Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

ab348

snakeweasel said:

Tollways are funded by issuing bonds that will be paid off from toll receipts. The contractors building the road get paid from funds raised by selling the bonds and do not share the toll revenue.

Plus it would be unrealistic to turn every road into a toll road.

At the time the govt here was unwilling or unable to take on more debt (which speaks volumes about their lack of financial fitness) without a dedicated revenue source dedicated to repayment. So the partnership model was used. The contractor operates the road, maintains it, and collects the tolls. Since it is the main connection between the capital city and the rest of Canada it has done quite well.

jmonroe1

ab348 said:

snakeweasel said:

<
But for public works, who is going to build the roads and bridges, dykes and the like?

Almost all of those are already *built* by private contractors. The question you are probably asking is who will pay for them. That is an appropriate role for govt although here we have an example of a toll road that was badly needed at the time which govt said they could not afford. So they contracted with a road construction company to build it and entered in a long-term construction/maintenance agreement to split the toll revenue to pay back the contractor. The road reverts to govt at some point. It has been a huge success.

For your sake I hope you're right but since it hasn't happened yet, keep your politicians away from the PA politicians. The toll on the PA Turnpike was also supposed to be a temporary toll until the building cost was recovered. That was back in the 40's yet we still have the toll and it has gone up. Now they have told us to expect yearly increases of around 6% for the unknown future to pay for some bogus something.

Like the man said, "there is nothing more permanent than a temporary tax".

Again, good luck.

jmonroe

stickguy

NY did the same thing with the thruway. Was something like a 30 bond payoff, and of course, the day comes, tolls remained.

driver100

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

Filled up both cars today, it was 15 degrees and windy. I did it because I didn't want to get stuck having to fill up over the next week as all it's going to do is get colder. According to the long range forecast over the next 10 days 7 will have overnight lows below 0 with 3 days having double digit numbers below zero. Wednesday they are forecasting a high of 16 below.

Anyone else having the big chill heading their way?

Yes, it got to 70F yesterday.....and now a cold Arctic blast of air is coming down from the North (probably from your way) and temperatures will be in the low 60s for a few days....brrrrrrrrrrr!

on the trip into work today it was 5 below.


That is inhuman!
There should be legislation not allowing that to happen.

driver100

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

stickguy said:

how much did they pay you to do that? I can't believe anyone would do it for free!

I got about $200 a year as a stipend which basically reimbursed me for the electricity I used for charging the meter every night.  I also had to plug in 2 sensors at each end of my condo to indicate to Nielsen when I was home and when I was out of the apartment.  Those remained plugged in 24 hours a day, every day.

So I basically did that for nothing

.

Mike, on top of all the other stuff going on in your life you actually had to look after this Nielsen stuff. I wouldn't have done that for less than $2000 a year....besides, then they would find out I am listening to music on my illegal USB stick.

An illegal USB stick ain't nothin.

You can bet your you know what that I wouldn't wear that thingy especially at this time of the year when I'm about to cheat on my income taxes again. Why should 2018 be any different than any other year?

jmonroe

Do you think maybe Edmunds is a front for a government department that tries to catch illegal activity going on....like cheating on taxes, recording music onto a USB stick, or driving too fast?

jmonroe1

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

stickguy said:

how much did they pay you to do that? I can't believe anyone would do it for free!

I got about $200 a year as a stipend which basically reimbursed me for the electricity I used for charging the meter every night.  I also had to plug in 2 sensors at each end of my condo to indicate to Nielsen when I was home and when I was out of the apartment.  Those remained plugged in 24 hours a day, every day.

So I basically did that for nothing

.

Mike, on top of all the other stuff going on in your life you actually had to look after this Nielsen stuff. I wouldn't have done that for less than $2000 a year....besides, then they would find out I am listening to music on my illegal USB stick.

An illegal USB stick ain't nothin.

You can bet your you know what that I wouldn't wear that thingy especially at this time of the year when I'm about to cheat on my income taxes again. Why should 2018 be any different than any other year?

jmonroe

Do you think maybe Edmunds is a front for a government department that tries to catch illegal activity going on....like cheating on taxes, recording music onto a USB stick, or driving too fast?

