Universal Gas Care

[Taco John]

It dawns on me that gas is getting expensive. This is very unfair to poor people. What kind of society allows only the rich to drive the streets? Justice must be done.

My proposal is simple: a universal gas card that everybody has to carry around in order to buy gas. When you go to the pump, you are required to put in your gas card. On that gas card is information about you that will access the central database which will contain your tax returns. Your gas prices will be based on which tax bracket you are in. Once the machine has verified your gas card and got your tax bracket, a wireless RFID transmittor in the pumping station will do a wireless sweep of the area for your RFID-enabled National ID card. It will simultaneously sweep for your vehicle. Once the computer approves the transaction, you are now welcome to do business and purchase gas at the price that is available to you.

Everybody wins. Poor people get gas. Rich people pay for most of it. Justice and equality for all.

[Rohirrim]

What's that I smell? Sarcasm? ;)

[Taco John]

Who? Moi? :ouwknow:

[Taco John]

But seriously. We live in a black top society. Roads equal commerce. Commerce equals jobs. Nationalizing the fuel distribution system in the country is our only hope of keeping the economy moving. What happens when poor people cant afford to go to work? If we don't nationalize the fuel distribution system soon, our country is in danger of facing another great depression.

If we want to save the economy and maintain an equitable system of distribution of fuel, we must expel the free market distribution system that we have (that is clearly failing), and turn the system over to a centralized authority that will be able to plan and equitably distribute the fuel.

[BroncoBuff]

:~ohyah!:

Actually, it's very very rare that government seeks remedies for economic inequality through the pivate sector. They might - prolly should, maybe will - consider retroactive windfall profits tax on the oil giants, and redistribute those funds in tax cuts for the middle class or any of a hundred other ways to accomplish similar remedies for economic inequality. Sometimes government enacts price controls, but never have I heard it dictate a tiered-pricing structure to private sector companies like your sarcastic suggestion suggests.


The only example I can think of where government is involved in private sector artificial pricing tiers is in Hawaii ... where locals (Hawaii residents) carry a special state issued card that can be swiped for reduced prices at most retailers. But it's optional for the retailer there, so, it's not quite the same thing.

[footstepsfrom#27]

The analogy I assume you're seeking to satire is one related to health care but I don't see much of a connection here. Health care providers receive the benefits of publicly funded contracts and government programs already but fiscal missmanagement and a horrendous and outdated system of utilization review and managed care has us spending far more than we're getting in return. Something is horribly wrong when a rich state like Texas leads only dirt poor Mississippi in child health care measurables. This is in spite of taxpayer dollars frequently benefitting facilities and medical professionals. County hospitals for example have their revenue supplemented by funding that voters decide to allocate on the basis of need.

The same is true for public transportation systems and schools. The public recognizes that they have an inherrant interest in maintaining some minimal level of access to people at the bottom of the economic ladder to avoid the human cost of people failing and falling deeper into poverty. For some reason it seems to esccape so many conservatives that the damage that's occured to the lower socio-economic class always reverberates upward to the rest of society. I don't know about a gas card, but I live in the largest city in America (Arlington TX; pop 340,000) that has no city bus service. We found a way to build 2 insanely expensive sports stadiums for billionaires but can't find a way to fund public transportation so poor people can get to work? To me that make zero sense.

[Taco John]

What are we going to do when poor people can no longer afford to drive their cars to work? Let them sit in their houses and starve? The world has changed. It's time for our government to adjust to those changes in order to meet the needs of the general welfare of American citizens. Who better to deal with the robber barons of the inequitable oil industry than our government? It's time we put up a unified front against these bandits.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

[footstepsfrom#27]

What are we going to do when poor people can no longer afford to drive their cars to work?
OK...how 'bout what will we do when the middle class can't afford to drive to work? Or when a loaf of bread costs $6 because Spyder's paying $7 a gallon for Diesel to get it to you?

