Most Californians support the idea of raising fees on gas-guzzlers and rewarding drivers of more fuel-efficient vehicles. That's the conclusion of a new study from San Jose State, reported by the Chronicle's Michael Cabanatuan today.
The study also found support for raising vehicle registration fees and gas taxes in general, to fund a variety of transportation needs and environmental efforts.
Some details:
-- There was support for rebates of up to $1,000 for those who buy new low-emission cars, and a surcharge of up to $2,000 on gas hogs.
-- A majority favored doubling vehicle registration fees to an average of $62, and making the owners of higher-polluting vehicles pay more, with discounts for those who own cleaner cars.
Of course, there won't be much support for such measures in the GOP caucus of the Legislature, whose no-tax mantra precludes any increases -- even when people want to pay them.
I have long contended that a 50 cent to one dollar a gallon gas tax is the solution to many problems: deficits, pollution, global warming. Anything along those lines, including charging vehicles with worse gas mileage would surely be welcome. It is time to abandon the no tax mantra.
A person doesn’t need to tell me which side of the political spectrum they gravitate towards when their answer to any problem is "more taxes."
Ownership of S.U.V.'s is a full-blown bumper sticker that screams," I'm free and I'm greedy, and selfish enough to waiste my grandchildren's petroleum. I'd go further,...send those guzzlers to the crusher, after all these years of s.u.v. fetish, these guys and gals haven't figured out how to drive, or even PARK them! God save us from that suv, in the left lane on 99, (or Anywhere,U.S.A.), on the phone, driveing so erratically that semi's begin to pass them on the right...I've driven many differant kinds of large vehicles, it's an art that requires one's full attention. At the very least, owners of these ridiculus beasts, should have to obtain special instruction, and pass an "obscenely large vehicle, driving test", and upon passing, be taxed exorbident, prohibitively, high taxes.
They should be taxed more for having the need to stroke their egos. Its all about the statyus symbol of driving the big beasts. I personally think the Hummer is a hideous looking vehicle. People are just so into the name like Lesus which is a glorified Toyota, Infinite that is just a Nissan.
Swift:
Who is going to make the determination of whose SUV is going to be crushed? Are we going to crush ‘em if their salaries are less that 75 G’s or more than 75 G’s? Who or what determines whether or not a person has "a right" to own and drive a SUV? Is his skin color the deciding factor? Is it his education?
Just who - just what group - is going to make those choices for us? I can hear every liberal eco-wacko screaming, "Me, me, me!"
I suppose, if the libs are looking for a historical model to justify their discriminate against a certain class of people that have certain material possessions, that they might look to the actions of pre-WWII Nazi Germany. They too were willing to deal with certain individuals who were thought to be "privileged," individuals, who they thought were taking advantage of the shaky economic situation. Kristallnacht, Crystal Night, The Night of Broken Glass - On the nights of November 8 & 9, 1938, Hitler’s pogrom began - synagogues were destroyed, thousands of Jewish businesses were burned down or ransacking and more than 20,000 Jews were rounded up and taken to concentration camps. It began the systematic eradication of "their problem."
We ought to fear the liberal mind-set that categorizes individuals based solely on SUV ownership and then seeks to solve that "problem" using any means.
Hah T C your smarter than that. Can you really say in one breath
"Just who - just what group - is going to make those choices for us? I can hear every liberal eco-wacko screaming"
So you compare liberals to people that stereotype a group of people and draw generalised conclusions about them.
Good thing you dont generalise a group of people, label em and draw any conclusions or make amazing leaps of logic.
I am not sure if you are trying to contradict your point or prove it.
Maybe I am missing the point. Its possible, it is late and I have yet to take my meds =)
Why don't we replace our government with a communist system and then the government can control everything and everyone. That should satisfy those who want to control families with suvs. Afterall, it couldn't possibly be that someone actually needs a large vehicle to transport their family. Someone with four or more children should simply be penalized or better yet, imprisoned, for needing such a large vehicle. Or, perhaps they could just drive two or three Corollas to get their families from place to place. We should have absolutely no sympathy for people with children. In fact, in order to save petroleum and reduce carbon emissions, perhaps the state should consider increasing taxes on families who have more than 1.2 children. That would solve the SUV problem and global warming.
The government is too busy paying people to have more kids for us to support through our tax dollars to ever tax them for having them. I have nothing against large families as there are many vehicles that can accomodate a large family without being comsidered a gas guzzler. They should pass a law to stop the people that soup up their vehicles to suck the gallons down with every step on the gas not to mention the noise they make.
Come on guys and gals this should not be so much a partisan idiological issue.
Do not try this at home, but the emissions of BOTH a small and large vehicle can kill you if you were in your garage with the doors shut. Now imagine millions of vehicles throughout the world emitting carbon dioxcide every day.
In short we are sufficating ourselves especially in the Valley with asthma in epidemic proportions.
The back and forth bickering over partisan and idiological differences on this issue escapes me.
I guess if you buy into the Global warming nonsense you will buy into this. I have a 2004 Tundra pickup and a 2004 4-Runner,does that qualify me for villification by the above eco-nazis?Who's funding the studies and the random statistics the Bee and Global warming supporters are force feeding us(1 in 5 children have asthma,people dying from pollution induced heart attacks etc..)I just had the pleasure of traveling 2000 miles in my SUV with a 15 and 16 year old niece and nephew and Global Warming was a lively topic.They are getting no alternative view to this hoax from teachers so they can make a decision of their own.They just kept repeating the mantra and were unaware that there might be an alternative view.No wonder our schools are not able to turn out students educated in the basics. They are busy indoctrinating them in the leftist social agenda at taxpayer expense.If they are going to do this at least they could throw in another perspective. Their argument is there is no argument.
Maybe the challenge of not finding an alternate (or opposing) view in itself is telling.
Maybe Brian is on to something here. There are lots of theories that are being presented with no alternative points of view these days. Like the theory that diseases are largely caused by tiny germs you can't even see. Or the theory that the earth revolves around the sun, rather than the other way around. It's gotta be some big left-wing, liberal, commie conspiracy to brainwash us!
Ah ha Mike, I caught you.
How can the "earth revolve around the sun" without looking at an alternative point of view, that the world is flat?
Yep, you got me on that one, Rich. But, as I'm sure Mr. Murray would confirm, you are mistaken if you think the "flat earth theory" has any merit. That's a lie perpetuated by those liberal big-city folks down in the flat-lands of Fresno.
As anyone from the hills or mountains could tell you, rather than being flat, the earth is actually sloped in many places. And any casual observer can tell you that the earth is stationary, and it's actually the sun doing the moving.
So don't believe anything those smarty-pants scientists and their liberal cohorts tell you. It's all a bunch of lies perpetuated by the likes of Al Gore!
Sounds like you guys are beyond the point of no return and bad comediens to boot. Laugh on dupes.