There are times that I think the same thing but then it hits me that if they were, our dues would be much higher. So that doesn't bother me anymore. What does bother me is that there are times when we think alike and Edmunds can't fix that no matter what their dues are.

jmonroe

driver100

I guess we are both conspiracy theorist type of people....or paranoid!

imidazol97

driver100 said:

I guess we are both conspiracy theorist type of people....or paranoid!

Oh no. Say it's not true...

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

I guess we are both conspiracy theorist type of people....or paranoid!

Oh don't be paranoid, it's not like the CBS logo means anything.

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

ab348 said:

snakeweasel said:

<
But for public works, who is going to build the roads and bridges, dykes and the like?

Almost all of those are already *built* by private contractors. The question you are probably asking is who will pay for them. That is an appropriate role for govt although here we have an example of a toll road that was badly needed at the time which govt said they could not afford. So they contracted with a road construction company to build it and entered in a long-term construction/maintenance agreement to split the toll revenue to pay back the contractor. The road reverts to govt at some point. It has been a huge success.

For your sake I hope you're right but since it hasn't happened yet, keep your politicians away from the PA politicians. The toll on the PA Turnpike was also supposed to be a temporary toll until the building cost was recovered. That was back in the 40's yet we still have the toll and it has gone up. Now they have told us to expect yearly increases of around 6% for the unknown future to pay for some bogus something.

Like the man said, "there is nothing more permanent than a temporary tax".

Again, good luck.

jmonroe

The bonds for the NYS Thruway were paid off in 1996 but the Thruway Authority was too sweet of a patronage plum to give up. So now our tolls go to support pleasure boat canals and bike paths.

henryn

Say what you will about toll roads, and there are plenty of negative comments which can be made. But it's pretty much impossible to get around the greater Houston metro area without using toll roads. Having that EZ-Tag on your car is just a part of the price of admission, just like license plates and state inspections and liability insurance.

It is what it is.

berri

Illinois was supposed to end tolls some years ago, but raised them instead.

explorerx4

CT is considering reinstating tolls. They removed years ago after a bad accident at a toll booth.

abacomike

snakeweasel said:

Filled up both cars today, it was 15 degrees and windy. I did it because I didn't want to get stuck having to fill up over the next week as all it's going to do is get colder. According to the long range forecast over the next 10 days 7 will have overnight lows below 0 with 3 days having double digit numbers below zero. Wednesday they are forecasting a high of 16 below. Anyone else having the big chill heading their way?

Yep - my friends are coming to visit tonight and are bringing several cold six-packs of Becks Dark Beer. 

abacomike

explorerx4 said:

CT is considering reinstating tolls. They removed years ago after a bad accident at a toll booth.

We don’t have many toll booths left on the Florida Turnpike because they have removed most of them and replaced them with overhead transponder readers and “Toll By Plate” cameras.  We have experienced moderate increases in tolls over the past several years.

imidazol97

We've had beautiful sunshine today. Florida weather. It looked so inviting.
But only if you don't go outside in the 16 deg F weather. I'm not sure how cold it got last night. The day
temp could have been worse. 16 deg is not bad when the sun in driving away
the winter blahs.

However, that will change.

Enjoy that beer.

explorerx4

There are several in the Orlando area between the airport and Disney.

[Deleted User]

snakeweasel said:

But for public works, who is going to build the roads and bridges, dykes and the like?

I’m totally ignorant of the roads and such.

On the water side, a private drinking water utility will own the investments. There are three areas to consider: the source water, the treatment plant, and distribution network. The private utility will tap the source water, like a lake, river, or well, build or buy an existing plant, and maintain and grow the distribution network that connects to homes and businesses. Their investment is covered with user fees, similar to how a public utility works except the funding doesn’t pass through government. Similar for wastewater but the distribution system is actually the intake for the plant, and their discharge will be a water source.

