I confess that I pulled the toll of $1 per mile out of a hat. The correct figure should be ~$0.25 per mile. This is based on the average fuel efficiency of U.S. cars (20 mpg) and the cost and damage caused by burning a gallon of gas ($5). The cost including buiding roads, and damage includes environmental destruction, war and other costs not covered by drivers. The cost of accidents is covered by drivers, with insurance.
With present day gasoline technology all we have to is charge $5 per gallon tax, which is what they charge in Europe and Japan. It doesn't hurt them and it will not hurt us. Kyle R. Mcallister wrote: >Ends up about $800 for me a month, not including picking up my fiancee from >her workplace. I suppose she could quit working at the grocery store and >save that gasoline....maybe high-minded individuals like Jed don't need to >eat? Do they derive energy from cold fusion instead of food? > >I imagine someone will suggest I use the train or the bus. Won't work. No >mass transit on that scale here. You are saying that the rest of us to pay for your lifestyle. I don't mind contributing to a depressed area of the country for a decade or so, but I think that if you cannot maintain your way of life over long periods without massive help from other people, you should move. In this case, you want me to pay for your transportation either directly in cash, or indirectly by suffering from more pollution, global warming and wars for oil. You way of life is not sustainable and it cannot be made economical with today's technology, so you must abandon it. Of course the rest of us should pitch in to help you make the transition, but not to permanently support you. The same goes for the "small, independent farmer" who is forever demanding huge infusions of tax money. I do not think farmers deserve decades of help any more than programmer, hairdressers, or taxi drivers do. Just because farming is an ancient way of life and programming is new, I see no reason why farmers are privileged or why the rest of us should pay them to maintain their lifestyle. In the end, this is a capitalist, free-market country, and we all have to play by capitalist rules. That is as it should be. It is not pure dog-eat-dog capitalism, and we should help people in distress, but "help" should not last for 10 or 20 years. - Jed