See it's easy to trivialize this when it's not really our ox being gored.

[Taco John]

OK...how 'bout what will we do when the middle class can't afford to drive to work? Or when a loaf of bread costs $6 because Spyder's paying $7 a gallon for Diesel to get it to you?

See it's easy to trivialize this when it's not really our ox being gored.


Then government must clearly regulate the system. The free market is failing. The gas delivery system in this nation must be nationalized if we want to maintain our standard of living. Do you see any other option?

Oil is the life blood of this nation. It's too critical to our economy to leave it up to the free market. That kind of social darwinism is going to do nothing but leave poor people in the dust, while the rich get richer.

It only makes sense to nationalize the blood stream of our nation.

[footstepsfrom#27]

Then government must clearly regulate the system. The free market is failing. The gas delivery system in this nation must be nationalized if we want to maintain our standard of living. Do you see any other option?

Oil is the life blood of this nation. It's too critical to our economy to leave it up to the free market. That kind of social darwinism is going to do nothing but leave poor people in the dust, while the rich get richer.

It only makes sense to nationalize the blood stream of our nation.
Whatever...the free market is effective but it's not a magic bullet or a panacea for every ill we face every day of the year. In fact it's survived periods of regulation and control many times before now. Some people want to act as if every course of action the government takes should be forever evaluated on the single question of whether the holy grail of free market competition is being respected or depleted. The truth is we're facing a vastly different world now than we were just 10 years ago and we'd better start understanding that we can't always compete like we have in the past without learning to think creatively and collaboratively.

[Taco John]

In this day and age, Gas is a necessity. Leaving it up to the free market is not an option in today's world. Everybody needs gas. Not having fair access to gas puts a person at a serious disadvantage to the elite. Just like with the body, when blood doesn't flow to a particular portion - that portion dies.

Nationalization is the only solution to ensure a just and equitable distribution of this critical resource.

If we nationalized the fuel system of America, everyone would share in the burden of cost equally, rich or poor, according to how much "blood" they are sucking out of the system by way of Income. Suddenly, the cost of gas would be balanced because we'd all be taking on our fair share of the load. The rich/poor imbalance would iron itself out of the system. Think of it: suddenly a poor single mother is paying 90 cents a gallon, and is able to free up some of her money for other needs. The rich person who is making up for that cost is hardly missing it.

And as a nation, if we nationalized our purchasing power, WE could practically dictate to the market what we'd pay for it. Everyone would benefit!

[TexanBob]

Nixon tried wage and price controls. It didn't help.

Maybe I should dust off my Whip Inflation Now button...

[BroncoBuff]

Some frantic compliants - different package.


It's cute and all ... just a bit stale.

[Taco John]

Nixon tried wage and price controls. It didn't help.

Maybe I should dust off my Whip Inflation Now button...


If a poor person can't afford to drive to the hospital, then what good would even universal healthcare be to him? If a poor person can't afford drive to their job, then how does anyone suppose the health of the economy would be?

How will hospitals be able to stock medical supplies if truckers can no longer afford to ship the medical supplies that they need in order to keep people healthy?

How many seniors are we willing to let die in their homes because the blood pressure medication that they are relying on is stuck in Boardman, Oregon because the truck company who was supposed to deliver them cant afford the fuel for their fleet. How many seniors are going to be stuck eating dog food because the costs of food have sky-rocketed so dramatically due to gas shortages?

Oil = Health of the nation

[BroncoBuff]

Oil = Health of the nation
Your point is .... ? The subprime mortgage crisis is unrelated to oil ...

BTW, gasoline in Europe has cost about this much - adjusted for inflation - for decades. Besides, how bad can it be if I just bought a roundtrip to LA. for $181 taxes included? I am a bit flummoxed by all this ... the price of oil has TRIPLED in less than four years ... and yet I'm getting the same airfares as always ???

[Taco John]

Your point is .... ? The subprime mortgage crisis is unrelated to oil ...


