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- Newsgroups: co.general
- Path: sparky!uunet!spool.mu.edu!agate!boulder!news
- From: laszlo@partial.cs.colorado.edu (Laszlo Nemeth)
- Subject: Re: Emissions Inspections, is new really better than old?
- Message-ID: <1993Jan6.224936.16306@colorado.edu>
- Sender: news@colorado.edu (The Daily Planet)
- Nntp-Posting-Host: partial.cs.colorado.edu
- Organization: University of Colorado Boulder, Pizza Disposal Group
- References: <1993Jan5.053556.14221@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> <32936@scicom.AlphaCDC.COM> <1993Jan6.211617.4204@netwise.com>
- Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 22:49:36 GMT
- Lines: 52
-
- In article <1993Jan6.211617.4204@netwise.com> kelvin@netwise.com (Kelvin Fedrick) writes:
- >In article <32936@scicom.AlphaCDC.COM> wats@scicom.AlphaCDC.COM (Bruce Watson) writes:
- >>Perot suggested a $0.50 tax on a gallon while almost everyone
- >>else in industrial countries pays $4-$5 for a gallon, can anyone
- >>think of a reason why a high tax, which would go toward road
- >>maintenance and pollution measures, would not be a good idea?
- >>If people drove less, our air would be cleaner, the roads would
- >>be safer, especially for bicyclists and motorcyclists, there would
- >>be less dust and noise, we'd all be heathier.
- >
- >I have no objection in principle to a higher gas tax (don't know about $.5)
- >so long as the revenue gained was indeed used for roads, bridges, alternative
- >transit projects, etc. and not diverted for other purposes. There are some
- >issues which must be acknowledged and addressed beforehand though.
- >
- >That kind of a tax is regressive. It places a heavier burdon on poorer people
- >than on the rich. Poor people should drive you say? Not every community has
- >the kind of public transit systems available in Boulder and Denver and some
-
- what public transit in boulder? IMHSHO it sucks. i never use it.
- when i drive it is cheaper with the cost if insurance, gas, and
- depriciation to drive. also if i want to go somewhere after 6pm
- it takes a long time to get a bus, after 11pm forget it (so lets
- all drive drunk since there is no cheap alternative).
-
- >people need cars in their work, to get to and from work, and so forth. It is
- >not fair nor acceptable (IMHO) to just say to these people: dont drive, move
- >closer to you place of work, get another job, force your elected officials
- >to invest in a public transit system, and etc..
-
- and since when has it become the right of the poor to have a car
- and to drive a car? also we shouldn't have to "force our elected
- officials" and it is kind sad that we do have to force them.
-
- >Finally, there is the question of whether additional revenue would be raised
- >by doing this. Typically as fuel prices rise, people drive less so it is
- >possible that you wont get any more money than comes in for gas taxes now.
-
- and people driving less is bad? i walk to work (6th to 25th in boulder)
- the guy in the apartment next to my drives 1/2 that distance. also the
- less people drive the more gas prices drop.
-
- >What is missing in the idea a method of targeting those times when people
- >are making recreational use of vehicles as opposed to business or otherwise
- >necessary use. If you can suggest a practical method of doing this without
- >introducing yet another bureaucratic mess, then I would say you have something.
-
- there are people that get along there entire life without cars, i don't
- think there is a "necessary use" for a car that couldn't be dealt with
- with a well implemented public transit system.
-
- laz
-