Odometer readings would be problematic because a lot of that mileage could be out of state, but you're quite right on local tolls.

Conservatives are professionals at being tools of everything right through their fanatical religious beliefs

Zero? Absolute statements when it comes to anything to do with the law are nearly always wrong.

If we end up with a toll system that tracks where a vehicle goes (which would be necessary for local road tolls), that'll have 4A implications. If we put trackers in cars for the same reason, that'll have 4A implications.

I note those examples because simple odometer readings as a method would also be challenged because much of that usage could be out of state.

I'm 100% more tolls guy. Let the drivers pay for their own wear and tear. You want to save money on tolls then don't drive on the highways. If there's no tolls then I shouldn't have to pay the fare for the T

And people wonder why it is so expensive to live in MA. There is no need for more toll roads.

That all may be the case, but it's beside the point because it all happened after the situation I laid out.

Can you drive less than zero miles?

Weight tax all fucking day let's go

Can't understand why anybody who isn't rich would be anti-union. If you are anti-union, you're a tool for said rich people.

I'm sorry, do you want more tolls? I'm happy with toll roads being easy enough to avoid.

The common reasoning against striking is that workers can just quit.

However, a teacher for example, is given their summer pay as a lump sum at the end of the year instead of being distributed through their working hours. In practice this means that teachers who leave before the school year's end lose 25% of their yearly pay. This would be similar to if you quit your job, 25% of your pay was held as a punishment. No private employer would get away with this.

This traps teachers financially and forces them to work through the school year. When they do quit, new teachers are unwittingly put into the same unreformed system. The new teachers are not tenured and won't be able to voice any disagreement without fear of repercussion furthering the lack of change.

To the public, no loss of service is immediately noticable. But the system is rotting.

Striking is a tool to break through the necrosis caused by stagnant administration and local government.

Have you considered connecting with Cooley-Dickinson Hospital in Northampton which serves across western Massachusetts? They are a member of Mass General Brigham (in Boston). Not sure if you know this but as a MassHealth member you can request medical transportation to your appointments through your PCP. Your PCP would need to complete a PT-1 for each of your clinician's so if the provider is not convenient to you, you still shouldn't have problems getting to an appointment.

Police unions can certainly get bent.

Striking is a fundamental worker's right as is collective bargaining.

Pushing against these rights directly led to the toxic chemical spill in Ohio.

You cannot make the problems of a system go away by stripping away worker's rights. All you will do is make it illegal for them to protest when our children or they as workers are being mistreated.

Then flip it and use odometer readings to qualify for a vehicle tax credit.

The issue is that federal funding for maintenance just doesn’t keep pace. The tolls pay for that upkeep. And the enabling legislation that created MassDOT when the Turnpike Authority was done away with does not allow monies collected as tolls to be spent on anything other than the highways on which they were collected. With fewer federal dollars for roadways and many more drivers in the 58 years since the Pike was built, changing weather conditions, and new important federal regulations to manage stormwater (if you like having clean drinking water this is vital), it has not gotten cheaper to maintain the Pike or any other roadway. And the funds collected must go straight into maintain that roadway. I’m struggling to see why it bothers people. And if it does, are people willing to pay more federal and state taxes to maintain the worlds they use to get to work or move products?

Indeed I have ,I'm watching true crime as post right now ,I am actually

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Someone has been watching too much true crime

While it prents a bit poorly there is nothing in his posts that indicate bias in terms of housing. In fact there is one post where he seems angry at Pelosi for holding up what I think is a stimulus check.

You mean using public safety and children as bargaining chips shouldn't be allowed?!

Given that driving has repeatedly been held to be a privilege and not a right, I am not sure I would put much stock in that argument. Courts would almost surely hold that local and state governments have a legitimate interest in monitoring and tolling vehicles.

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An odometer reading would be the most fair, indisputable, and easily implemented change though. That would have a nice effect of encouraging less sprawl.

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Throw in a weight tax and I'd be happy.

That depends. If it's based on odometer readings, then you're right. If it's based on making more/most roads into toll roads, then you've got a 4th Amendment case. There's no precedent for allowing the government to monitor where and when everyone is driving.

From 1996-2013, those of us in the Eastern (edit Western) part of the state paid no tolls between what was exit 1 (West Stockbridge) and exit 6 (Chicopee). Good times.

Public employees shouldn't be able to unionize. Public unions should not exist.

Edit - I am not going to respond to every ridiculous comment on my post.

If it is a safety issue, call OSHA. There is no need for a union.

If it is about compensation, put forth legislation to fund a pay raise. There is no need for a union.

A public employee using the government boot to step on the necks of the taxpayers until they get better individual compensation is a selfish tactic.