Comments on: Can We Talk? http://www.terrarossa.com/can-we-talk/ Where Conservatives Consider a New Energy Future Thu, 28 Aug 2008 07:24:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Alan Drake http://www.terrarossa.com/can-we-talk/#comment-1850 Alan Drake Fri, 04 May 2007 11:44:09 +0000 http://www.terrarossa.com/?p=144#comment-1850 Under the current financial set-up, the Dept of Energy cannot afford to replace the oil (just 4 of 11 million barrels) it sold from the SPR (Strategic Petroleum Reserve) after Katrina. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4769698.html The US is supposed to *DOUBLE* the SPR in the next dozen years. How do we pay for it ? User pays. A special SPR gas tax to pay for 750 million more barrels going into dtorage (and replace the 11 million sold during Katrina). An old conservative dictum. If you want less of something, tax it. If you want more of something, subsidize it. The government, at all levels, has subsidized auto and truck use for several decades now and we see the result. OTOH, railroads have pretty much "paid their way" (and they use 1/8th the diesel per ton-mile that heavy trucks do). Best Hopes, Alan Under the current financial set-up, the Dept of Energy cannot afford to replace the oil (just 4 of 11 million barrels) it sold from the SPR (Strategic Petroleum Reserve) after Katrina.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4769698.html

The US is supposed to *DOUBLE* the SPR in the next dozen years. How do we pay for it ?

User pays.

A special SPR gas tax to pay for 750 million more barrels going into dtorage (and replace the 11 million sold during Katrina).

An old conservative dictum. If you want less of something, tax it. If you want more of something, subsidize it.

The government, at all levels, has subsidized auto and truck use for several decades now and we see the result. OTOH, railroads have pretty much “paid their way” (and they use 1/8th the diesel per ton-mile that heavy trucks do).

Best Hopes,

Alan

]]> By: Alan Drake http://www.terrarossa.com/can-we-talk/#comment-1848 Alan Drake Fri, 04 May 2007 10:41:54 +0000 http://www.terrarossa.com/?p=144#comment-1848 Step One should be a primary "old time" conservative value; "User pays". Pay 100% of the costs of highways, roads and streets through gas taxes and tolls. Today they pay 1/3rd or less. Louiisana is talking about taking $100s of millions from the General Fund for new roads today as one small example. Raise gas taxes, add tolls to interstates and cut property taxes and general taxes that now go to highways, roads and streets. Include state police and property taxes lost to land taken by roads as Step 1B (Railraods pay property taxes on their ROW, why not trucks for a level playing field ?) That good Republican President Eisenhower originally wanted the Interstate Highway system to be tolled, but his Secretary of Defense talked him out of that. (This SoD was former GM President and famously said "What is good for GM is good for the United States"). A good overview of road taxation. http://www.brookings.edu/es/urban/publications/gastax.htm Best Hopes, Alan Step One should be a primary “old time” conservative value; “User pays”. Pay 100% of the costs of highways, roads and streets through gas taxes and tolls. Today they pay 1/3rd or less. Louiisana is talking about taking $100s of millions from the General Fund for new roads today as one small example.

Raise gas taxes, add tolls to interstates and cut property taxes and general taxes that now go to highways, roads and streets. Include state police and property taxes lost to land taken by roads as Step 1B (Railraods pay property taxes on their ROW, why not trucks for a level playing field ?)

That good Republican President Eisenhower originally wanted the Interstate Highway system to be tolled, but his Secretary of Defense talked him out of that. (This SoD was former GM President and famously said “What is good for GM is good for the United States”).

A good overview of road taxation.

http://www.brookings.edu/es/urban/publications/gastax.htm

Best Hopes,

Alan

]]> By: Joshua Hockman http://www.terrarossa.com/can-we-talk/#comment-1830 Joshua Hockman Thu, 03 May 2007 19:16:05 +0000 http://www.terrarossa.com/?p=144#comment-1830 At the state level, we have some great new legislation coming through that will help spur the private sector to work towards these goals. (actual, honest to God bipartisan legislation that is beneficial to the general population!!! I can die happy now) Even a South Carolina hick such as myself now has access to both the information and financial resources to start my own biodiesel refinery. Come visit us in the Upstate! At the state level, we have some great new legislation coming through that will help spur the private sector to work towards these goals. (actual, honest to God bipartisan legislation that is beneficial to the general population!!! I can die happy now) Even a South Carolina hick such as myself now has access to both the information and financial resources to start my own biodiesel refinery. Come visit us in the Upstate!

]]>