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you do realize the fed pays for highways the same way states do, with a gas tax..

http://www.api.org/statistics/fueltax ... _diesel_summary_pages.pdf


.. just saying

yes, you are correct everyone should pay a usage tax for whatever government service they consume. However increasing the cost of public transportation is a regressive tax, due to the nature of the service. Poorer people rely on public transportation disproportional more than middle to upper class people do. Thus in general an increase in the cost of public transportation will have a greater economic (reducing the disposable income of the poor who as is have very little margin between "making it" and not) impact on the states economy than raising the cost of private transportation (people who in general have the option of driving most likely have greater margins to deal with).

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The Fed shouldn't pay for the highways, but then, it doesn't a lot of things it shouldn't do.

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Except that when you raise fares more people drive instead of take mass transit, which leads to congested roads which means costly new highways. But that's okay because then the federal government will pay for most of the cost of the new highways, and the feds can just print more money when they need it.

Gas taxes should go towards roads/bridges/tunnels. Increased costs for operating mass transit should come from user fees.

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The Republican base in NJ is largely rural and suburban voters -- constituents that are less likely to ride mass transit and more likely to use above the average amount of gas. In particular, South Jersey is much more likely to produce Republican votes, and they perceive NJ Transit as a north Jersey service.

Christie doesn't have a clue - why not raise the gas and tobacco tax?

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This is code for: If we can't take credit for this project, we are going to kill it.

N.J. Gov.-elect does not rule out raising NJ Transit fares

By Claire Heininger/Statehouse Bureau
January 11, 2010, 7:10PM

TRENTON -- Gov.-elect Chris Christie, who has railed against New Jersey?s mix of high taxes, fees and tolls, today would not rule out raising fares on NJ Transit trains and buses as he introduced two of his transportation policymakers.

Christie emphasized his overall commitment to hold the line on costs, saying "the people of New Jersey are taking too much money out of their own pocket already for the operations of state government."

But he declined to "take a firm position" on fares because he said that would tie the hands of James Weinstein, named today as executive director of the transit agency, as he tackles its budget.

Christie reiterated his vow not to raise the gas tax to replenish the Transportation Trust Fund, a state account for road and transit projects that officials say will run out of money by 2011.

The incoming governor?s nominee for Department of Transportation commissioner, Jim Simpson, said the new administration would explore "a whole host" of ways to replenish the fund, but he did not go into detail.

"We need to look beyond the gas tax, we need to look at public-private partnerships," Simpson said.

Simpson and Weinstein were the first in a series of cabinet appointments Christie plans to announce this week. The Republican takes office next Tuesday.

Weinstein replaces Richard Sarles, who announced his retirement today. Simpson, if approved by the Senate, would succeed Stephen Dilts.

Weinstein served as transportation commissioner for Gov. Christie Whitman and in the administration of Gov. Tom Kean.

"We?re in challenging times," Weinstein said, calling the agency "important not only to the mobility of the state, it?s important to the economy of the state."

Last year, NJ Transit approved a $1.79 billion budget that did not raise fares, despite a $62 million cut in state aid. The agency found savings through employee costs and what it called "modest service reductions."

Simpson is a former administrator of the Federal Transit Administration and a former commissioner of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York.

Christie said the officials immediately will take "a complete look" at the $8.7 billion effort to build a commuter rail tunnel under the Hudson River.

"We support the project," Christie said. "Now the question is, can we make the project better and how does the project fit during these really challenging economic times?"
Full Star-Ledger coverage of the N.J. Governor-elect Chris Christie transition