IBM Patents Pricing Motorists Off Highways

theodp writes "Self-professed patent reformer IBM snagged a patent Tuesday for the Variable Rate Toll System, which covers the rather anti-egalitarian scheme of pricing motorists off of the roads by raising tolls as congestion increases. 'Congestion pricing of traffic is emerging as a completely new services market for IBM,' boasted Jamie Houghton, IBM's Global Leader for Road Charging."

Comments

Re:Tax ownership

[Lilith's Heart-shape]

How about not taxing anything at all? If the politicians want money, then let the meddlesome sons of syphilitic bitches beg for it if they can't come up with enough of their own to pay for their pet projects and their wars. Ted Kennedy wants to build more roads? Let him have a friggin' yard sale. George W. Bush wants to invade Iran? Let him hold a fucking telethon, if he can even get airtime.

Re:motorists being forced off the road and into bu

[TheMeuge]

New York City's congestion pricing plan will add $9 to the people's daily commute.

Let's see, $9x20 working days/month = $180/month, just for the luxury of not being spat on, cursed at, and not having to sniff someone's armpits for 2 hours a day.

Re:Tax ownership

[spun]

Sorry, taxes may get used for stuff I disagree with, but I still support mandatory taxes. I like public roads, education, social security, welfare, police, fire departments, and many of the good things governments do. Do you know that in socialist countries where people pay 50% or more of their income in taxes, the majority are happy to do so, because they feel they are getting fair value for their money? We don't need to do away with taxes, we need to raise the maximum tax rate back up to 70% like it was before Reagan took office, and at the same time stop funding for ridiculous things like farm subsidies.

Re:Tone of the summary

[syousef]

Right, and housing in most cities is cheap. Philly is one of the richest metro areas in the entire world, yet you can buy a townhouse in the city for peanuts.

Where I live a small 1 bedroom unit in the city will run you the same as a 4 bedroom house in the 'burbs.

If course, since all of the money fled a long time ago, it would be a miserable existence: high crime, languishing infrastructure, dirty, etc. I think that you are only thinking of the "gentrified" places in the city with their high real estate values. Even NYC has huge depressed areas.

As I said, you're in favour of creating ghettos. Thanks for supporting my argument.

As you pointed out earlier, the poor don't pay much in taxes, so to them the roads are mostly free.

Moronic argument. Poor people who don't pay taxes don't own cars either you jerk. The only use they get out of the roads is indirect - like if they walk down to the supermarket and buy what meagre food they can afford, that food was delivered by truck. Just as it is for you, so your precious tax dollars aren't being wasted.

Those that are working class and need to get to work pay more taxes. They subsidize both the roads and They use the road and get what they pay for.

I don't want it back in ways that hurt society, thank you very much. If they are just going to keep expanding roads with the money just so that they can clog back up again, I'd just assume not give up the money in the first place.

Yeah creating GHETTOS is a much better use of your money. You're just a sour fool who wants to punish everyone else because you've had to give up your car.