I’m not advocating for either system, but rather just stating the water side is a mix of public and private in the US. Mostly public. And I’m appreciative of the work those workers do in maintaining our quality of life. They have thankless jobs but they show up day in and day out and do work that impact all of our lives.

fintail

Going to be 50F and partly sunny this weekend in the PNW, hard to beat!

ab348

It was that same temp and sunny here in Halifax this afternoon. A remarkable day for this time of year here.

snakeweasel

berri said:

Illinois was supposed to end tolls some years ago, but raised them instead.

The Illinois tollway only had two toll increases in its lifetime, three if you include a doubling of cash payments electronic tolls stayed the same. Plus they did a surcharge on trucks during peak times to help reduce congestion.

snakeweasel

explorerx4 said:

CT is considering reinstating tolls. They removed years ago after a bad accident at a toll booth.

Three words "open road tolling" where their are no toll booths for electronic toll collection.

snakeweasel

abacomike said:

snakeweasel said:

Filled up both cars today, it was 15 degrees and windy. I did it because I didn't want to get stuck having to fill up over the next week as all it's going to do is get colder. According to the long range forecast over the next 10 days 7 will have overnight lows below 0 with 3 days having double digit numbers below zero. Wednesday they are forecasting a high of 16 below.

Anyone else having the big chill heading their way?

Yep - my friends are coming to visit tonight and are bringing several cold six-packs of Becks Dark Beer. 

Becks dark beer should not be drunk cold, slightly chilled yes but not cold.

tjc78

snakeweasel said:

snakeweasel said:

Filled up both cars today, it was 15 degrees and windy. I did it because I didn't want to get stuck having to fill up over the next week as all it's going to do is get colder. According to the long range forecast over the next 10 days 7 will have overnight lows below 0 with 3 days having double digit numbers below zero. Wednesday they are forecasting a high of 16 below. Anyone else having the big chill heading their way?

Yep - my friends are coming to visit tonight and are bringing several cold six-packs of Becks Dark Beer. 

Becks dark beer should not be drunk cold, slightly chilled yes but not cold.

Like red wine temperature? 

jmonroe1

snakeweasel said:

abacomike said:

snakeweasel said:

Filled up both cars today, it was 15 degrees and windy. I did it because I didn't want to get stuck having to fill up over the next week as all it's going to do is get colder. According to the long range forecast over the next 10 days 7 will have overnight lows below 0 with 3 days having double digit numbers below zero. Wednesday they are forecasting a high of 16 below.

Anyone else having the big chill heading their way?

Yep - my friends are coming to visit tonight and are bringing several cold six-packs of Becks Dark Beer. 

Becks dark beer should not be drunk cold, slightly chilled yes but not cold.

I guess that means that the folks that have LG refridgerators will be in compliance.

jmonroe

henryn

abacomike said:

Yep - my friends are coming to visit tonight and are bringing several cold six-packs of Becks Dark Beer. 

If you lived up in the frozen northern wastelands, where the temperatures are running below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, your friends wouldn't need to chill the beer beforehand. Just transporting from their car to your condo, exposed to the outside air, the beer would be ice cold!

And I will have to respectfully disagree with the German beer snobs (nothing personal). I'm not from Germany, and I like my beer cold, thank you very much!

explorerx4

@snaekweasel,
My commute is about 60% interstate, so about 8 miles.
I get on at exit 38 and get off at exit 52.
Every exit is a single lane exit.
Can you imagine how much that many drive under tolls would cost?

imidazol97

jmonroe1 said:

snakeweasel said:

Becks dark beer should not be drunk cold, slightly chilled yes but not cold.

I guess that means that the folks that have LG refridgerators will be in compliance.

jmonroe

I had to read that a few times before it sank in...

abacomike

snakeweasel said:

snakeweasel said:

Filled up both cars today, it was 15 degrees and windy. I did it because I didn't want to get stuck having to fill up over the next week as all it's going to do is get colder. According to the long range forecast over the next 10 days 7 will have overnight lows below 0 with 3 days having double digit numbers below zero. Wednesday they are forecasting a high of 16 below. Anyone else having the big chill heading their way?