I don't believe that I ever made a point that it was. I can't imagine how the two are related.

I'm just responding to the oil crisis that we're in. (http://www.wsmv.com/money/15749952/detail.html?rss=nash&psp=news) know plenty of people who have gone as long as a decade without so much as calling a doctor. How many of them do you think went without gas for a decade?

If you have no gas, you have no prospects for a living wage. Do you disagree with this statement?

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

April fools, right TJ?

[baja]

What are we going to do when poor people can no longer afford to drive their cars to work? Let them sit in their houses and starve? The world has changed. It's time for our government to adjust to those changes in order to meet the needs of the general welfare of American citizens. Who better to deal with the robber barons of the inequitable oil industry than our government? It's time we put up a unified front against these bandits.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

Let them take taxis

[Taco John]

The bottom line is that gas is just as essential in our economy as bread is. If we don't give poor people the same access to this precious resource as the elites have, what does that say about us?

[TailgateNut]

Your point is .... ? The subprime mortgage crisis is unrelated to oil ...

BTW, gasoline in Europe has cost about this much - adjusted for inflation - for decades. Besides, how bad can it be if I just bought a roundtrip to LA. for $181 taxes included? I am a bit flummoxed by all this ... the price of oil has TRIPLED in less than four years ... and yet I'm getting the same airfares as always ???


Don't ever try to understand airfares. I checked on flights from denver to europe yesterday and the fares ranged from a low of $704 to a high of $11281 for the same times/ days. ( I wonder what extracurricular activities are included in the $11281 air fare).
then when I check for a departure 1 day later the low jumped to $1276 to a high of $9800. WTF??? I don't get it.

[Rohirrim]

Hotrod looks like a startled cat. Ha!

[shakenbake]

Have no fear Taco it is coming

[Bronco Jamus]

I have always wondered why we haven't siezed oil in this country from private companies. It would be the second thing I would do as President if I could do it legally.

[The Lone Bolt]

I'm convinced that in ten years EVs will be superior to ICE cars in every measureable way. That will take care of the oil problem.

Here's some references to get you started:

http://www.aptera.com/

http://gm-volt.com/

http://www.phoenixmotorcars.com/index.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIEV

(The MiEV will be street-tested in New York City soon)

http://en.think.no/

The battery technology is almost there. Personally I expect my next new car to be an Aptera. In five years I expect to buy a model which will have a minimum 200 mile range, a 10 minute rapid-charge capability, and cost less than 20K.

http://oneworldnews.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/aptera1.jpg

Sweet, aint it? ;D

[cutthemdown]

Too bad producing batteries is so bad for the environment. Not to mention eventually we will be left with a bunch of batteries discarded leaking who knows what into ground.

[cutthemdown]

I have always wondered why we haven't siezed oil in this country from private companies. It would be the second thing I would do as President if I could do it legally.

It wouldn't be legal this is America.

[Taco John]

I'm convinced that in ten years EVs will be superior to ICE cars in every measureable way. That will take care of the oil problem.

Here's some references to get you started:

http://www.aptera.com/

http://gm-volt.com/

http://www.phoenixmotorcars.com/index.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIEV

(The MiEV will be street-tested in New York City soon)

http://en.think.no/

The battery technology is almost there. Personally I expect my next new car to be an Aptera. In five years I expect to buy a model which will have a minimum 200 mile range, a 10 minute rapid-charge capability, and cost less than 20K.

http://oneworldnews.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/aptera1.jpg

Sweet, aint it? ;D


Will they have any that don't look like bike helmets?

[The Lone Bolt]

Will they have any that don't look like bike helmets?

I understand they're working on a more conventional 4-wheeled sedan. But the typ-1 three wheeler looks cool to me!

[Taco John]

I'm a little more conventional. I'm still driving the '91 Honda Accord that we've had since college. That sucker has 185k miles on it and is still running strong.

