Apparently some democrats only want the very wealthy in America to retain the luxury of owning and driving an automobile. From the Wall Street Journal:
What is the appropriate response to Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, who as General Motors prepared to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection declared that he wants to “coerce people out of their cars”? One might be inclined to dismiss these words as overkill — except for recently introduced legislation by some congressional heavy-hitters that would take us down this road.
First there was the “Federal Surface Transportation Policy and Planning Act of 2009,” introduced in May by Jay Rockefeller (D., W.Va.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation. Next, in June, came the “Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009,” introduced by James Oberstar (D., Minn.), chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Messrs. Rockefeller and Lautenberg aim to “reduce per capita motor vehicle miles traveled on an annual basis.” Mr. Oberstar wants to establish a federal “Office of Livability” to ensure that “States and metropolitan areas achieve progress towards national transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals.”
What does this mean? Most travel is not for its own sake. So reducing the total miles traveled — whether the length or number of trips — means people would have to reduce the activities they want and need to do. People would be “coerced,” in effect, to live in less desirable places or work in less desirable jobs; shop in fewer and closer stores; see their doctor less frequently; visit fewer family members and friends.
The most likely way they will force Americans to drive less is by hiking the gas tax to the point where most people simply won’t be able to afford to drive. While this won’t be more than an annoyance to the wealthiest Americans, what will it do to Americans who live in rural areas? What about the small towns with no mass transit system? It will decimate their way of life, that’s what it will do. And these progressive democrats don’t care. For them it’s all about control.
I’d like to drop good ole Ray out in the middle of the Oregon desert with a bottle of ice water, an umbrella, and a free pass on the ODRTD bus (Oregon Desert Rapid Transit District). Be kind of fun to see what good ole Ray’d be willing to pay for a ride in one of those nasty SUVs after he sat there 24 hrs.
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How kind of you to provide an umbrella and water. That’s more than he’d do for any of us.
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I don’t think any of these east-coast elitists have ever visited the wide-open spaces out west. They really must see all the country as only a subway ride away. And as always, the people they hurt the most are the very ones they claim to care about – the little guys n girls.
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