Yep - my friends are coming to visit tonight and are bringing several cold six-packs of Becks Dark Beer. 

Becks dark beer should not be drunk cold, slightly chilled yes but not cold.

You drink it your way and i’ll drink it my way - that’s what makes the world go round. 

But, from the time I open a bottle to the time I finish the last swallow, it is probably only cool when halfway through the bottle.  

Incidentally, I had lunch out the other day at an authentic German restaurant in Pompano Beach.  To accompany my wiener schnitzel and potato dumplings, I ordered a tall glass of dark German beer on tap that was, without any doubt, the best tasting beer I have ever had.  They had 12 different imported German beers on tap which I have never seen before.  They had no other beers other than German.  I was in heaven! 

explorerx4

We have a 4 year old LG fridge that suddenly got very noisy.
I adjusted the front levelers and it has been quiet ever since.

cdnpinhead

imidazol97 said:

I had to read that a few times before it sank in...

It's that d -- confusing, for those who can spell.

jmonroe1

abacomike said:

snakeweasel said:

abacomike said:

snakeweasel said:

Filled up both cars today, it was 15 degrees and windy. I did it because I didn't want to get stuck having to fill up over the next week as all it's going to do is get colder. According to the long range forecast over the next 10 days 7 will have overnight lows below 0 with 3 days having double digit numbers below zero. Wednesday they are forecasting a high of 16 below.

Anyone else having the big chill heading their way?

Yep - my friends are coming to visit tonight and are bringing several cold six-packs of Becks Dark Beer. 

Becks dark beer should not be drunk cold, slightly chilled yes but not cold.

You drink it your way and i’ll drink it my way - that’s what makes the world go round. 

But, from the time I open a bottle to the time I finish the last swallow, it is probably only cool when halfway through the bottle.  

Incidentally, I had lunch out the other day at an authentic German restaurant in Pompano Beach.  To accompany my wiener schnitzel and potato dumplings, I ordered a tall glass of dark German beer on tap that was, without any doubt, the best tasting beer I have ever had.  They had 12 different imported German beers on tap which I have never seen before.  They had no other beers other than German.  I was in heaven! 

I'm shocked that you like German beer. I'm sure they served it to you in a glass since they probably know you'd have trouble with the top (of a bottle).

How many reads will it take for @imidazol97 to get it?

jmonroe

driver100

fintail said:

Going to be 50F and partly sunny this weekend in the PNW, hard to beat!

50F is like freezing around here!

driver100

snakeweasel said:

abacomike said:

snakeweasel said:

Filled up both cars today, it was 15 degrees and windy. I did it because I didn't want to get stuck having to fill up over the next week as all it's going to do is get colder. According to the long range forecast over the next 10 days 7 will have overnight lows below 0 with 3 days having double digit numbers below zero. Wednesday they are forecasting a high of 16 below.

Anyone else having the big chill heading their way?

Yep - my friends are coming to visit tonight and are bringing several cold six-packs of Becks Dark Beer. 

Becks dark beer should not be drunk cold, slightly chilled yes but not cold.

Thanks for the tip.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

jmonroe1 said:

snakeweasel said:

Becks dark beer should not be drunk cold, slightly chilled yes but not cold.

I guess that means that the folks that have LG refridgerators will be in compliance.

jmonroe

I had to read that a few times before it sank in...

I got it the first time...I must be thinking like jmonroe....which is worrisome

driver100

abacomike said:

snakeweasel said:

abacomike said:

snakeweasel said:

Filled up both cars today, it was 15 degrees and windy. I did it because I didn't want to get stuck having to fill up over the next week as all it's going to do is get colder. According to the long range forecast over the next 10 days 7 will have overnight lows below 0 with 3 days having double digit numbers below zero. Wednesday they are forecasting a high of 16 below.

Anyone else having the big chill heading their way?

Yep - my friends are coming to visit tonight and are bringing several cold six-packs of Becks Dark Beer. 

Becks dark beer should not be drunk cold, slightly chilled yes but not cold.