[The Lone Bolt]

I'm a little more conventional. I'm still driving the '91 Honda Accord that we've had since college. That sucker has 185k miles on it and is still running strong.

But does it get 130 - 300 MPG like the Aptera typ-1 hybrid (due out next year)?:approve:

[TailgateNut]

But does it get 130 - 300 MPG like the Aptera typ-1 hybrid (due out next year)?:approve:


What's the towing and Payload capacity?
Is it able to run over Boulder Bicyclists without major damage?
How's the sucker handle offroad in the snow?

[The Lone Bolt]

What's the towing and Payload capacity?
Is it able to run over Boulder Bicyclists without major damage?
How's the sucker handle offroad in the snow?

Well, check the website. I do know that it has been designed to meet or exceed all safety requirements for four wheeled passenger vehicles. It has undergone simulated crash tests and they are currently undergoing real-world ones.

I wouldn't know about handling in the snow and that might be a concern. But I feel pretty confident about it's safety. Not sure about the towing capacity but I do know that it has room for two passenger and 15 bags of groceries. I' m not planning on doing any towing anyway.

They will be introducing a new web site soon which promises to provide a lot more technical details.

BTW, they will only be selling to California residents at first because they want to have service and repair available to their customers (so I guess you won't be able to run over Boulder bicyclists for a while ;) ). I expect them to expand up here to Washington State in a few years.

[Dudeskey]

I have always wondered why we haven't siezed oil in this country from private companies. It would be the second thing I would do as President if I could do it legally.

Another way could be to actually enforce the Sherman antitrust act and break up these huge oil companies... there isn't enough competition any more.

[Dudeskey]

What's the towing and Payload capacity?
Is it able to run over Boulder Bicyclists without major damage?
How's the sucker handle offroad in the snow?

That would be my Kenworth on the way up to Lyons ;D

[Florida_Bronco]

I just want gas to be cheap so I can actually go out and cruise around in my Mustang without fear of going broke.

[Taco John]

Oh yeah... APRIL FOOLS!

[BroncoBuff]

I don't believe that I ever made a point that it was. I can't imagine how the two are related.

I'm just responding to the oil crisis that we're in. (http://www.wsmv.com/money/15749952/detail.html?rss=nash&psp=news) know plenty of people who have gone as long as a decade without so much as calling a doctor. How many of them do you think went without gas for a decade?

If you have no gas, you have no prospects for a living wage. Do you disagree with this statement?
I just mentioned mortgage crisis because you mentioned "health of the nation," and the non-oil subprime problem is the current greatest threat to our health, not oil. I suppose I could argue that workers could walk or take the bus to work ??? Most people in Manhattan don't even own cars ... I just moved to a downtown place, and gas doesn't bug me anymore, I hardly drive at all now ... (though I wish I didn't have to pay $145/month to park).

I'm not gonna argue that cheap oil is absolutely CRUCIAL to our economy ... you're right. But you overspeak a bit if you say "if you have no gas you have no prospects for a living wage." You can earn a decent living without gas.


And I gotta ask ... I know that oil has tripled in price in 3 1/2 years ($34/barrel August 2004 - $103/barrel March 2008) ... and yet, other than gas at the pump, I see very little change in things. Food prices have jumped in some areas (especially eggs and milk somewhat), but otherwise not much is different in my life experience .... I just bought a roundtrip ticket to LA for like $160 + tax = $180 or so, which is about the same as it was 3 1/2 years ago. ??? Shouldn't the oil-dependent airline industry be blasting airfares through the roof?

I'm not being argumentative there, I honestly don't get that part ...

[BroncoBuff]

Oh yeah... APRIL FOOLS!

Wait .... I DIDN'T SEE THIS!! :~ohyah!:

[Spider]

It dawns on me that gas is getting expensive. This is very unfair to poor people. What kind of society allows only the rich to drive the streets? Justice must be done.

