From the office of Del. Glen Glass:
Letter to the Editor,
While we’re already in a battle to stop instate tuition for illegal immigrants (go to: www.mdpetitions.com to down load and sign a petition), the politicians and the MDTA are trying to increase tolls, and abolish the decal system.
Many of you have voiced your outrage at the proposed increases. I have one thing to say to these elected officials and bureaucrats who want to put their hand in our pockets again, “our money belongs to us and you do not have a right to it”.
Most of this toll money goes to Montgomery County to fund the ICC/ Mass Transit.
They want to raise our tolls to $8.00 in the next 18 months, and replace the decal system with EZ Pass, increasing the cost to $100.00 dollars annually. Tourism will suffer because many will go elsewhere to avoid paying the toll.
Many in Harford County work and shop in Cecil County and can’t afford any more taxing. Businesses will lose money because people will be less likely to travel to their store. The fishermen who trailer their boats will be hit; they pay as much as an 18 wheeler and will be less likely to come and spend money at local businesses.
This tax is regressive, it hurts the poor and retired the most!
Please attend the hearing at Perryville High School—June 16 at 6PM
(register by 5PM) to speak June 27th at Havre de Grace Activity Center.
See you there!
Your servant and Delegate,
Glen Glass
It’s time to take Maryland back from the politicians and give it to the people!
george says
I think I can predict the future. In Maryland, the State Legislators via the MD Toll Facility are currently holding public hearings on increasing the tolls currently charged. The public is adamantly against this proposal. The legislators will do what they want after giving the illusion of listening to the public. Can you say Health Care reform?
The question this raises, if the Legislators are so concerned with raising much needed revenue to repair the State infrastructure, why don’t they cut their salaries or staffs. Another suggestion would be to have them cut out some of the pork that they continually dole out to their contributors in their continual struggle to keep themselves in office so they can continue to hand out contracts and favors to friends, family and special interests. Term limits people, we need them now!
george says
Why do they want to raise tolls you ask? The answer is very simple, because O Mally and Miller down in Annapolis need our hard earned money to give away so they will be re-elected year after year. Mike Miller has been in the Senate for 36 years, if he doesn’t have “the work for the people” completed by now, I doubt he ever will. We are ruled by career politicians whose sole purpose in life is to enrich themselves, their family and friends. While there is nothing wrong with that philosophy, as they are some of the same goals shared by many of us, the difference is, with the politicos, they are spending other peoples money they didn’t earn.
john mcmichael says
The MdTa forgot what attracted me to wprk for them in the 1980’s. Total Quality Management a concept that worked in the reconstruction of Japan after WW II. It is based on a simple concept customer service both external and internal customers. What the Transportation Authority is proposeing to do is not only economic disaster to two very interdependent communitties. Neither community can afford a 250% toll increase that is being propossed. In fact I don’t feel as though the toll increases that are being propossed all over the state are as steep an increase as those that the local citizens are asked to absorb. The people who make such decissions must not know, understand, or care about the people who must depend on the Hatem Bridge. Many people are disabled veterans on fixed income who depend on Perry Point for medical treatement. At one point Perry Point was the largest employeer in Cecil County. Not everyone who works at Perry Point are doctors or registered nurses. You have every day people working just for a living. Cooks, dishwashers, janitors, aides, ground keepers. Alot of blue collar jobs.
In Havre de Grace you have the only public hospital that many from Port DEposit, Perryville, Perry Point have access to. The next closest public hospital is 15miles away give it a mile or two.
The two communities asupported by only two grocery stores. One each community. No super store to buy groceries. For the longest time Perryville didn’t even have a grocery store if they wanted groceries they either crossed the bridge or had to take a road trip to keep feed.
These are two economically deppressed communities. How is this unreasonable hike suppose to support growth an developement around here. Presently it appears that small communities are asked to mcarry too much of the finicial burden for the right to work and feed themselves while being asked to bail out a poorly managed system that the legislature keeps robbing to help cover budget short comeings of others.
