Return of a Modest Proposal
Comments: 5
Arianna Huffington’s latest piece in Salon centres around an idea which is by no means new – people have already started putting stickers saying things like “I’m changing the climate! Ask me how.” on the bumpers of SUVs (Garry Trudeau had Alex doing the same thing recently in Doonesbury: somebody pulled a gun on her!), but at least it’s good to see it getting some more attention.
Is this an opportunity to get back on my hobbyhorse and recirculate my idea about pro rating the price of petrol depending on the fuel economy of your vehicle? But of course.
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Posted to General Rants • 2002.10.22 (Tue) • 21:33
Comments
Posted by Brad 2002.10.26, 15:30
Why not just increase the price of petrol enough so that it becomes worthwhile to own a fuel-efficient vehicle?
Posted by Dean 2003.04.03, 23:54
Or why not just let the market determine how high gas prices should go and let people who earn enough money to pay for their gas-hogging SUV and the gas buy it if they please?
Posted by jh 2003.04.04, 13:08
Part of the original idea was to try to create a link that drove home (no pun intended) the true costs of our decisions. A pro rated price provides some benefit to drivers of fuel-efficient vehicles while ‘penalising’ those who choose to indulge in wasteful and destructive behaviour and more clearly establishes the direct connection between our choices and the long-term consequences of those choices.
Of course, it’s not quite ready to go to the legislature yet, being something of a regulatory nightmare (but nothing compared to the nightmare that awaits if rampant consumerism and disregard for the real costs of our lifestyles are allowed to go unchecked).
Posted by zip code 2003.08.23, 02:15
lol!
Posted by Dianne 2004.02.25, 12:22
Huh. Great idea, but soooo not likely to fly with george w. in the white house. Too logical, environmentally friendly, and just plain karmically correct.
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