My proposal is simple: a universal gas card that everybody has to carry around in order to buy gas. When you go to the pump, you are required to put in your gas card. On that gas card is information about you that will access the central database which will contain your tax returns. Your gas prices will be based on which tax bracket you are in. Once the machine has verified your gas card and got your tax bracket, a wireless RFID transmittor in the pumping station will do a wireless sweep of the area for your RFID-enabled National ID card. It will simultaneously sweep for your vehicle. Once the computer approves the transaction, you are now welcome to do business and purchase gas at the price that is available to you.

Everybody wins. Poor people get gas. Rich people pay for most of it. Justice and equality for all.

LOL pretty funny ........ since you are in a Jovial mood , this news wont bother you at all .....Freight prices just went up again March 31 ROFL! , yeah Hilarious! those Diapers will go up almost 2.00 a box now Ha! , everything you buy will go up in price ROFL! .... but I am sure your pay went up on the 31 st also to help cover .......Hilarious!

[Spider]

Then government must clearly regulate the system. The free market is failing. The gas delivery system in this nation must be nationalized if we want to maintain our standard of living. Do you see any other option?

Oil is the life blood of this nation. It's too critical to our economy to leave it up to the free market. That kind of social darwinism is going to do nothing but leave poor people in the dust, while the rich get richer.

It only makes sense to nationalize the blood stream of our nation.
I have said this before I will say it again ...Peak oil is a myth , there is no shortage , we dont have to drill up ANWAR , we really dont have to drill off shore .... Instu works , shale oil is here .. 8 million barrels a day could be coming out of Piceance creek Colorado aka county road 5 in Rio Blanco county ..... I dont know why people insist on talking about the energy crises when they dont have a clue as to what is going on ...... The last oil Rig I moved was for Nabors drilling , Shale oil drilling rig ... looks just like a normal drilling rig except the shaker , for some reason Shale SHakers are alot bigger

[Meck77]

This is the best mode of transportation IMO.

http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/9800/img5574lq0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[cutthemdown]

Another way could be to actually enforce the Sherman antitrust act and break up these huge oil companies... there isn't enough competition any more.

how would they compete vs the big state owned oil companies around the world if we broke them up? That is a valid concern.

[Bronco Bob]

What are we going to do when poor people can no longer afford to drive their cars to work? Let them sit in their houses and starve?

I thought that's what buses were for. Poor people already can get discounts
on bus fare.

[Taco John]

I have said this before I will say it again ...Peak oil is a myth , there is no shortage...



I completely agree. I think peak oil is nothing short of a hoax. I can't believe anybody has fallen for this myth. There's absolutely zero science to back it up.

[ScottXray]

But seriously. We live in a black top society. Roads equal commerce. Commerce equals jobs. Nationalizing the fuel distribution system in the country is our only hope of keeping the economy moving. What happens when poor people cant afford to go to work? If we don't nationalize the fuel distribution system soon, our country is in danger of facing another great depression.

If we want to save the economy and maintain an equitable system of distribution of fuel, we must expel the free market distribution system that we have (that is clearly failing), and turn the system over to a centralized authority that will be able to plan and equitably distribute the fuel.


Well hells bells...lets see...if your vehicle is commercial owned then you get your gas for FREE!...Drive an suv instead of a small fuel efficient vehicle...pay more.

Cadillacs....High gas price. Go kart...nearly free.
Spider will like the free fuel for Commercial vehicles...but there may be a spike in people buying 18 wheeler tractors for personal use ...guess you'll have to limit it to the vehicle and the license type....and maybe no trailer equals no commercial discount. Running empty back home ...pay for your own fuel..

Ah BS....the problem with this is the government RUNNING it.....but of course the Repubs will outsource it...probably to an oil company.:rofl:

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

.....but of course the Repubs will outsource it...probably to an oil company.:rofl:

:yep:

http://www.bartcop.com/gas-4000-dead.gif