California gas tax going up 3.5c/gallon July 1st

[DaveEV]

why only $8? why not $20? how about this, since we are evolving from fuel oils that power our cars we change the method of collecting road use taxes to a true user based system? we could easily use currently technology to charge a per mile road use tax, maybe $10 mile would please you or make it $50 a mile and we could easily fund all the pie in the sky social programs

Straw man.

such a low tech method of data collection? you'd need to hire an army of inspectors and the fraud would be rampant. think RFID as a data collector

Uh, if you think fraud is bad with an army of inspectors, you should see what can be done with RFID... There is no real security with RFID leaving one open for privacy and fraud issues.

 

[Weckel]

I assume you are also willing to pay the significant increase in price for virtually everything else due to the increased transportation and other secondary costs...

The price should be $8 gallon like in Europe, and we buy still autos and more eficience autos. But the most people don't drive a SUV, why they should drive it?.

that's not a supposition, that is a reality for me, in Europe all product are more expensive that in USA for gasoline price and others tax.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

So in europe where does all thhat tax money go? Those countries don't have to support much in the way of militaries right? Seems they should be getting off cheaper.

 

[Weckel]

So in europe where does all thhat tax money go? Those countries don't have to support much in the way of militaries right? Seems they should be getting off cheaper.

this tax money go to public health, public pension for old people, new road and train...and a lot of corruption.

 

[mwalsh]

this tax money go to public health, public pension for old people, new road and train...and a lot of corruption.

With us, it's the other way round. With most tax money going to corruption by any other name - crony capitalism; pork projects; propping up foreign governments; military/industrial/intellegence complex; etc... I'd take taxation for the public good - all the things you mention - any day of the week, compared to what we've got.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

i am all for raising the gas tax to something reasonable but this $8 a gallon thing is simply going to hurt way more than it will help. you might be able to pay that, but i cannot. Neither can a lot of people who have no other transportation options for work.

With the shifting of the labor force to the service industry verses manufacturing, working hours extending way beyond the local mass transit options is commonplace. Even if stores are not open 24/7, there is still a workforce there restocking for the next day, receiving shipments, etc. Most do not make a living wage. They MUST live in a 2 earner household to survive. It is this group that cannot afford a large and sudden increase in the price of gas.

The federal government should have started raising prices slowly DECADES ago. They should have helped to insure that local governments provided mass transit options. they had the power to force every state to do 55 (with exception of TX i think) so they have the power...

Our country is imploding and its due to one misstep after another. the few rich and the handful of well-to-do are not capable of supporting the rest of the country but that is where we are headed. That is the reason why gas prices have been held down and its a joint effort by the government (because they know they will collapse if they dont keep it cheap) and Big Oil who knows they will continue to rake in profits because the volume is just so large that they only need a few pennies per gallon in the green to "make bank"

The incentive to move personal transportation to electric is relatively large but must get larger and the real sticking point as I see it now is public charging. this "give me 150 miles and I am in" attitude does not work for the people least able to afford a big jump in gas prices so dont even go there. whether its $5,000 more or even $1,000 more; they simply cannot afford it. But, fact of the matter; 75 miles is more than plenty for a huge majority of them.

 

[apvbguy]

So in europe where does all thhat tax money go? Those countries don't have to support much in the way of militaries right? Seems they should be getting off cheaper.

the extremely high fuel taxes found in europe are used to fund the socialist schemes found there.

 

[apvbguy]

With us, it's the other way round. With most tax money going to corruption by any other name - crony capitalism; pork projects; propping up foreign governments; military/industrial/intellegence complex; etc... I'd take taxation for the public good - all the things you mention - any day of the week, compared to what we've got.

a lot of what posted in this message has some truth in it however there are massive omissions in the depth and breadth of corruption, food stamp fraud, housing fraud, tax fraud and the whopper of them all medical fraud seems to have escaped your wrath

 

[apvbguy]

The federal government should have started raising prices slowly DECADES ago. They should have helped to insure that local governments provided mass transit options. they had the power to force every state to do 55 (with exception of TX i think) so they have the power...

