors) just declared bankruptcy. that seems like a disaster waiting to happen and now we are learning the goal is to do this more often and in more locales? no thanks. won't MAGA. America first? Seems more like profits and oversea interests first.
ReplyDelete"I know it's tough, but let's give Trump credit here"
ReplyDeletewhy?
Comrade trump claimed he would rein in Wall street and his plan will only line the pockets of rich investors.
the cost to maintain a road will not miraculously drop due to it being a toll road.
Wall street gets to spin off the profit from an investment funded by taxpayers.
on top of that your taxes will fund say a highway in Wyoming which does not have enough of a population to support such a road and Wall street will take a slice of your taxes which will be used to fund that road.
the so called "red states" already claim more tax dollars from the fed then they pay.
under donnie "two scoops" plan the disparity will be even worse.
Did that “leak” come from the FBI?
ReplyDeleteCombined with having the most state roads per state in the country to maintain, freeze thaw cycles, and trucks that do not pay their fair share in taxes beating the piss out of the highways, the state is doing the best it can. Look up some of the Morning Call Paul Carpenter columns to have it explained in detail. We fight a losing battle in Pennsylvania. We need more warehouses.
ReplyDeleteWe Pennsylvanians shouldn't have to pay for our roads. We should get all that free federal gubernment money. They can just print up some more. Right Bernie ?
ReplyDeletePutting aside any discussion of Trump, I do like the idea of spending of that sort originating at a more local level. It's really easy to get a sit-down to make your views known to your city councilperson, not very hard to get hold of your state rep, not much harder to talk to your state senator, but when you get to the federal level, things get tough unless you're a big donor. The closer the government spend is to you, the tighter the grip you can keep on your wallet.
ReplyDeleteThat said, for that model to work you'd need a commensurate cut in federal taxation so you'd have the money for any necessary increases in more local taxation. Aye, there's the rub.
This is not about giving local government control over where to spend the money. This is about shoving 80% of the cost on local and state government, and then taking credit for it. And wrong, localities really have no say in what will be funded, although it helps to be in an area that voted for Trump. It is perhaps the most unworkable infrastructure plan that Trump could produce. What does he do? Watch Fox News and try to come up with legislation he knows will never pass? And nobody says shit like, "Aye, there's the rub."
ReplyDeletethis is the way it should be!
ReplyDelete"We Pennsylvanians shouldn't have to pay for our roads. We should get all that free federal gubernment money. They can just print up some more. Right Bernie ?"
ReplyDeleteWe pay plenty and have the highest gas tax in the nation. The feds haven't raised the gas tax since 1993. It funds 80% of infrastructure projects. Trump's big plan is to knock it down to 20%. In other words, he has no plan.
"Did that “leak” come from the FBI?"
ReplyDeleteYeah, the secret society. Amazing how you buy into nonsense.
an example of Wall street that financed a sewage plant down South.
ReplyDeletewhy would anyone want Wall street involved in road building?
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/looting-main-street-20100331
"Hell, the money was so good, JP Morgan at one point even paid Goldman Sachs $3 million just to back the f--k off, so they could have the rubes of Jefferson County to fleece all for themselves."
rt33 is pretty much own by commerce already, same as rt22, it's the wild west if you're a trucker around here. The trucks are going so fast that ordinary travelers not engaged in commerce get speeding tickets just trying not to get run over.
ReplyDeleteA controlled leak.
ReplyDeleteThis is called "yelling down the alley" to see what echoes back.
12:06 "We pay plenty and have the highest gas tax in the nation"
ReplyDeleteSomeone has to pay for the $50,000 F-150s and the other homes of highway workers, the layers of bureaucrats in Harrisburg and the other pigs who feed on the tough of highway tax money. What's left over goes for asphalt and road work.
No what will happen is every non-hwy will become a parking lot as people avoid the toll roads
ReplyDelete"We pay plenty and have the highest gas tax in the nation. "
ReplyDeleteIs there any news organization, internet site, or blog, ect. looking into where those taxes went?
I guess it's just a given that these taxes you speak of will be unaccounted for by any publications, organization or individual.
If they got more tax money I suspect those will disappear too.
A different approach would seem to be necessary.
Sadly it would appear that this blog is part of the conspiracy against President Trump. Republican senators have let it be known that memos indicate a secret society within the FBI dedicated to going after our President. This is nothing short of an attempted coup. He should allow the NSA to investigate all those agencies.
ReplyDeletePresident Trump is facing great opposition in his quest to drain the swamp. You may coniine to attack him but he has support of loyal Americans and we will support him in his efforts to fix this great country.
Bernie, just in speaking for Allentown infrastructure and all its allocations and than misappropriations. There subterrainian infrastructure should be rendered of gold.
ReplyDeleteNow not that is a personal preference for fixtures, I myself like Moen the faucets to build around. As for the filtration system only the technological aperatus makes for palatable drinking water desieiase free?
John Dere is here!
humanist by design
3:40, This is nothing more than the latest attempt by Trump and his acolytes to seize control of the Justice Department. Ironically, they accuse the FBI of doing precisely what they want to do, i.e. use the Justice Department to go after dissidents. They are also attempting to marginalize independent news sources.
ReplyDeleteDamm Bernie, what you printed in your comment sounds exactly like the democratic PAC locally. If they can't get you to see it there way they go after your children.
DeleteAs for the local gagiklez, they have marginalized themselves as avert I mentalists. They just keep trying to sell that same old bottle of snake oil as a nue and improved shit by product.
The Law Enforcement Intelligence Unit (LEIU) is an private organization not subjected to the Freedom of Information Act, designed to facilitate intelligence sharing between state and local law enforcement agencies.
ReplyDeleteIt's existence isn't secret but what they do is not subject to public inspection or review, it's a private fraternity.
It has all the characteristics of an American "checka".
Sadly because we know of it's existence and how it appears to operate, we have no way of proving 3:40pm is wrong.
3:40 "This is nothing more than the latest attempt by Trump and his acolytes to seize control of the Justice Department."
ReplyDeleteAnd just who is in charge of the Justice Department now? The Democrats? That would explain many irregularities.
Mr. O'Hare. Even a disbarred attorney should know that the Justice Department is part of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. President Trump is the head of the Executive Branch, and the Justice Department is constitutionally under his leadership.
I understand you're a Democrat, but you should really read the Constitution. I thought that's what you did in Law School to become an attorney.
@5:26
ReplyDeleteWith your reasoning Trump is the law. Not only above it, but also able to twist it as he wants.
I hope that his 32% base don't all think as you do.
The topic here is infrastructure, not Trump's attempt to dismantle federal law enforcement and recreate it in his own image. Given your inability to stick to the subject, it is little wonder that you would have no clue how the Justice Department works. It does NOT work for Trump. It does not work for the president. The AG is nominated by the presdent, confirmed by the Senate, and then does the bidding of neither. He works for the American people and his duty is to give them justice, not chase after Trump's enemies.
ReplyDeleteThe AG is not established by the Constitution, noris the Justice Department. Both of these claims are false, a result of your ignorance. If you bothered to read the instrument you claim to know so well, you'd know that.
I will be deleting any additional OT comments from the ignorant.
Trump wins, Trump haters lose! Too bad!
ReplyDeleteI was under the impression that the Corbett gas tax was to fix the roads. Something no one wanted to address previously. People complained when it was implemented, even though the roads were a mess. Then this fund is now being raided by the State Police because small municipalities want "free" police, because they cannot balance their own budgets. Police services are the first to go....
ReplyDelete