SCOTUS and whatnot

[CMRivdogs]

My house is up $50 thousand plus in value since last year. That's based on what I'm seeing in real estate values.and comps. Since my wife and I drive hybrids gas costs are up slightly, but we don't have the huge commute. We've changed some of our eating habits, cut out a lot of unnecessary crap, fewer restaurants, those costs are consistent with yearly increases. Especially since Republicans in the legislature keep voting against a rollback in sales tax on groceries.

Here the fleece vest wearing governor wants a three month moratorium on the gasoline tax, it may save a bit, but then our roads will look like Michigan's.

edit..HHI is 5 a 5 hour drive, MYB is 3, and Nags ahead is 90 minutes. Who needs to fly? And from what I've experienced Barony's resort prices are a bit lower for owners.

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by CMRivdogs

[buddha]

we drove to detroit last weekend and the first thing you notice when you get into michigan is how bad the roads are.

[Motown Bombers]

3 minutes ago, buddha said:

we drove to detroit last weekend and the first thing you notice when you get into michigan is how bad the roads are.

When I drive into Illinois, the first thing I notice is how I have to pay a toll and how expensive gas is. I'm guessing Michiganders don't want to pay to actually fix the roads. 

[CMRivdogs]

6 minutes ago, buddha said:

we drove to detroit last weekend and the first thing you notice when you get into michigan is how bad the roads are.

My wife was up for work related stuff a couple weeks ago and the first comment was that 275 was a mess again. The real problem getting between Illinois and Michigan is I-80/94 thru the Gary corridor.  

[buddha]

6 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

When I drive into Illinois, the first thing I notice is how I have to pay a toll and how expensive gas is. I'm guessing Michiganders don't want to pay to actually fix the roads. 

you sure showed me.

illinois has more problems than it knows what to do with.  we should be bankrupt.  well, we ARE bankrupt and just cover it up with financial tricks and more loans. 

but michigan's roads suck.  

[Motown Bombers]

1 minute ago, buddha said:

you sure showed me.

illinois has more problems than it knows what to do with.  we should be bankrupt.  well, we ARE bankrupt and just cover it up with financial tricks and more loans. 

but michigan's roads suck.  

Wasn't intended to show you anything but if Michigan had toll roads and higher gas tax like Whitmer proposed the roads would probably be better. Even red southern states like Florida who doesn't have nearly the road maintenance costs that Michigan has has toll roads. 

[Tiger337]

One reason I am better off is that I work at home most of the time now.  That is a big change and a good one.  

 

[oblong]

19 minutes ago, Archie said:

Without getting too personal how are you better off?  I've noticed the higher prices of everything.  Fortunately we can afford it but theres a lot of people who can't. I went to the grocery store yesterday and 2 full paper bags cost $106.  Gas fill up on my truck was $80. That a lot more than we've ever paid.  I looked at flights to florida and they were over $700 each and that was double a year ago.  Thats just personal costs and not talking about borders, foriegn relations, women's rights issues or the state of the country.

I make more money than I did then and I've cut costs.  My financial position is a lot better than it was a  year ago.  Mental health is also better.  I'm running a lot more miles than I did, I just completed my first road half marathon.  Got some things done around the house I was putting off.

 

 

[oblong]

"Why do our roads suck!"

Driving into Ohio

"WHY ARE THEY ALWAYS DOING CONSTRUCTION IN OHIO!"

 

[gehringer_2]

16 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

When I drive into Illinois, the first thing I notice is how I have to pay a toll and how expensive gas is. I'm guessing Michiganders don't want to pay to actually fix the roads. 

I'm guessing you have guessed right.

 

[Motown Bombers]

One of the major east/west thoroughfares in Ohio is a toll road. 

[oblong]

1 minute ago, gehringer_2 said:

I'm guessing you have guessed right.

 

we can't raise taxes, fix the roads, then deny ourselves campaign talking points in 4 years.

 

[Motown Bombers]

Make 75 and 94 toll roads so that way all the international trade that goes through Michigan would have to pay a toll. 