this is where libs let the wheels fall off of their argument, it is the fundamental argument of big versus small government, federalism or not.
many would argue that many of the federal mandates are way beyond the scope of the powers granted to the feds and usurp state's rights. see 10th amendment

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

The federal government should have started raising prices slowly DECADES ago. They should have helped to insure that local governments provided mass transit options. they had the power to force every state to do 55 (with exception of TX i think) so they have the power...

this is where libs let the wheels fall off of their argument, it is the fundamental argument of big versus small government, federalism or not.
many would argue that many of the federal mandates are way beyond the scope of the powers granted to the feds and usurp state's rights. see 10th amendment

your argument falls apart rather quickly considering the number of open hands when doling out federal highway funds.

 

[apvbguy]

your argument falls apart rather quickly considering the number of open hands when doling out federal highway funds.

another non sequitur. if you are handing out cash there will be many hands out to take it.

 

[Nubo]

The federal government should have started raising prices slowly DECADES ago. They should have helped to insure that local governments provided mass transit options. they had the power to force every state to do 55 (with exception of TX i think) so they have the power...

this is where libs let the wheels fall off of their argument, it is the fundamental argument of big versus small government, federalism or not.
many would argue that many of the federal mandates are way beyond the scope of the powers granted to the feds and usurp state's rights. see 10th amendment

your argument falls apart rather quickly considering the number of open hands when doling out federal highway funds.

Oh, well, you know.... the invisible hand will take care of everything. :roll:

 

[mwalsh]

a lot of what posted in this message has some truth in it however there are massive omissions in the depth and breadth of corruption, food stamp fraud, housing fraud, tax fraud and the whopper of them all medical fraud seems to have escaped your wrath

No, I'm against all those things too. And if I had any solid ideas on ways to fix those problems without hurting people who truly needed access to a social safety net, I'd run for Congress and do it.

 

[apvbguy]

Oh, well, you know.... the invisible hand will take care of everything. :roll:

yeah, socialism is the greatest, until the OPM runs out

 

[apvbguy]

No, I'm against all those things too. And if I had any solid ideas on ways to fix those problems without hurting people who truly needed access to a social safety net, I'd run for Congress and do it.

unlike the majority of elected officials you are willing to admit to your inadequacies

 

[Nubo]

Oh, well, you know.... the invisible hand will take care of everything. :roll:

yeah, socialism is the greatest, until the OPM runs out

Socialism has its problems, as does Social(Darwin)ism.

I was once strongly in the Libertarian/Objectivist camp. The period of 2000-2008 changed my perspective on the ability of the free market to regulate itself. Even the Ayn Rand disciple Alan Greenspan was forced to admit similar doubts after the debacle of 2007-2008.

Enlightened self-interest is the greatest, until you run out of enlightened capitalists.

 

[apvbguy]

I was once strongly in the Libertarian/Objectivist camp. The period of 2000-2008 changed my perspective on the ability of the free market to regulate itself.

Enlightened self-interest is the greatest, until you run out of enlightened capitalists.

please explain the events of that time and how it fueled your epiphany

 

[Nubo]

I was once strongly in the Libertarian/Objectivist camp. The period of 2000-2008 changed my perspective on the ability of the free market to regulate itself.

Enlightened self-interest is the greatest, until you run out of enlightened capitalists.

please explain the events of that time and how it fueled your epiphany

 

[apvbguy]

I was once strongly in the Libertarian/Objectivist camp. The period of 2000-2008 changed my perspective on the ability of the free market to regulate itself.

you said 2000-08, then you offer a chart of the last century, could you nail it down and be a bit more specific or I'll just assume you're just another ideologue parroting stuff that you really don't grasp

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

Instead of higher gas taxes across the board why not a displacement tax on cars sold after a certain date. For example starting with 2014 models:

2.0 L and under - zero
Over 2 - 2.5 L: $200/year
Up to 3.5: $500/year
Over 3.5: $1000/year

People with old cars maybe lower income folks wouldn't be hit with this scheme. Use some of the proceeds to subsidize high efficiency replacement purchases as the pre 2014 cars age out.