[lbo-talk] RE: A Case for a Higher Gasoline Tax

jmhayes at j-o-r-d-a-n.com jmhayes at j-o-r-d-a-n.com
Tue Jan 10 12:15:28 PST 2006



> there are so many aspects to American excess.

Yeah, we should all stay at home! And watch Fox!


> Not only do we drive less efficient vehicles than the rest
> of the world, we drive them more and are more likely to take
> solo trips.

Isn't that called 'standard of living' ...? :-)


> You have to change the math on locational decisions
> and density practices, as a higher gas tax is one way to get that
> started.

What are you talking about? It was _because_ oil is cheap and transportation plentiful that the US spread out the way it did; why does a dog lick his nuts? Who here wants to go back to living in super dense cities? Maybe those of us who can afford to play in a place like Manhattan, but for the rest of the country (i.e., most of it), spreading out was a conscious choice.


> Re: the chicken/egg problem, the US can't reduce its energy
> consumption without changing our spatial layout. So pointing to the
> spatial layout as a way of saying that higher energy costs would be
> impossible isn't a refutation, it's a confirmation of the problem.

It is certainly a confirmation of the problem; but it still is unworkable to have asa your first step: tax the poor.

/jordan



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