Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] [MLUG][Politics] State of the Union

[Vern Green <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

> >
> > I am firmly of the belief that it does not have to be done like that.
>
> So in other words, you don't believe that prices are essentially the
> best way to affect supply and demand.  Fascinating.
>
Why would you say that? You just essentially deleted a whole diatribe
about how price can effect supply and demand.  Why would we have to
raise the tax on gasoline to get people to move to alternative fueled
vehicles? Could we not do some things to lower the price of
alternative fueled vehicles to get people to buy them?

If I could go buy an electric car, or a hybrid car for $10,000 to
$15,000 I would, but I can't do that. Again as I said, if we were to
raise the tax on fossile fuels to the $6.00 amount I have heard some
mention, then make that tax money go back to people like me who cannot
afford the $30,000 price tag for a hybrid.

Could we not just as effectively lower the price of these vehicles by
providing subsidies for companies to build these cars? Or how about
perhaps giving a tax credit or tax break to people who buy them?

We agree that there is currently very little incentive to by an
alternative fueled vehicle. The price of the vehicles are typically
30% more than a regular vehicle. Why does it always fall on the backs
of the poor people like me who are trying to jsut get to work
everyday? Raise gas prices to $6.00 a gallon, you are not going to
help me buy a vehicle that will be cheaper on gas when that vehicle
will cost me $30,000.

You see this is the problem people who advocate a large gas tax fail
to realize. It is not the people who are in the middle class that get
hurt with this kind of thing. Those of you who are making a salary of
80,000 - 100,000 per year will have no trouble paying the gas tax or
buying a new alternative fuel vehicle.

So you are correct, it will have an effect on demand as all of us who
are barely able to make ends meet paying the current $2.75 are now
forced to stay at home because we can't afford to drive to work
anymore.

My point was that there are other ways to get people to move to
alternative fuels without doing it on the back of the poor. Leave fuel
prices the way they are, make the alternative fueled vehicles worth
while to drive.

Better yet, the President should sign an executive order to make all
vehicles in every government agency that travel less than 300 miles
per day to be replaced with electric vehicles. That would be a start
and would show that the government is firmly behind alternative fuels.

--
Thanks
F Vernon Green

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