Dad was right, after all!
Last night Keith Olbermann (Countdown, on MSNBC nightly) reported that the market for hybrid vehicles, notably the Toyota Prius, has apparently turned upside down in response to rising gasoline prices, with used models (which can be had immediately) selling for up to several thousand dollars MORE than new (for delivery of which buyers must wait up to several months).
Seems folks are really rattled by the current and rising cost of tanking up, and want relief NOW!
During the oil crisis back in the seventies, my Dad, an energy consultant with an international reputation, argued for an increase in the gasoline tax of at least 50 cents per gallon, as the best means to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. His impudent child argued passionately that it would be unfair to the working class, who usually must rely on automobile travel to get to work, while the obvious over-consumers — RVs and vacationers, for example — would hardly feel the sting.
The newfound willingness of the American public to change to more fuel-efficient cars in response to higher gasoline prices suggests that Dad was right: that high gasoline prices will drive down consumption and our dependency on foreign sources.
In fact, since 9/11 we have seen growing support across a wide spectrum, from economists to environmentalists to policymakers, for reduced consumption as the most available and effective means of reducing our need for foreign oil.
The question begging to be resolved is, how do we protect the working classes from undue hardship imposed by high gasoline taxes?
During WWII, rationing worked pretty well, and it has always seemed to me that some sort of formula could be worked out whereby the gasoline needed to make a living would be exempt from a "surtax" on the rest. Simplistic, no doubt, and vulnerable to no end of schemes and loopholes at which Americans are famously adept. But something to ponder.
Here are some good places to start:LinkLink
Seems folks are really rattled by the current and rising cost of tanking up, and want relief NOW!
During the oil crisis back in the seventies, my Dad, an energy consultant with an international reputation, argued for an increase in the gasoline tax of at least 50 cents per gallon, as the best means to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. His impudent child argued passionately that it would be unfair to the working class, who usually must rely on automobile travel to get to work, while the obvious over-consumers — RVs and vacationers, for example — would hardly feel the sting.
The newfound willingness of the American public to change to more fuel-efficient cars in response to higher gasoline prices suggests that Dad was right: that high gasoline prices will drive down consumption and our dependency on foreign sources.
In fact, since 9/11 we have seen growing support across a wide spectrum, from economists to environmentalists to policymakers, for reduced consumption as the most available and effective means of reducing our need for foreign oil.
The question begging to be resolved is, how do we protect the working classes from undue hardship imposed by high gasoline taxes?
During WWII, rationing worked pretty well, and it has always seemed to me that some sort of formula could be worked out whereby the gasoline needed to make a living would be exempt from a "surtax" on the rest. Simplistic, no doubt, and vulnerable to no end of schemes and loopholes at which Americans are famously adept. But something to ponder.
Here are some good places to start:
posted by The Voice | 11:00 AM
1 Comments:
If George and Dick and all the oil and gas boys back in Texas REALLY want a National Energy Poicy, then here it is, vehicles that use less fuel . No need to drill in the Artic wilderness , poison the drinking water with fracture drilling or continue to sell our souls to the Saudi's. Good old fashion free market solutions used to be the cornerstone of the GOP, now we can only find them overseas.
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