Today the Sec. of Transportation, Norman Mineta, explained that the government is updating its gas standards for pick-up trucks, vans and SUVs, forcing the industry to decrease their gas per mile consumption. The industry standard now is 21.6 miles per gallon, and will be increased each year to 24 mpg by 2011.
This comes after Bush's now famous (or infamous depending on your POV) "addiction to oil," statement in his last SOTU. But standing in the shadows is also NASA scientist, Jim Hansen who has recently made the statement that if pollution is not dramatically controlled in ten years our climate will be irreversibly damaged.
If I may be so bold--increasing the miles per gallon intake of cars by less than 4 mpg is not dramatic change.
Once again we are shown the lack of seriousness by our representatives in Washington. Bill Maher in his last Real Time gave one of the more grave New Rules, focusing on the problems with climate change, and maybe it rubbed off on me. I made a posting about a week ago (http://wordofthepeople.blogspot.com/2006/03/fridge-salesmen-flock-to-arctic.html) about the desperate climate situation and yet we still see only minor change and attention being focused on what should be the number one problem world wide. You know how I know? Because the one solution to this entire matter that would most likely work is the one solution that no one wants to talk about. Repeat after me--Gas Tax.
Yes, I know, politicians talking about tax is political suicide, but you know what? It's the bottom of the 9th, the score is tied and now someone needs to take one for the team. A gas tax will cut the number of SUVs and luxury vehicles on the road, and less SUVs means a cleaner atmosphere. This is not to say that a tax is the only solution--research must also be made in alternative energy sources and our standards of consumption must be raised--but a great starting point is to charge these selfish, bloated, yuppies who buy an SUV like a fashion accessory the appropriate price they deserve for "addicting" my country to oil. We have seen commercials telling kids that buying drugs funds terrorism, but what about buying gas? Does that not support terrorism, and pain and murder as well? Or do we not talk about that because the Bushes are an oil family, or because half our administration has worked or still works for Arab oil interests.
In NYC there has been a huge jump in tobacco taxes, and while it personally hits me (I'm a smoker) I can understand it. Smoking is bad, and it's unhealthy not only to those who smoke, but to those around smokers. The option of purchasing cigarettes is still there, and I believe everyone should have that option, just as I believe everyone should have the option of purchasing whatever car they would like, but at the same time I believe that some options should be paid for at a higher price. It would seem that a tax is truly in the essence of equality, because those who dump the most waste into the air, should pay the higher price to clean up their mess. And this mess needs to be cleaned up soon, because you sure as hell don't want Mother Earth doing it for us.
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