Rabid Responses to Proposal to Raise US Gasoline Tax
I was just reading an article in Wired that suggested that it was time to increase the gasoline tax in the US since prices have dropped. The responses included some fairly vitriolic attacks that cover the full range of knee-jerk responses. As a result I thought I would make a list that addressed them. It is interesting to note that these same comments (fueled by the same rigid myopic world-views) come up on almost every article, so this could be considered a sort of catch-all. You can expect to see all the cliches trotted out - "liberals", "communists", "Europe"(!), , I don't think that all of those writing are idiots, they just are caught up in their own world and experience and don't stop to think about others.
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Well - I think it is fair to say that most people would not be happy about a tax raise - nothing new there - and some people are clearly hurting. However, most of the responders should stick with the statement that they don't want to pay one, because their reasoning apart from that is less rigorous. 1. We cannot stick with the status quo - we are already borrowing from our children - in fact that is what our grandparents were already doing. Things have to change - oil will not be able to match demand and we already use more than our fair share. Now or later it has to happen, so perhaps we should start preparing for it now. (That desn't mean you have to raise the gas tax now, but you need to change your mindset.) 2. Gas is already taxed, so we are just discussing degree of taxation. 3. We already work together to build roads and to do all sorts of things so working together on an energy policy is not "communism", it is community. 4. You are not really poor, you are just poor relative to the writer. Most people in the world are poorer than you. I know that doesn't make your life easier, but you have more options than you think. Yes, some people have way more money than you, but you won't make yourself richer or happier by complaining about it. 5. Please stop using the "America is the Greatest" argument. It is so woolly that it doesn't mean anything. It is just a cheerleader's chant and shouldn't be used in discussion. 6. Stop complaining about "government" and particularly about it stealing your money. What happened to "we the people"? If you don't like the government, vote and participate or move to Somalia. They haven't had one for years. 7. Stop saying liberals this, liberals that... you are disempowering yourself by lumping your fears together and assigning them to some mythical group mind. 8. Move so that you live closer to work. If that is not possible, change your job or agitate for zoning to change so that you can live closer to work. If you don't do it now, you will need to do it later. There is no need for our dwellings to be spread out as much as they are - it is a privilege, not a right, and it will cost us if we want to keep it that way. 9. I am not necessarily supporting the gas tax, but those who are complaining about new taxes in a recessions, you should note that the writer's proposal would give that money back in lowering other taxes. Our spending is already guided by the taxes in place - he is just remolding them. Watch my lips - "No new (net) taxes"! 10. American post-war loans were typically paid back with interest, so don't think "American charity", think "American wise investment". Also, to bring things up to date, don't forget that the rest of the world has been supporting a profligate lifestyle in the US over the last decade or so, so don't be surprised when other people start asking for a return on their investment. The chinese people have worked very hard with a fraction of the reward that we get, in order to bring us our cheap goods. Things are going to get harder before they get easier.
So,why not harness that American can-do attitude, and instead of swearing at someone who makes a suggestion on the way forward, start coming up with ways to get the country on a more sustainable footing.
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One modification to one of the points - the Marshall Plan did indeed include aid as well as loans. It was certainly a good thing that the US did it, but a gift isn't a gift if you use it to complain about the recipient later. Incidentally, U.S. assistance hardly exceeded 2.5% of GNP of the recipient countries. In any case, it is quite clear that the economy of the US benefited greatly from the recovering economies of Europe, which does not negate the importance of the gift, but puts it in perspective as more of a win-win option.
Incidentally, the US never paid back debts to France that were incurred during the US Revolutionary War.
While I am at it, another point that is often raised is that the rest of the world keeps on getting into wars, whereas the US is peaceful. In this worldview, both the world wars are seen as belonging to "others", despite the fact that it was the US's squeezing of Japan's fuel supply in a struggle over dominance in the Pacific that meant that Japan had to either back down or attack. The misconception is fueled by the fact that the US has not had a home-grown war in ages - not really since the Civil War (incidentally one of the bloodiest in history) - although there have been internal armed conflicts between political groups and between organised labour and government.
I took this list of American international wars from Wikipedia, which I try not to use as an authority of last resort, but will do for now.
Revolutionary War, Indian Wars, Quasi-War, First Barbary War, War of 1812, Second Barbary War, Sumatran Expeditions, Mexican–American War, Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, Banana Wars, Pancho Villa Expedition, World War I, Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Invasion of Grenada, Invasion of Panama, Gulf War, Somali Civil War, Bosnian War, Kosovo War, War in Afghanistan, Iraq War.
