3rd September 2005, 8:35 PM
ABF, I'm not arguing their arguments, but I will say this. If you tax gas, people will lose their jobs. What good does that do? Where does this money go? Even if ALL that money is pooled back into those now jobless people's lives so they can continue to live, exactly what have you accomplished?
Model out exactly what this is meant to achieve.
Oh and, thanks for the news flash Captain. I'm pretty sure we all knew petroleum came from ancient creatures compressed for many years. Mostly plant life though...
Back on topic though, seriously ABF, what's the logic behind taxing to reduce purchasing gas? Is the logic that people will shift to alternative fuels if they can't afford gas? I see, except for one thing, NONE of the alternative fuels are in a ready state yet! They ALL currently cost too much. And, even in the cases where one could save money in the long run, too many families are so poor they literally can't afford to save money in the long run. By that I mean they can't afford the price of that initial investment.
Taking us off of gas is a great idea, but taxing is NOT the solution. People ALREADY think gas is too expensive, and it isn't reducing our consumption of it. It's just stressing poor families. Raising it further to the point where families can't afford it will just do damage.
The solution is still in the form of getting a decent alternative fuel working. Once that happens, prices are already high enough that people will flock to it. What's that they say about building a better mouse trap?
By the way, I never argued that we should "stick with gas", I just said taxing isn't the way to get us off of it. Don't use straw man arguments.
Research is what we need. Now, giving the companies researching new fuels is one way, and that's valid. But, contrary to what economists seem to believe, pooring money into research doesn't equal speeding up the research. Just give them enough for what they need. More than that though, we need more researchers.
I suppose we may just be paying the price for raising a generation of register biscuits (no offense Weltall). I think that perhaps too many kids just didn't go to college and now probably can't. I know too many parents who don't even know what a college fund IS, and when you explain it to them, they just laugh at the idea. I can only speak for my immediate surroundings, but around here just about every business I see is just the front end of some grocery store or restaurant. Basically all the money in Tulsa seems to be basically sent out to McDonald's and so on. If pressed as to where they might be headed in life, they just get some attitude and fake a kind suggestion to buy something.
What ever happened to dreaming? It's no wonder we stopped going to the moon... No one even cares any more. People have grown afraid to desire, to want something for themselves. They all think destiny has some purpose for them but no one seems to go about actually obtaining it for themselves! Don't these people realize the only destiny they can hope to get is the one they create for themselves?
Well, enough ranting... All I'm saying is I'm wondering if America is slipping behind Japan as the technology leader of the world merely because not enough kids are interested in becoming scientists or engineers... Too much apathy around here, but it may just be Oklahoma... I truly am getting sick of this place.
Model out exactly what this is meant to achieve.
Oh and, thanks for the news flash Captain. I'm pretty sure we all knew petroleum came from ancient creatures compressed for many years. Mostly plant life though...
Back on topic though, seriously ABF, what's the logic behind taxing to reduce purchasing gas? Is the logic that people will shift to alternative fuels if they can't afford gas? I see, except for one thing, NONE of the alternative fuels are in a ready state yet! They ALL currently cost too much. And, even in the cases where one could save money in the long run, too many families are so poor they literally can't afford to save money in the long run. By that I mean they can't afford the price of that initial investment.
Taking us off of gas is a great idea, but taxing is NOT the solution. People ALREADY think gas is too expensive, and it isn't reducing our consumption of it. It's just stressing poor families. Raising it further to the point where families can't afford it will just do damage.
The solution is still in the form of getting a decent alternative fuel working. Once that happens, prices are already high enough that people will flock to it. What's that they say about building a better mouse trap?
By the way, I never argued that we should "stick with gas", I just said taxing isn't the way to get us off of it. Don't use straw man arguments.
Research is what we need. Now, giving the companies researching new fuels is one way, and that's valid. But, contrary to what economists seem to believe, pooring money into research doesn't equal speeding up the research. Just give them enough for what they need. More than that though, we need more researchers.
I suppose we may just be paying the price for raising a generation of register biscuits (no offense Weltall). I think that perhaps too many kids just didn't go to college and now probably can't. I know too many parents who don't even know what a college fund IS, and when you explain it to them, they just laugh at the idea. I can only speak for my immediate surroundings, but around here just about every business I see is just the front end of some grocery store or restaurant. Basically all the money in Tulsa seems to be basically sent out to McDonald's and so on. If pressed as to where they might be headed in life, they just get some attitude and fake a kind suggestion to buy something.
What ever happened to dreaming? It's no wonder we stopped going to the moon... No one even cares any more. People have grown afraid to desire, to want something for themselves. They all think destiny has some purpose for them but no one seems to go about actually obtaining it for themselves! Don't these people realize the only destiny they can hope to get is the one they create for themselves?
Well, enough ranting... All I'm saying is I'm wondering if America is slipping behind Japan as the technology leader of the world merely because not enough kids are interested in becoming scientists or engineers... Too much apathy around here, but it may just be Oklahoma... I truly am getting sick of this place.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)