Calblog

Gas Taxes

Andrew Sullivan not too long ago announced his support for substantially higher gasoline taxes, and as of late so does Professor Bainbridge. I personally think increased gas taxes are a thing to dread. Gas is already relatively highly taxed in compared to other like goods. And while I accept the idea of using a tax to appropriately adjust for externalties like pollution many newer cars are exceptionally low in pollution and older cars are taken off the road and forced to pay for their externalities through the Smog Check II and other ways of insuring that those who pollute more stay off the road.

In any event, my opposition to gas taxes is a simple one really. Gasoline is closely (at least to me) connected to freedom. I grant people will think that I am crazy, but only in America, can someone cheaply drive from S.F. (a week before their first Law Final) and spend a week in Las Vegas and drive from there to the Hoover Dam and to the Grand Canyon, only in America can I get up and cheaply drive to Yosemite to see the wonder that God has created. Only in America, can I decide to drive to Boise, ID instead of flying just because I like to see the land in front of me, to cover the miles. When I travelled in Europe, I rented a car precisely because I wanted to have that freedom, and yes it was dreadfully expensive. Expensive to be in Venice and think "You know what...Let's go drive to Neuschwanstein." Now was I not going to do that because of the cost, well not that trip, but a car allows that freedom, maybe some like to have no room for change or spontenaiety, so you can have your train tickets and airline passes, but for the one who wants to be able to from Vegas say "You know...we could make it to Zion spend 8 hours and make it back in time." Well that's what America is about, that's why gas taxes are insidious, they take away just that little bit of freedom. I love this country, and I want to see it, but so many people would rather just fly over Red America; well let them, but then to want to tax us (those who should want to see this beautiful land more) psheh... People in the states can get up and move 40 miles away from their parents people can live in the exurbs away from the city. After all, there is something true something real about working with one's land, there's a reason land is the only real property. Sullivan must be careful as his policies would lead down the same road as those who want to condemn us to live in miserable apartments detached from the Earth.

I want to extend this entry into something else, so I must be careful, but I will say this much, I have often found that if you scratch an "environmentalist" 9/10 times you merely find a person who already has their real property and merely wants to artificially constrict supply as to inflate the value of their property. But that is a story for another time.