[Archie]

5 minutes ago, oblong said:

I make more money than I did then and I've cut costs.  My financial position is a lot better than it was a  year ago.  Mental health is also better.  I'm running a lot more miles than I did, I just completed my first road half marathon.  Got some things done around the house I was putting off.

 

 

I'm glad its working for you but how much is due to the current admin?  Working from home is great for those who can do it and it can save money.  My wife works from home and I think she works more than she did when she went to an office everyday.  She does like it better.

[gehringer_2]

10 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

Make 75 and 94 toll roads so that way all the international trade that goes through Michigan would have to pay a toll. 

94 probably sees as much truck traffic as it does in part because i-80 is toll. Put a toll on 94, you'd probably reduce traffic because cross country routes would lose any motivation to ever come north. That would not be a bad thing in most people's view I think! The absence of toll roads in MI has a long (and probably now obsolete) history. Of course the auto-plants didn't want them, and that is probably the biggest reason, but back in the 40's 50's and 60's, when the road nets were being planned but railroads were still a thing, there was an arg that since MI was a peninsula, we had poorer cross state rail connections than other states so it was only 'fair' that we not have toll roads since there were fewer shipping/travel alternatives. That seems a quaint arg today, but I remember it being a pretty stock political talking point when I was young - so that is a little bit of how we got to where we are.

Edited April 11, 2022 by gehringer_2

[Tiger337]

16 minutes ago, Archie said:

I'm glad its working for you but how much is due to the current admin?  Working from home is great for those who can do it and it can save money.  My wife works from home and I think she works more than she did when she went to an office everyday.  She does like it better.

Nothing good that happens in my life ever has anything to do with any president.  They have very little effect on my life.  They can affect the lives of people less fortunate than me.  

[Motown Bombers]

16 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

94 probably sees as much truck traffic as it does in part because i-80 is toll. Put a toll on 94, you'd probably reduce traffic because cross country routes would lose any motivation to ever come north. That would not be a bad thing in most people's view I think! The absence of toll roads in MI has a long (and probably now obsolete) history. Of course the auto-plants didn't want them, and that is probably the biggest reason, but back in the 40's 50's and 60's, when the road nets were being planned but railroads were still a thing, there was an arg that since MI was a peninsula, we had poorer cross state rail connections than other states so it was only 'fair' that we not have toll roads since there were fewer shipping/travel alternatives. That seems a quaint arg today, but I remember it being a pretty stock political talking point when I was young - so that is a little bit of how we got to where we are.

Not sure how 94 is an alternative to 80 given Michigan is a peninsula. Interstate 70 seems like a much more logical alternate route. 

[Archie]

27 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

Nothing good that happens in my life ever has anything to do with any president.  They have very little effect on my life.  They can affect the lives of people less fortunate than me.  

You probably right that they never create any good in our lives but their policies do impact us.  The biggest thing impacting us currently is inflation.  The rising costs hit us all but it affects some more than others. I don't want to cut things out. I just end up paying more but it gives me something to complain about.

[CMRivdogs]

49 minutes ago, Archie said:

 My wife works from home and I think she works more than she did when she went to an office everyday.  She does like it better.

I think it's definitely more work. Pre pandemic the plan was to "retire" and do some contractor/consulting work. Since about 75% of her work life revolves around meetings, there are more now than before. Pre pandemic days would find her anywhere from Detroit, Ann Arbor, Lansing on a given day. Lots of driving, but some down time. Now it's fairly constant, but she can also field calls on our back patio in late March, early April. We also spent a week in Myrtle Beach for a change of scenery.

In the end more $$ for when she does decide to call it quits.

[CMRivdogs]

7 minutes ago, Archie said:

You probably right that they never create any good in our lives but their policies do impact us.  The biggest thing impacting us currently is inflation.  The rising costs hit us all but it affects some more than others. I don't want to cut things out. I just end up paying more but it gives me something to complain about.

