Date: Sat, 4 Mar 2000 23:35:00 -0800 From: "Jamie A. Lawrence" <jal@ThirdAge.com> To: cjclark@home.com Cc: Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org>, Mark Newton <newton@internode.com.au>, chat@FreeBSD.ORG, "Koster, K.J." <K.J.Koster@kpn.com>, "'FreeBSD Hackers mailing list'" <freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG>, Wes Peters <wes@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: Re: Great American Gas Out Message-ID: <20000304233500.A15262@thirdage.com> In-Reply-To: <20000304132611.B48777@cc942873-a.ewndsr1.nj.home.com>; from Crist J. Clark on Sat, Mar 04, 2000 at 01:26:11PM -0500 References: <38BFEEA8.1A465CFC@softweyr.com> <59063B5B4D98D311BC0D0001FA7E452201313909@l04.research.kpn.com> <38BFEEA8.1A465CFC@softweyr.com> <20000304101212.A384@internode.com.au> <4.2.2.20000304091423.040b5590@localhost> <20000304132611.B48777@cc942873-a.ewndsr1.nj.home.com>
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++ 04/03/00 13:26 -0500 - Crist J. Clark:
> Driving is an activity that incurrs a cost on society, building roads,
> regular maintainance, salter, snow plows, maintainace to fix the
> damage the snow plows did, etc.
A cost that is not fully realized in the US.
> > This week, I traveled from Wyoming to California and discovered that
> > gas prices were 25% higher in the Golden State than in the Cowboy
> > State. Why? Because Californians "tax" themselves by requiring that
> > everyone buy fuel with high concentrations of MTBE, an oxygenating agent.
> > MTBE was supposed to reduce pollution, but in fact is a worse pollutant
> > than oxides of nitrogen ever were. However, since only California
> > refineries make gas with a high enough concentration of MTBE, Californians
> > are locked into buying from these few sources and the price goes up.
> > WAY up. Los Angeles will have $2.50 gas this summer.
>
> Yet the number of f*cking SUVs and other gas-guzzling vehicles in the
> region will continue to rise as will the miles driven per vehicle.
Sure, personal assult vehicles consume more than they pay for. If
they were taxed at a sane rate, far fewer people would drive them.
This from a serious anarchist who wants to see private roads everywhere.
If everyone payed a private entity to get to work, we'd see a saner
commute schedule. It would be a lot different. Makes you ("you" meaning
people in CA, US) wonder, I hope. I live here.
> > It's the same the whole world over. Energy policies and fuel costs aren't
> > driven by markets or even common sense. They are controlled by big
> > cartels, big government, and politics.
>
> Just like everything else.
The interesting part is that things are about to become a lot different.
The same cartels know that, and they may end up on top, but there is a
radical change in personal transport coming. Things are becoming interesting.
If people choose (if alternative projects advertise well), we'll see
neat things happen.
-j
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