Federal commission recommends 40-cent increase in gas tax

Believe it or not, we are on the same page on this one (don't tell your friends, it could hurt your image), I'm just wishing more people would get their heads out of their ass and take a look at some of the ways our government is sucking the life out of us.

And that goes for both sides -- I don't need government hijacking the money I work so hard for (I'll pay my fair share, but I'm tired of paying money to "bailout" pork projects and ill-advised programs) and I certainly don't need the government to tell me who I can marry, sleep with or talk to on the phone.....

 

As a repeat sinner, and cheerfully so, I have no qualms with a sin tax.

 

*puts on tin-foil hat*

Because the oil companies buy the patents and suppress the technology so we continue to buy gasoline at whatever price they set.

Anyway, I live in an area where mass transit does not exist. Driving is not a luxury.

And I'll go ahead and say it: I love my country, but I'm getting really fucking tired of my government.

 

I'd be in favor of it if it were phased in in smaller increments than what they're proposing. We are economically very close to a tipping point price-wise as it is. Five cents a year over eight years wouldn't shock the economy and wouldn't be noticeable: the frog in a slowly heating pot of water, etc.

I think some kind of income tax credit for commuters in mass-transit-challenged areas would sweeten the deal.

 

Exactly. It's like getting your pocket picked vs. being mugged.

So, in all seriousness, at what point do we start the revolution? How far does the government have to go with taxes (the biggie; you can have all the wars you want but playing with people's money is like playing with their emotions), the war in Iraq, the economy, horrible wasteful programs that accomplish nothing, and just general incompetence before they get sick of it and rise up?
I'm not seeing a lot out of the current crop of presidential candidates, with the possible slim exception of Romney, Paul and Huckabee, that would suggest the next few years will be anything but business as usual.

 

Naaaa, I'm shakin' my head. Trust me, when I see stuff like this my last reaction is "I didn't know that"...

 

While you are watching gas prices go up each year you chose to increase your commute. While I think the situation is awful in the sense that the rise in costs will hurt the economy, I can’t imagine that you would be surprised that the price would be subject to further increase.

Maybe some of the money could be used towards the development and implementation of alternative fuel sources. Maybe some tax breaks could be implemented for specific businesses that rely upon certain heavy duty automobiles.

 

Isn't there something like a national chamber of commerce that can tell these bozos that this is a horrendous idea?

 

These guys?

 

An increase like this would prompt me to quit my second job, which involves of driving several miles a day.

 

My old 7-mile commute also involved interstate driving (albeit a lot less of it) and wouldn't have been any safer on a bike. And, believe it or not, I actually come out ahead by driving farther to work (long story with some weird economics thrown in). Doesn't mean I can't bitch about this tax hike and what a horrible idea it is.

Now, you want to go the alternative fuel route, I'm all for it. Figure out a good nationwide distribution system and I'm there. Personally, I think we're slowly headed in that direction largely thanks to the Prius. Much as I hate to say it, that ugly little fucker has caused a shift in the thinking of the industry. It caught on, and something that catches on creates copycats (i.e., more hybrids). More copycats means more people looking at a technological problem, which in turn means a better chance of some sort of miracle breakthrough in less time.
Toyota is talking about having every one of its models available as a hybrid by 2020. As they pour some more money into the technology and it gets better, don't be surprised if that date creeps up into the teens and it becomes every car they sell. Other companies will follow suit, and as more money gets poured into R&D for this issue we'll eventually have some branching out into alternative fuels.
Problem is, it won't happen overnight. Think a decade or two. There's a lot of technical (like battery size and life) and logistical (creating a large-scale distribution system) to work out. Maybe by 2030 we'll have hydrogen stations instead of gas stations on every corner. Until then, we're stuck with fossil fuels. And, if prices continue to rise through the stratosphere, maybe not a country as we know it.

What I can't figure out is, why aren't oil companies leading the way on this? Surely, they can see a day when oil and gas will either run out or be so difficult and expensive to extract that it will no longer be profitable. It would seem like they have the resources, know-how and foundation to get the ball rolling on an alternative fuel. The first major oil company to seriously devote R&D money to this and make a breakthrough will have its investment returned hundreds of times over.

 

The problem is, what oil company would be willing to tell its investors to forego profits for a while until this alternative fuel "gamble" pays off?