We would have inflation no matter who was in office. Once things opened up. Real estate costs for example went way up. In many areas inventory is at an all time low. Meanwhile building costs went through the roof because of restrictions pre 1/20/21. The supply chain was also a mess and just now getting back to close to normal.

[pfife]

Inflation's up in nations Biden doesn't even president in

[mtutiger]

1 hour ago, buddha said:

you sure showed me.

illinois has more problems than it knows what to do with.  we should be bankrupt.  well, we ARE bankrupt and just cover it up with financial tricks and more loans. 

but michigan's roads suck.  

To be fair, my experience with Illinois roads is that they aren't much better... at least outside of the ones that ISTHA owns (that, of course, you have to pay for the luxury of driving on)

[Tiger337]

20 minutes ago, Archie said:

You probably right that they never create any good in our lives but their policies do impact us.  The biggest thing impacting us currently is inflation.  The rising costs hit us all but it affects some more than others. I don't want to cut things out. I just end up paying more but it gives me something to complain about.

I think presidents have very little effect on the economy. This is a capitalist nation. The economy is influenced by businesses and consumers a lot more than presidents.  We are still involved in a historic pandemic which has vastly changed the way we do business short term and long term.  We have not totaly recovered from the lockdowns and general restrictions and have not adjusted to new ways of doing business. So, it's not surprising that somethings are screwed up.  On the bright side, businesses are still making money and people are still working.  There are actually not enough people to fill all the available jobs.    

[mtutiger]

1 hour ago, gehringer_2 said:

94 probably sees as much truck traffic as it does in part because i-80 is toll. Put a toll on 94, you'd probably reduce traffic because cross country routes would lose any motivation to ever come north. That would not be a bad thing in most people's view I think! The absence of toll roads in MI has a long (and probably now obsolete) history. Of course the auto-plants didn't want them, and that is probably the biggest reason, but back in the 40's 50's and 60's, when the road nets were being planned but railroads were still a thing, there was an arg that since MI was a peninsula, we had poorer cross state rail connections than other states so it was only 'fair' that we not have toll roads since there were fewer shipping/travel alternatives. That seems a quaint arg today, but I remember it being a pretty stock political talking point when I was young - so that is a little bit of how we got to where we are.

Not sure that this has been addressed in this discussion, but the fact that Michigan allows a gross vehicle weight of up to 164,000 lbs (in excess of every other state iirc) is a huge incentive for trucking companies to avail themselves of Michigan's roadways. And it stands to reason that it would encourage trucking versus rail in terms of shipping goods across the state (along with geography - as you suggest, Michigan isn't centrally located in terms of rail versus states like Ohio or Indiana, who fall squarely between Chicago and the East Coast).

The caveat on truck weights is that axle load requirements (which are used in calculating ESALs, which are the measurement used in designing asphalt/concrete pavements) are somewhat lower in Michigan compared to most states, which means that while the gross consist weight is higher, how the load is distributed across each chassis does result in lower point loads at axle locations. But still, while axle load requirements may be a little lower, that will still be counteracted if trucks pass over a roadway more frequently than in other states.

I don't have any data in front of me, but have a civil engineering background and some experience with pavement design. Policies on things like weights allowed on each axle (along with the type of pavement used, thicknesses, subgrade preparation/drainage, weather factors, etc.) can make a big difference on the service life of any pavement system.

Edited April 11, 2022 by mtutiger

[mtutiger]

1 hour ago, Motown Bombers said:

Not sure how 94 is an alternative to 80 given Michigan is a peninsula. Interstate 70 seems like a much more logical alternate route. 

Truckers can sometime take odd routes when there's incentive to.

For instance, my understanding is that, despite being slower, US 20 running along the Indiana Toll Road and the Ohio Turnpike does get a decent amount of truck usage from truckers who do not want to pay the exorbanent rates for multi-axle vehicles assigned to those roads. Particularly in Indiana, which (iirc) has had higher rates per mile than the Illinois Tollway and Ohio Turnpike since they leased the toll road out to a private foreign company to administer.

Edited April 11, 2022 by mtutiger