The more that I think about this, the better of an idea it sounds. http://www.freep.com/article/20101225/OPINION05/101223078
I rather increase it to encourage better fuel economy, instead of mandating fuel economy standards through CAFE.
I think it's a win-win. It will help put money into fixing and maintaining our highways and roads while forcing individuals and carmakers to increase fuel efficiency. The gas tax has not been raised in decades, so it's time to at the very least adjust for the increased cost of road construction and maintenance.
Raising the gas tax would also be an incentive for commuters to try to live closer to their jobs or get jobs closer to their homes - which would also make public transportation easier when. Better to push into this direction incrementally by raising and adjusting fuel taxes than do nothing and get hit by sudden oil price spikes once the stuff becomes scarcer and China, India Brazil et al get more money in their pockets, buy more cars and increase demand.
Using taxation to deter people from buying something you don't think they should buy? the founding fathers would despise you. Why do you care if people are more fuel efficient? global warming?
We import 300 billion dollars worth of gasoline per year at current prices, and that number is rising. Can you perform your seance to feel out whether the Founding Fathers love foreign entanglements?
Take Houston as an example...a $200,000 house in the suburbs would cost $400,000 or more in a comparable neighborhood in the city. In between usually are some crummy areas. That is just the monetary aspect. It doesn't even touch the issue of school quality, etc. In an economy where there are 5 job applicants for every job opening, you really want to discuss it like there is a realistic choice to be made? Wow. Spoken like somebody who has no kids and never had to worry about putting food on the table.
He is alluding to George Washington's famous quote: "'Tis our true policy to steer clear of entangling alliances with any portion of the foreign world" What you fail to grasp is the point, we need to stop being slaves to OPEC. And no drilling domestically will not quench our oil thirst we need to rebuild our manufacturing base using our tech know how to build and produce viable alternative energy.
National security. Saving American lives. You know, little things that government is intended to provide for its citizens.
I live inside the loop and pay more for it. But not only do I pay <$50/mo in gas I'm home by 5:15 to play with my three kids. Next year my oldest kid will attend a magnet school and be enrolled in the Vanguard program. There are many great HISD schools other than Sharpstown HS despite what you "hear". The economy is out of the recession and jobs will begin to turn around soon (just like any recession). At SOME point we're gonna need to address the deficit and a change to our current gas tax structure is nearly a no-brainer. Question is, do we charge per the gallon or per the mile? If the spirit is to charge the people who use the roads, then the rich (those that can initially afford electric cars) get off clean without paying their fair share. 10 years from now it may be a diferent landscape than today.
I think Peak Oil has been used to hype an End of Oil, but imo it's totally legitimate to reframe it as the end to cheap oil...from $40/barrel to $70 as the average price. Every aspect of our society is tied to cheap gas...transportation, the military, shipping, mass produced agriculture, worker productivity, entertainment and services. Live by cheap gas. Die by cheap gas.
If you equate buying oil from foreign countries with killing Americans, then why don't you ban the purchase of oil outright. Why would you allow an action to take place that kills Americans?
I think the logic is $100 in a terrorist's pocket to kill a few Americans is preferable to $1M in the same pocket to kill many more Americans. It's a numbers game.
Can't post new threads, anyone willing to make one on this article? I feel like it's worthy of D&D, and figured this was the only place i could put it. Link Rather amazing story.
The gentlemen I replied to, equates buying oil with killing Americans. If he feels that way then he should want oil banned outright. Why would he want a purchase to take place that kills Americans. $0 in a terrorist pockets is preferable to $100.
That's only true if you have a very simplistic ability to interpret what you read. Based on the quality of the health care survey you posted, this is probably the case. But I'm not going to dumb down my writing to take you from step 1 to step 2 without going through steps 1.1, 1.2, etc.
