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The price of gasoline has dropped dramatically over the last couple of months, and the nationwide average prices is about $0.50/gallon less than it was at this time last year. I hear a lot of people out there celebrating the lower fuel prices, but I must admit to feeling no small amount of ambivalence about this trend.
I know that it is a wildly unpopular position, and I generally don't talk about it for that reason, but I have long felt that our fuel prices in the United States are too *LOW*. I believe that our relatively inexpensive gasoline has fostered our dependence upon fossil fuels in ways that are bad for the environment, and which lead to the terrible traffic congestion that prevails in so many of our cities. Personally, I would support a significant increase in the taxes on gasoline, coupled with a corresponding increase in investment in public transportation infrastructure. We need to create negative incentives to help break our dependence on our individual vehicles, while providing viable alternative transportation that is reliable and convenient.
I can already hear the screams that such a proposal will prompt. I can anticipate the arguments that would be thrown at me, from across the political spectrum. Some would argue that such a tax would create a drag on the economy, as it would reduce the cash people have available for other spending. Some would argue that it would create bigger, more wasteful government. Others would point out that such a tax would be hugely regressive, impacting low income families much harder than those who earn more. There is a very long list of arguments about why such a proposal would be bad. I've listened to them before, on those rare moments when I've dared to express my opinion.
But none of that changes the fact that I think that we have become dangerously dependent upon individual cars as our default mode of transportation. This dependence contributes to our carbon footprint, makes us dependent upon foreign sources of fossil fuels, and drives a wide range of poor urban/suburban planning decisions that try to accommodate and resolve our traffic issues. At least in our most densly populated areas, we need to get serious about providing affordable, comfortable, convenient, and reliable public transportation systems that provide a realistic alternative to driving. But the political willpower to build and maintain such infrastructure simply does not exist as long as we perceive driving to be a relatively inexpensive alternative.
NOTE: Because I know that my position on this is unpopular, all comments will be screened. I will unscreen comments that are relevant (even if I disagree), but only if they are respectful and polite.
I know that it is a wildly unpopular position, and I generally don't talk about it for that reason, but I have long felt that our fuel prices in the United States are too *LOW*. I believe that our relatively inexpensive gasoline has fostered our dependence upon fossil fuels in ways that are bad for the environment, and which lead to the terrible traffic congestion that prevails in so many of our cities. Personally, I would support a significant increase in the taxes on gasoline, coupled with a corresponding increase in investment in public transportation infrastructure. We need to create negative incentives to help break our dependence on our individual vehicles, while providing viable alternative transportation that is reliable and convenient.
I can already hear the screams that such a proposal will prompt. I can anticipate the arguments that would be thrown at me, from across the political spectrum. Some would argue that such a tax would create a drag on the economy, as it would reduce the cash people have available for other spending. Some would argue that it would create bigger, more wasteful government. Others would point out that such a tax would be hugely regressive, impacting low income families much harder than those who earn more. There is a very long list of arguments about why such a proposal would be bad. I've listened to them before, on those rare moments when I've dared to express my opinion.
But none of that changes the fact that I think that we have become dangerously dependent upon individual cars as our default mode of transportation. This dependence contributes to our carbon footprint, makes us dependent upon foreign sources of fossil fuels, and drives a wide range of poor urban/suburban planning decisions that try to accommodate and resolve our traffic issues. At least in our most densly populated areas, we need to get serious about providing affordable, comfortable, convenient, and reliable public transportation systems that provide a realistic alternative to driving. But the political willpower to build and maintain such infrastructure simply does not exist as long as we perceive driving to be a relatively inexpensive alternative.
NOTE: Because I know that my position on this is unpopular, all comments will be screened. I will unscreen comments that are relevant (even if I disagree), but only if they are respectful and polite.
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