Posted by laima on August 20, 2006, at 17:00:04
In reply to Re: oil business and profits » Jost, posted by Dinah on August 20, 2006, at 13:02:55
Not sure if this relates exactly to your query, but I was fascinated to hear something about the mayor of Chicago "leasing" one of our highways to a foreign company to take care of it (!?). And then there are toll roads around here, which are partially maintained by people having to pay to drive on them. Finally, while driving from Chicago to NYC once, passing through Ohio- it felt "different". My passenger reported that he heard that Ohio somehow leased out highway and rest stop maintenence to fast food chains (???) Sure enough, there was a rest-stop which doubled as food court just about every few miles....with mostly all the same fast food restaurants in each one. I don't know how much of this is "true", but perhaps there are some kernels of "truth" in some of this? Weird- especially the Ohio rumour.
> I'm sorry, but I see the provision and maintenance of highways and roads to be one of the jobs of government, since we certainly can't get together and build one ourself.
>
> I find it hard to see building roads and highways as a subsidizing of the oil industry. It may be subsidizing a way of life that Americans find desirable, but it's not subsidizing the oil industry any more than it's subsidizing the farm industry by allowing fast access to allow fresh produce to get to market. It's just doing its job.
>
> As a matter of interest, though, are there any developed countries that don't maintain and build roads and highways?
>
> I'm all in favor of promoting alternative fuel sources. The government tries to do that already, with tax credits and with direct subsidies. When alternative fuel sources are more affordable than oil, I'm reasonably sure the American public will switch to it. In the meantime, I think the government should encourage the switch to clean electrical power sources. Even subsidize it.
>
> Whatever happened to hydroelectric plants? Why aren't there more of them?
poster:laima
thread:675260
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20060809/msgs/678512.html