The Turnpike Slush Fund

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20120 ... arges.html

State lawmakers are considering whether to rewrite a 2007 law called Act 44, which that requires the turnpike to provide $450 million a year for public transit and road and bridge projects around Pennsylvania until 2057 in addition to paying for the costs of operating the 545-mile turnpike system.


To meet that obligation, the turnpike has borrowed billions and boosted cash tolls by 48 percent. Tolls will rise again in January and every year as the turnpike tries to raise enough money to pay its debt.


The turnpike is more than $7 billion in debt, up from $2 billion in 2002 and $4 billion in 2009. The burden continues to grow, with the turnpike required to make payments for statewide projects until 2057.

Here's from turnpike:

http://www.paturnpike.com/financial/pen ... ments.aspx

More than $3.5 billion has been provided to date, with annual payments of $450 million through the year 2057.

Of the $450 million, $250 million will support 73 transit agencies across the state, providing operating assistance which includes maintaining buses, keeping bus routes open, paying rent for facilities, salaries, as well as materials and supplies to keep the systems in operation to get people to and from: * Work * Shopping * Doctor Visits * School

This was one of Rendell's little tricks to increase spending without raising taxes, if I recall the first initial payment was 1 billion. Their operating expenses are only 315 million, they are giving more money to the state than they are spending themselves. AND your still paying the state tax on the fuel.

It's sad really is.

That was the way Toll Gate Ed always operated the sad part is I see the same & worse in our current Gov., just going in a different direction & passing it off to local Gov. while cutting them at the same time but yet not decreasing his budget exactly what was stated Flim-Flam.

They should bulldose all the toll booths and fold the turnpike into
PennDOT as a standard road. It's been a loser from day one.
Just a crony haven.

samhill wrote:That was the way Toll Gate Ed always operated the sad part is I see the same & worse in our current Gov., just going in a different direction & passing it off to local Gov. while cutting them at the same time but yet not decreasing his budget exactly what was stated Flim-Flam.

Sam, he's left with giant mess. There is two things increased under Rendell, both education and welfare increased 100%. Everything else got very little and most importantly he didn't do anything with funding the pensions which is ever increasing giant bill that will not be going away for decades. Let's look at this mess, Rendell is pulling money from the TP using it to fund transportation projects and now the TP is in huge hole that is increasing. This is going to have to be addressed and they are going to be left with gaping hole in the budget. The obvious solution is to increase the fuel tax and have mass transit fund itself.... Good luck with that.

tsb wrote:They should bulldose all the toll booths and fold the turnpike into
PennDOT as a standard road. It's been a loser from day one.
Just a crony haven.

Norristown to Wilkes-Barre is $6.30@86 miles with ezpass, $2.75 sound like a fair amount the TP is getting for you to use that road?

If you're in a car getting 20MPG driving sown an interstate that's $2.15 in fuel taxes for 86 miles, it's not exactly competitive but close. If you're getting 15MPG it's $2.86.

If you're in a vehicle that gets 15MPG it would cost you less to drive the TP if you didn't have to pay the excess tolls and fuel tax neither of which support that road.

Now if those excess tolls and fuel taxes you are paying when using the TP could be removed from PennDOT's funding they are going to have to raise fuel taxes making the TP even more competitive.

How about all the money PennDOT gets for registrations, speeding tickets and what not? The TP is starting to look like a pretty good deal isn't it?

Richard, I didn't say he didn't inherit a big mess I was never a fan of Rendell, I said that he isn't cutting the budget if all he does is cut say education & then give more tax breaks to business, the education costs are just passed on to the local tax instead of them getting more from the state & in turn the state not cutting the business tax. He is not addressing any issue just moving the responsibility around, as always the tax payer gets the shaft & the mine owner gets the gold. In reality both need a break & that can only be done very carefully, hold on to your wallet soon an increase in the gas tax will hit, there are 13 states higher & we can do more than that he wants Pa. to be #1.

That's funny, I was talking to a customer about asphalt driveways yesterday, kind of drifted to highways. We could use another 5 star general as President I think. It was Eisenhower that got the Interstate Highway System started. There's interesting info here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System .
I just wonder how they could get so much done in previous decades without everybody putting their hands in the till.

"They get you comin' and they get you goin' ".

There is another interesting tidbit, seeing it's for Pa. it might fit in here. In 36, we started paying a TEMPTAX(no such thing) for the Johnstown Flood Relief which was 10% on alcohol sales & hit it's goal in 1942 but it has never left & has increased to today's level of 18% & we wonder why booze is higher in Pa..

If you want an eye opening experience,read a book called Eisenhower The President, by Stephen Ambrose.It seems as though one of his requirements to serve on his cabinet was it had to be done at personal sacrifice for the good of the country.He would allow no politicians,no lobbyists,no political hacks etc.Furthermore if you asked for a post with Ike that meant you were assured of not getting it.As an example,he picked Charles Wilson head of General Motors for Secretary of Defence.He was making $600.Kand left to take a job paying $22.K Plus Ike informed him that since G.M. supplied to the Government with vehicles and equipment,Wilson would have to sell all of his huge stock holdings. As a little kid I would see Ike playing golf all the time on the news and remember thinking is that all a President ever does? [I was sooo little] Where has this type of man gone,is there any left anywhere in this country? I love Ike and what he stood for all those years ago. Mike

Just ran across this from a Pittsburgh TV station, this might have a bit to do with rate increases & why it has never made money & it's been going on forever & continues. http://www.wtae.com/news/local/Ex-Senat ... olute=true
It's too bad they can't go back & nail everyone that is still around. I would be willing to bet the same type of thing goes on in most States & in most contracts.

Funny how all these corruption cases are now being prosecuted by Kane when the investigations took place under Corbett.......


Hmmmmmm, I think I smell something ???????




Rick

Rick, I can remember the Turnpike Comm. being under investigation half a dozen times going way back, the only difference now seems to be that it's coming out into the open so maybe it won't be as easy to get lost. It involves both parties & Rendell the most seeing they can only go back eight years (I think), I have a S-in- L from a previous marriage that got a dream job on the pike from a politician & he eventually blew that. Getting fired once your there doesn't happen all too often, what a idiot. A-hole ruined his whole life but he will probably make out great in the end if no one kills him first.

Sam,

It involves the entire Harrisburg mafia aka elected officials. That one business man is one of our local residents.

And one of Fumo's aides was married to Rubin........ The majority of them all who are running or did run our state knew what the hell was going on. And it has been for some time. Talk about the good ole boys network......... it thrives in our legislature !!!!!




Rick

So Rick, are you saying it's OK since it has long become a way of doing business in the state or that it's a good thing that someone is finally trying to do something about it? IMO it has always been wrong & every taxpayer in the state should be watching closely & calling their reps to let them know they are watching. As I said it goes way beyond Pa. but you got to start somewhere if we always go on the assumption that it's the way things work then why even vote for anyone on either side, one is as corrupt as the other.