November 11, 2009
I read with much delight that members of our upper house met in at our university to discuss our transportation system. We have done quite a good job of destroying our natural surroundings in the name of transportation over the last 100 years. It is about time that statesmen meet in defense of the land we have left.
I will grant a petitioner the argument that the meeting was held in order to discuss the funding of more roadways. However, when men gather en masse to accomplish a goal, very rarely are they successful in that endeavor. Men are simply too prideful and inherently selfish to achieve the goals of a community. Their solution reached will not achieve their desired goal. A gas tax is the answer to the community’s prayers, and not their goal.
Our addiction to the vehicles powered by the internal combustion engine that is fed by refined oil is a most annoying one. We find ourselves a slave to travel. Hardly does one think to live in a world where your natural means of transportation are best fit. Why shall we continue to drag these legs around with us when it is clear we are trying to put them out of the job?
A tax on fuel is just the thing to encourage our beloved drivers to rethink their lives. Working closer to home might lead to shopping closer to home. When it becomes too expensive to be so far away from your local community our drivers will find that life can be lived near home.
We have seen our reliance on oil drop significantly through policies that require our vehicles become more fuel efficient. Nobody has a right to consume the earth’s limited resources to the detriment of their fellow citizens. We have become enlightened to that reality only recently. Helping to reduce the consumption of fuel and increase the use of alternative travel methods will be a tax that increases the price of gas. Less driving will mean a better life for all of us.
Driving is no different than smoking. I would suggest that both activities are much closer than a person would guess. Both are known to kill many people and are polluters of the environment. With such outcomes, both should be treated equally in the name of the public good.
Our representatives have eagerly taxed the purchase of cigarettes in an effort to stop our population from smoking. The effort has been a fantastic success. There is no reason to bring argument against such a measure to be levied on drivers. If we can make their addiction too expensive to continue partaking in; we can cure them. Less driving will benefit us all.
Let us all hope that the will of these men is seen through the legislative process. The tax on gas is a down payment on strong communities.
You may reach Sissy Dogood at sissydogood@gmail.com