$7 a gallon gas - necessary to save the environment

Gasoline usage incurs real costs not automatically covered by the user. Not collecting those costs from the users is a subsidy, and subsidies should either be abolished altogether or only employed with extremely good reasons.

The problem is, will the money actually go towards repairing the damage done? Alternatively, I could also imagine arguing for a subsidy (see above) for projects to develop alternative energy sources. But just collecting money and pouring it into whatever else the government finances is a bad idea.

Anyone else remember when the big boogie man was acid rain? I can actually remember seeing examples of what it could do to statues and the like that was exposed to it. What ever happened to that, I wonder.

So we're back to this unquantifiable damage for which we are all responsible.

It all comes down to some rich fuckers making themselves richer, really. Since there's literally no alternative and no one can get away from what it, it's just a way to make sure everyone is paying in to this tax that does nothing, except to make the people collecting it more wealthy anyway.

the paper was only looking at one result, and trying to prove it.
Bias.
there are lots of unforeseen effects that the price hike would have.
Things that would make it worse.

First, I will say that American society is spread out.
As in, we don't live next to work, we don't get our food close to there we live.
Now, with that in mind, here are some ways in which increased gas effects us.
getting to work will cost more.
Bus fares will cost more.
the cost of your business getting supplies will cost more.
You ask for a raise to offset the cost of commuting.
The price of the products that your business offers increases.
the business lays people off to save money.

The cost of food getting delivered to the restaurants you eat at increases, business lessens because of the prices,
the employees ask for raises, employees get laidoff because of less business,
now you are getting worse service because of not enough employees.

Now, laborers. the people that do the menial, yet necessary work for every business.
they don't make a lot of money, so the cost of getting to work is a higher percentage of their income. These people cannot afford a price hike like that. And your business can't operate with out them.

This extra money generated goes to the government.
An entity that has shown itself incapable of spending money effectively.
So.... you wanna give them a shitload of more money to spend as ineffectively?

It makes more "sense" when you look at it with the mentality that has no problem with stacking people on top of each other in dense urban hell holes so that normal, daily destinations are within walking distance.

I thought that was the Wordforge ideal.

Last robber baron standing, right?

And only you would fail to realize I was talking about politicians.

Henceforth, the Wordforge ideal shall be "Leave me the hell alone, mind your own fucking business, and keep your damned hands off of my stuff."

Oh, that's right, you loser dipshits want to fantasize about being the supermen, but if it's a dirty politician getting rich, they're not only bad, they're the ones holding you back.

Oh, and they're also wicked for stealing "your money", and funding "the welfare state".

You get to hate everyone under you and above you all in one little narrative throughline.

It's really something.
I stand in awe.

Okay, X-ey, do the smiley, do the smiley!

you gotta admit though, the kitty fail was funny.

It's okay. After all, every village needs its idiot.

Gas prices: What do you think will happen if the government raises the price to $7 in order to reduce consumption and therefor the carbon emissions?

Rudolph, no von.

Civil war.

You mean the American war for independence!

How about $7 gas for liberals so they can feel penance for their polluting the earth?

Jesus Christ, thank you for being the first person to ask that question instead of idlying pissing and moaning.

I swear I'm not knocking you, but we have STATES the size of France. And some people drive many states in a day for business or pleasure. It's be like if you took a vacation and drove to Russia and back 3 times, that equals a cross-country trip here.

We can't depend on rail for all our shipping. $7 a dollar diesel leads to food shortages here.

We can't get together on Mass-Transit because of the distances involved and the American mindset, due to our great size, that cars are part of our freedom of mobility.

This study is eggheadism at it's WORST.

Perhaps, but consider . . .

Suppose cars had never caught on. For whatever reason. Imagine the intercity rail system the US would have by now.

They would be teh AWEsoME! With bars and non-stop action flicks and topless waitresses and guns and dogs that bring you beer and...and...

The only effect raising the dollar at the pump will do is to place an even greater burden on low income people who are already having a hard enough time scraping by. It is not unusual in my area to go 30 miles or better as a one way commute in order to get to a job, or even to get to a decent grocery store to get food.

"Liberals"?
Obviously you have been sniffing to many fumes.

No, we are back to clearly identifiable damage for which those who burn gazoline are responsible because they do the damage. Excellent abuse of the plural in your "we all" phrasing there.

We can identify "damage," but we cannot precisely differentiate the damaged caused specifically by personal vehicles to the degree necessary to arrive at a tax amount for fuel purchases. Not that any attempt to do so even enters into the type of thinking that sees punishing consumption as an end unto itself. It doesn't matter what portion motorists cause. They are the "offenders" these tax-happy environazi's have to look at every day, and they happen to be the easiest target.

I want them to try something like this and maybe congress will finally clip the balls of the EPA. The answer to everything the EPA does is not to fix any problem but add a new Penalty, Tax, or Fee to raise money for the government. Fossil fuels are a finite resource and they will run out at some point and this will cause the associated rise in cost and switch over to renewable sources all by itself without any government assistance at all.