Anonymous says
Since when are regressive taxes a problem for true conservatives? Grow up and pay for the goods and services you consume rather than expecting me to subsidize your commute. You can always move closer to work or stop driving your gas guzzling monster truck with the confederate flag flying out the back and get a prius instead. I live and work in the same town and see no reason why you have a right to take my money instead of doing the same.
SUV and Six Kids says
@Anonymous
Do they make a Prius SUV?
amazed. says
@Anonymous, I suspect you’re only trolling here but… the real problem I have with the proposed increase is the elimination of the avi system. I have no problem with paying more for the avi decal. What I object to is being forced to use the EZ-Pass system for a daily commute. I’m sure there are thousands of non-commuters that purchase the decal for occasional travel into the neighboring county for reasons like shopping, dining, and recreation. I’m also sure that many of them will simply stop those excursions, and the MTA is banking on that… only 2 unavoidable trips in a year will bring in more than they currently get from the decals. They’ve given this plenty of thought. I don’t want an EZ-Pass for my commuter vehicle (which incidentally is not a monster truck and averages a respectable 28MPG). The EZ-Pass system carries a bogus manufactured “administrative” fee that they only added after issuing thousands of units. It is unfortunate that the MTA wants to use the commuters as their personal ATM to fund projects that many of those commuters will never even see in some of the richest counties in Maryland. The commuters want to pay for upkeep of the facilities they are using while individuals like yourself want us to pay for everything.
YesTheyDo! says
Toyota Highlander Hybrid is 7 passengers.
Chevy Tahoe Hybrid is 8 passengers.
SUV and Six Kids says
YESTHEYDO,
Our family buys 4 year old used vehicles and we are on a budget. We do not borrow money to pay for new cars, we save and then buy.
The point of this discussion is the burden on poor, working families and business owners who will be adversely affected by increasing the Hatem Bridge toll for local commuters.
YESTHEYDO! says
I got the point. You are yet another freeloader thinking you’re entitled to a government handout. Just like those illegal immigrants. Understood and unimpressed.
SUV and Six Kids says
@YESTHEYDO Are you a complete or incomplete idiot?
This is a local economy, commerce and transportation issue.
john mcmichael says
I would like to see the MdTA board of directors turn in their e-z pass taken away for one month. I am aware they will say they need it for work. Fine stop at the toll booth and get a reciept and deduct it from there taxes as work expenses. Mabey then they will appreciate what a problem it is createing on local business. If they use that trip for their private business then too bad no write off. Just like the general public. Then mabey they will appreciate the hard ship caused to small communities.
Let not forget that when the Iraq war started many people in fact the majority of Americans where in favor of the resolution to authorize force to get Saddam. We knew there would be human sacrifices to be made. Now the MdTA in all their wise decission making make it overly costly for those returning vets to recieve the counseling and thearpy that Perry Point provides these vets.
amazed. says
@John, I agree with you. The folks visiting the VA for treatment should cross for free. I’d be surprised if any of the top 4 or 5 layers of MTA bureaucracy even get a bill for their EZ-Pass usage. The system would be similar to any keycard entry system and access levels would be set for all users… I imagine they could drop someone into the “law enforcement” group and they’d ride free.
Anonymous says
If we don’t have money for medicare we don’t have money to subsidize your commute. Stop the loopholes.
amazed. says
@Anonymous: Here’s the thing… I don’t want my commute subsidized. I never have. That’s not what’s happening here. The MTA is looking for the money to fund their latest wet dream and they’ve decided they can squeeze the commuters for it. I’d be happy to pay for my use of the bridge but for some reason I find myself objecting to paying for some project in Maryland’s richest county.
frankly speaking says
Are illegals not paying tolls when they cross the bridges and roads? What does this have to do with the opening statement from our elected official? I guess, we the taxpayer get the crappy govt we deserve when we elect idiotic morons to office. But if you think that’s bad, just wait until Michelle Bauchman and Pallin get together in a debate.
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