You drink it your way and i’ll drink it my way - that’s what makes the world go round. 

But, from the time I open a bottle to the time I finish the last swallow, it is probably only cool when halfway through the bottle.  

Incidentally, I had lunch out the other day at an authentic German restaurant in Pompano Beach.  To accompany my wiener schnitzel and potato dumplings, I ordered a tall glass of dark German beer on tap that was, without any doubt, the best tasting beer I have ever had.  They had 12 different imported German beers on tap which I have never seen before.  They had no other beers other than German.  I was in heaven

! 

You would think for $100000 your S class would have a draft beer tap.

Michaell

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

snakeweasel said:

abacomike said:

snakeweasel said:

Filled up both cars today, it was 15 degrees and windy. I did it because I didn't want to get stuck having to fill up over the next week as all it's going to do is get colder. According to the long range forecast over the next 10 days 7 will have overnight lows below 0 with 3 days having double digit numbers below zero. Wednesday they are forecasting a high of 16 below.

Anyone else having the big chill heading their way?

Yep - my friends are coming to visit tonight and are bringing several cold six-packs of Becks Dark Beer. 

Becks dark beer should not be drunk cold, slightly chilled yes but not cold.

You drink it your way and i’ll drink it my way - that’s what makes the world go round. 

But, from the time I open a bottle to the time I finish the last swallow, it is probably only cool when halfway through the bottle.  

Incidentally, I had lunch out the other day at an authentic German restaurant in Pompano Beach.  To accompany my wiener schnitzel and potato dumplings, I ordered a tall glass of dark German beer on tap that was, without any doubt, the best tasting beer I have ever had.  They had 12 different imported German beers on tap which I have never seen before.  They had no other beers other than German.  I was in heaven

! 

You would think for $100000 your S class would have a draft beer tap.

No, those are the BMWs with the "beer tap" shifter.

jmonroe1

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:

jmonroe1 said:

snakeweasel said:

Becks dark beer should not be drunk cold, slightly chilled yes but not cold.

I guess that means that the folks that have LG refridgerators will be in compliance.

jmonroe

I had to read that a few times before it sank in...

I got it the first time...I must be thinking like jmonroe....which is worrisome

Nah, you'll be alright. In fact, that would be an upgrade for you. What's worrisome is when I start to think like you.

jmonroe

snakeweasel

tjc78 said:

snakeweasel said:

abacomike said:

snakeweasel said:

Filled up both cars today, it was 15 degrees and windy. I did it because I didn't want to get stuck having to fill up over the next week as all it's going to do is get colder. According to the long range forecast over the next 10 days 7 will have overnight lows below 0 with 3 days having double digit numbers below zero. Wednesday they are forecasting a high of 16 below.

Anyone else having the big chill heading their way?

Yep - my friends are coming to visit tonight and are bringing several cold six-packs of Becks Dark Beer. 

Becks dark beer should not be drunk cold, slightly chilled yes but not cold.

Like red wine temperature? 

Somewhere in that range. I tend to drink it room temperature.

snakeweasel

henryn said:

abacomike said:

Yep - my friends are coming to visit tonight and are bringing several cold six-packs of Becks Dark Beer. 

If you lived up in the frozen northern wastelands, where the temperatures are running below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, your friends wouldn't need to chill the beer beforehand. Just transporting from their car to your condo, exposed to the outside air, the beer would be ice cold!

And I will have to respectfully disagree with the German beer snobs (nothing personal). I'm not from Germany, and I like my beer cold, thank you very much!

Temperature does affect taste, cold numbs the taste buds reducing their ability to taste. Many beers, particularly the more bitter ones should be served cold to make them more palatable. More favorable pleasing beers like dark beers should not be served cold as to bring out their flavors.

driver100

snakeweasel said:

tjc78 said:

snakeweasel said:

abacomike said:

snakeweasel said:

Filled up both cars today, it was 15 degrees and windy. I did it because I didn't want to get stuck having to fill up over the next week as all it's going to do is get colder. According to the long range forecast over the next 10 days 7 will have overnight lows below 0 with 3 days having double digit numbers below zero. Wednesday they are forecasting a high of 16 below.

