Itzl Alert Network: Tuesday, June 4, 2024: Construction of additional sidewalks

I’ve been thinking for months about the need for more sidewalks in my neighborhood.

Let’s get started:

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The little dog is called Itzl.

Okay, let’s start with the ADA:

http://www.wikipedia.org/…

imposed Accessibility Requirements for Public accommodation.⁽²⁾

The final version of the bill was law entered into force on 26 July 1990 by President George H.W. Bush. Later modified 2008 and signed by the President George W. Bush with changes effective from 1 January 2009.⁽⁴⁾

In case you don’t know, all concrete, whether it’s paving, curbs, or sidewalks, is marked with the date it was poured. (Just the year.)

The street where I live, here in Wichita, Kansas, just one block away, was poured in May 2021.

When Tonia and I moved in in August 2021, we noticed this date, which meant the street was less than a year old.

(Just yesterday, while talking to a neighbor, I learned that it was watered in May.)

In contrast to this new block, as I walk along many stretches of sidewalk, I see data from before I was born.

1952

1953

(I was born in 1955.)

However, when I look at the wheelchair ramps that lead from the sidewalk to the street, they are always from after 1990.

After George Herbert Walker Bush signed the ADA into law.

(My last name is Herbert, so I like to spell all four men’s names.)

However, when I go for a walk almost every day, I notice that most of the less busy side streets simply don’t have sidewalks.

No wheelchair ramps, no sidewalks.

Just grass.

So I end up walking on the street.

I stay on the left and watch the traffic.

I am wearing a safety vest that I purchased from Walmart.com.

I’m wearing a white overall with reflective stripes on the ankles.

I am agile enough to step onto the grass when a car passes me, especially when parked cars narrow the lane for the driver.

But my life would be a lot better if every street had sidewalks on both sides.

About a month ago, I saw a little girl, who looked to be about four years old, walking barefoot down the middle of a nearby street, pulling a red wagon with her little brother in it.

He looked like he was about 2 years old.

I accompanied her to her destination, the nearby store where her older sister and brother were shopping.

Two factors put these children at risk:

1. Whoever was responsible for this family made the big mistake of leaving the two small children unattended at home.

2. The street where they live has no sidewalks on either side.

In my opinion, if we had sidewalks on every street in my area of ​​Wichita, Kansas, the danger to old men and young children would be less.

I have been daydreaming for months about the need for more sidewalks and how I could contact someone. I wondered who I should contact and how they could build the sidewalks.

George Herbert Walker Bush died in 2018, so I cannot contact him.

But what about George Walker Bush?

He is still alive.

I remember that at the beginning of this century, George Herbert Walker Bush sometimes worked with Bill Clinton on one project or another.

http://www.wikipedia.org/…

During his retirement, Bush used the public spotlight to support various charities.⁽²⁹⁶⁾ Despite previous political differences with Bill Clinton, the two former presidents eventually became friends.⁽²⁹⁷⁾ They appeared together in television commercials and promoted help for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami And Hurricane Katrina.⁽²⁹⁸

Okay, these two former presidents, Bill Clinton and George Walker Bush, are the same age.

They are both 77 years old.

They are both still alive.

And since Bill Clinton has worked with George Herbert Walker Bush in the past to help those in need, I believe that George Walker Bush might be willing to work with Bill Clinton and continue his father’s ways.

This is especially true with regard to the ADA, which was signed by his father and improved during his tenure.

So.

Maybe I should contact these two former presidents!

(I’m not saying I’ll actually do that.)

(I’m just some guy writing on a political blog.)

(We’ll see if I do more.)

Now for the details:

How do we pay for the sidewalks?

http://www.wikipedia.org/…

The US federal government Excise tax At petrol is 18.4 cents per gallon and 24.4 cents per gallon for Diesel fuel.⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾ The revenue from the tax goes partly to the Highway Trust FundThe federal tax was last levied on October 1, 1993 and is not indexed to inflationwhich has increased by 111% from October 1993 to December 2023. On average, as of April 2019State and local taxes and fees increase the price of gasoline by 34.24 cents and diesel by 35.89 cents, resulting in a volume-weighted average of Fuel tax of 52.64 cents per gallon for gasoline and 60.29 cents per gallon for diesel.⁽³⁾

Each state imposes higher taxes on fuel.

Here in Kansas, we add a state tax of 24.03 cents per gallon of gasoline to the 18.4 cent federal tax, for a total of 42.43 cents in taxes per gallon on gasoline.

The figures for diesel fuel come to 26.03 cents state tax plus the federal tax of 24.4 cents, totaling 50.43 cents per gallon of diesel fuel.

OK.

If I understand correctly, this money is intended for the repair and replacement of roads, streets, highways and bridges.

So we can use some of the money for sidewalks.

I’m willing to pay a little more money to fill the tank of my sister-in-law’s minivan if both the federal and state governments would raise those taxes, maybe just a penny each, and use the extra money for sidewalks.

If I pay 45 cents per gallon in taxes, two cents more than I do now, then I would have to pay 16 times 2 cents more to fill her 16-gallon tank.

I would pay 32 cents more.

I would gladly pay 32 cents to build sidewalks in my neighborhood.

A homeowner recently told me that although her house was paid off, she still had to pay well over $1,000 in property taxes each year.

(Of course you pay property tax!)

What if we raised property taxes here in Wichita, Kansas, by just $5 or $10?

This could mean a rent increase for me, as I expect part of my rent to go towards the property taxes of this apartment complex.

I am willing to pay $5 more each month if the money is used to build sidewalks.

This complex has 100 units, so that would be $500 per month times 12, or $6,000 per year available to the owners to pay any additional property taxes.

This will help finance the construction of new sidewalks.

Here in downtown Wichita, Kansas, we have a large arena called Intrust Bank Arena.

It was financed years ago through a city sales tax.

So here in Wichita, we could implement a city sales tax to fund the sidewalks.

www.ksrevenue.gov/…

LOCAL VAT

In addition to the state sales tax, counties and cities in Kansas have the option of levying a local sales tax. Before levying a local sales tax, the governing body of the city or county must obtain approval from a majority of its voters. Cities may levy a local sales tax in increments of five-hundredths of a percent (0.05%). Counties may levy a local sales tax in increments of one-quarter of a percent (0.25%, 0.50%, etc.). Cities may levy a maximum sales tax rate of 3% (2% general and 1% special). Counties may levy a maximum general sales tax rate of 1%. Anything over 1% requires legislative action.

So we can impose a 1% sales tax and use the money to build sidewalks.

Sidewalks are more important than a large arena downtown.

Seems to me.

And again, every time I buy something at the shop around the corner, I pay a little more VAT.

I am willing to pay this amount to get my sidewalks.

So let’s look at our tax options:

• Federal tax on fuel.
• State tax on fuel.
• wealth tax.
• VAT.

And we could get the following people to come to Wichita, Kansas, to advocate for these taxes and these sidewalks:

• George Walker Bush.
• Bill Clinton.
• Pete Buttigieg.

Ha!

Infrastructure!

The Francis Scott Key Bridge is not the only infrastructure project we need to work on.

Anyway.

Hugs to all of you, my Itzl friends.

Hugs.