I was just reading an article in Wired that suggested that it was time to increase the gasoline tax in the US since prices have dropped. The responses included some fairly vitriolic attacks that cover the full range of knee-jerk responses. As a result I thought I would make a list that addressed them. It is interesting to note that these same comments (fueled by the same rigid myopic world-views) come up on almost every article, so this could be considered a sort of catch-all. You can expect to see all the cliches trotted out - "liberals", "communists", "Europe"(!),, I don't think that all of those writing are idiots, they just are caught up in their own world and experience and don't stop to think about others.
________________________________
Well - I think it is fair to say that most people would not be happy about a tax raise - nothing new there - and some people are clearly hurting. However, most of the responders should stick with the statement that they don't want to pay one, because their reasoning apart from that is less rigorous.
1. We cannot stick with the status quo - we are already borrowing from our children - in fact that is what our grandparents were already doing. Things have to change - oil will not be able to match demand and we already use more than our fair share. Now or later it has to happen, so perhaps we should start preparing for it now. (That desn't mean you have to raise the gas tax now, but you need to change your mindset.)
2. Gas is already taxed, so we are just discussing degree of taxation.
3. We already work together to build roads and to do all sorts of things so working together on an energy policy is not "communism", it is community.
4. You are not really poor, you are just poor relative to the writer. Most people in the world are poorer than you. I know that doesn't make your life easier, but you have more options than you think. Yes, some people have way more money than you, but you won't make yourself richer or happier by complaining about it.
5. Please stop using the "America is the Greatest" argument. It is so woolly that it doesn't mean anything. It is just a cheerleader's chant and shouldn't be used in discussion.
6. Stop complaining about "government" and particularly about it stealing your money. What happened to "we the people"? If you don't like the government, vote and participate or move to Somalia. They haven't had one for years.
7. Stop saying liberals this, liberals that... you are disempowering yourself by lumping your fears together and assigning them to some mythical group mind.
8. Move so that you live closer to work. If that is not possible, change your job or agitate for zoning to change so that you can live closer to work. If you don't do it now, you will need to do it later. There is no need for our dwellings to be spread out as much as they are - it is a privilege, not a right, and it will cost us if we want to keep it that way.
9. I am not necessarily supporting the gas tax, but those who are complaining about new taxes in a recessions, you should note that the writer's proposal would give that money back in lowering other taxes. Our spending is already guided by the taxes in place - he is just remolding them. Watch my lips - "No new (net) taxes"!
10. American post-war loans were typically paid back with interest, so don't think "American charity", think "American wise investment". Also, to bring things up to date, don't forget that the rest of the world has been supporting a profligate lifestyle in the US over the last decade or so, so don't be surprised when other people start asking for a return on their investment. The chinese people have worked very hard with a fraction of the reward that we get, in order to bring us our cheap goods. Things are going to get harder before they get easier.
So,why not harness that American can-do attitude, and instead of swearing at someone who makes a suggestion on the way forward, start coming up with ways to get the country on a more sustainable footing.
______________________________
One modification to one of the points - the Marshall Plan did indeed include aid as well as loans. It was certainly a good thing that the US did it, but a gift isn't a gift if you use it to complain about the recipient later. Incidentally, U.S. assistance hardly exceeded 2.5% of GNP of the recipient countries. In any case, it is quite clear that the economy of the US benefited greatly from the recovering economies of Europe, which does not negate the importance of the gift, but puts it in perspective as more of a win-win option.
Incidentally, the US never paid back debts to France that were incurred during the US Revolutionary War.
While I am at it, another point that is often raised is that the rest of the world keeps on getting into wars, whereas the US is peaceful. In this worldview, both the world wars are seen as belonging to "others", despite the fact that it was the US's squeezing of Japan's fuel supply in a struggle over dominance in the Pacific that meant that Japan had to either back down or attack. The misconception is fueled by the fact that the US has not had a home-grown war in ages - not really since the Civil War (incidentally one of the bloodiest in history) - although there have been internal armed conflicts between political groups and between organised labour and government.
I took this list of American international wars from Wikipedia, which I try not to use as an authority of last resort, but will do for now.
Revolutionary War, Indian Wars, Quasi-War, First Barbary War, War of 1812, Second Barbary War, Sumatran Expeditions, Mexican–American War, Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, Banana Wars, Pancho Villa Expedition, World War I, Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Invasion of Grenada, Invasion of Panama, Gulf War, Somali Civil War, Bosnian War, Kosovo War, War in Afghanistan, Iraq War.