Anyone else having the big chill heading their way?

Yep - my friends are coming to visit tonight and are bringing several cold six-packs of Becks Dark Beer. 

Becks dark beer should not be drunk cold, slightly chilled yes but not cold.

Like red wine temperature? 

Somewhere in that range. I tend to drink it room temperature.

I think it is supposed to be at cold cellar temperature if it is like British beer. If beer is too cold it loses the various flavors....of course beer without the flavors is served ice cold so you don't notice. A really good beer is wasted if served extra cold......room temperature or warm doesn't do it justice either......chilled to cold cellar temp is recommended.
I think I just said the same thing 5 different ways.....getting long winded like my friend jmonroe0

driver100

snakeweasel said:

henryn said:

abacomike said:

Yep - my friends are coming to visit tonight and are bringing several cold six-packs of Becks Dark Beer. 

If you lived up in the frozen northern wastelands, where the temperatures are running below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, your friends wouldn't need to chill the beer beforehand. Just transporting from their car to your condo, exposed to the outside air, the beer would be ice cold!

And I will have to respectfully disagree with the German beer snobs (nothing personal). I'm not from Germany, and I like my beer cold, thank you very much!

Temperature does affect taste, cold numbs the taste buds reducing their ability to taste. Many beers, particularly the more bitter ones should be served cold to make them more palatable. More favorable pleasing beers like dark beers should not be served cold as to bring out their flavors.

That's what I was trying to say.

houdini2

Just heard where that Rams player who made that controversial tackle against the Saints has been fined $26,000. for the hit. Good grief, how much did they fine the ref? And how can you fine a player when no penalty was even called? I think he was actually fined (punished) because he admitted it was pass interference.

tjc78

I’m no where near a beer connoisseur so I tend to drink a lot of mass market light stuff.   Exactly the stuff that people who know about beer will call swill.  

explorerx4

He was fined for helmet to helmet contact.
NFL is all about betting and fantasy leagues, game itself other than that, doesn't matter any more.

houdini2

Yeah, they could call helmet to helmet 50 times a game. Kind of bogus imo.

graphicguy

explorerx4 said:

We have a 4 year old LG fridge that suddenly got very noisy.
I adjusted the front levelers and it has been quiet ever since.

That’s how mine was. Except, it was like that from the day they installed it. Mentioned, it finally died 3 months ago, while still under warranty and they’ve yet been able to send someone who can fix it. American Express is still doing battle with LG on my behalf as a result.

explorerx4

@graphicguy,
Since I levelled it, it has gone back to being quiet.
I think one of the rollers was just touching the floor causing a resonance.

Mr_Shiftright

snakeweasel said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

berri said:

Private K-12 schools should generally score above public school because they can choose their students accepted. Of course you pay for that through their tuition and fees.

Privatization of all societal functions can be good, but also can be dangerous. It depends on the consequences of doing it.

It would be impractical if not impossible to privatize all societal functions. How do you privatize public works? How. does the company providing it make money? Or police services? Any public and many merit goods need to be provided by the state to be practical.

Well they are selling tool roads, privatizing prisons, red light camera operations, and Hollywood celebs already have their own Fire Departments apparently.

The claim is that private enterprise can always run something more efficiently than government, but I don't agree with that.

snakeweasel

roadburner said:

Speed cameras exist to increase revenue, period. The "Civil Citation" nonsense is just an excuse to deny your right to Due Process. Kentucky has it right, any traffic offense is a criminal violation and Defendants are entitled to all their constitutional rights- including trial by jury.

I am going to call you on this, traffic offenses have always been civil offenses. The difference between "civil" and "criminal" is pretty much jail. Criminal offenses all have the possibility of jail time while civil offenses don't, it's just fines and/or forfeiture of privileges. The difference in the courts is mainly what the judge can do. It's not to deny you your rights. So I seriously doubt Kentucky is trying traffic citations in a criminal court.