  The celestial, steampunk GPS |
“Sweetheart. What’s with the meat cleaver?”
“Herbert, You said you went bowling last night. That’s 11.2 miles from here. The GPS record shows you drove only 8.3 miles. That’s exactly the distance to that slut Edna’s house. Explain yourself!”
While the exact details are still being ironed out, Gov. Kulongoski’s web page gives the basics. He states, “As Oregonians drive less and demand more fuel-efficient vehicles, it is increasingly important that the state find a new way, other than the gas tax, to finance our transportation system.”
He is creating a task force “to partner with auto manufacturers to refine technology that would enable Oregonians to pay for the transportation system based on how many miles they drive.” Key studies were performed in 2006 and 2007 that indicate that such a program would indeed be possible.
In the 2007 test which lasted 10 months with 300 motorists at two service stations, drivers were taxed 1.2 cents per mile and were refunded the 24 cents a gallon state gas tax. When the motorists got to the pump, their vehicles connected to government computers informing them of the mileage (calculated via GPS tracking) and issuing tax. Equipment for the test came from Oregon State University.
[…]
Despite assurances from James Whitty, the ODOT official in charge of the project, that the new GPS system would not be used for continuous tracking of citizens’ cars, many advocacy groups are outraged and many remain fearful. The final report on the 2007 test deployment was conscious of this fear, stating, “The concept requires no transmission of vehicle travel locations, either in real time or of travel history. Accordingly, no travel location points are stored within the vehicle or transmitted elsewhere. Thus there can be no ‘tracking’ of vehicle movements.”
No back door for the Feds to track criminals? Riiiight. Next up, GPS watches to track your movements.
Why don’t they just raise the gas tax. Why must the Gov always go for the difficult around the back and highly intrusive way of doing things.
My pickup, at 20 MPG, nets zero tax. My Civic, at 45 MPG, nets 54 cents. Yet my pickup, being heavier, does more wear and tear to the road. ???
Lo and behold: The first governor on Earth who doesn’t want to be reelected.
We will ‘find you’ and we will ‘kill you’…
Did you take your ‘medicine’ today?
And if you drive out of state, will they shut it off? I doubt it.
Raise the gas tax. It charges those that use the service, it encourages fuel efficient cars. Should include a collision/insurance tax as well so that uninsured motorists are covered–again, paying more if they drive more.
So simple. Not done so that a few people can gain access to bonuses under the guise of offering a valuable product.
#6 Great idea.
#7–Thanks Paddy
The insurance provision is often referred to as “Pay at the Pump” and is put on ballots from time to time. Never passes.
Well…with unconventionally fueled cars and trucks hitting the roads in greater numbers, I don’t think the gas tax will hold up. What happens if you use bio diesel from a fryer? Electric cars? They all use the roads.
Why not an odometer based tax. You drove 10000 miles this year. Give the gov 250. Just like an ad valorem tax only mileage based.
Not that I like more taxes but we all have to pay our fair share.
I got an idea. How about just cutting spending. That would help with the state’s revenue problem.
#9–TV==good point. Hadn’t focused on this coming (hopefully) shift. So, does the new tax make sense now, or could it wait until it is relevant?==and shouldn’t the gas tax be raised for all the still valid reasons already given?
#10–Benji==if the gas tax was really used for roads (yea, I’ll believe THAT), how many potholes and fallen down bridges would you approve of since as a shut-in you don’t care about the infrastructure? ie==what specific programs would you cut in general, and then regarding road building and maintenance in general. Stupid Repug.
Interestingly, schemes like this do not usually originate in “red” states but in the “cream of the crop” left headquarters where Big Government is nurtured. If Texas Governer proposed something like this he/she would already tarred and feathered and there would be riots on the streets. In Oregon? – “Oh, Great Govrenment, what do you order?” Taxing is just an excuse. It is Govt. wanting more and more control over us. Supported by leftist nuts hungry for more social engineering. Just based on this attempt and the test of the system the free people of USA should boycott Oregon in any way shape or form possible. At least until some Oregonians go to the streets and protest this abomination.
So why does gps technology need to be used? Why not just a device that sends the odometer reading to the pump?
Our governor is retarded. No one I know thinks this is a good idea.
And I thought California was the most screwed up state in the country. If anyone believes they will not retain the information of where EVERY auto has been, indefinitely, and make it available on subpoena, you are surely a liberal dolt. Now, when I retire and finally move from California, I will have one less state to consider.
HA! I predicted this years ago when I first heard about electric cars.
#10, Best idea yet.
Another idea is to sell the major roads to private entities and turn them into toll roads – this would solve the electric/bio/gas problem). Any profit made by the state could be refunded to the taxpayers (the one’s who paid for it to start with).
Politicians force us to use less gasoline through higher prices or guilt then when we comply they penalize us via higher taxes.
It’s a shame anybody is even entertaining this idea since it is just another level of oppression designed to increase government power.
If they really want a “tech” solution, why not just transmit the odometer reading (similar to #9, but people would have a harder time lying about it). Then there isn’t any location tracking, just mileage tracking. And it would be a heck of a lot cheaper than outfitting every cat in Oregon with a GPS device.
How to make headway with environmental concerns and raise enough money to pay for the highway and road infrastructure:
1. Tax vehicles by license plate.
Low milage vehicles get taxed the most. As vehicles age, the tax rises slowly.
Adjust as needed.
#15–contempt says: “Why oh why can’t the entire world exist to serve my every wish? Its oppression when everyone else does not do as I wish. I should form a political party and see how many infantile personality deficient voters I can get with this appeal to the self-centered.” Yeah, Repuglican!!!!!!!!
#18 WTF? “Low mileage vehicles get taxed the most”…..This is what a PER GALLON tax does. It’s what we have NOW. Of course, all of you Hybrid owners, who are so superior, will pay less. Good for you.
Penalize people who drive efficient vehicles. Nice.
You’ve got them as well!
We have a bunch of F****** Pigs over here in England who are also pursuing this.
What the hell is it with these elected pratts. They are firmly convinced that any money you have, they have a right to.
When the hell are we going to ask them the question of just what value for money THEY represent? Election to a public office does NOT give you the right to plunder the pockets of those who elected you.
AND. Just so you understand me correctly. Global Warming (nor called ‘climate change’ because the warming bit is now shown to be untrue for the last ten years or so) is bullshit science, because, science always falls down when contradictory evidence appears.
Newton (time is a univeral constant) fell when Einstein (time is all relative) appeared. Classical physics is questionable (probably wrong)since Quantum appeared. Politicians are wrong (all the time, in every area) since the first human was put in charge of anything other than self defacating. I never met a politician yet who could manage even that.
Why the hell don’t we work at doing away with these creeps. Anarchy appeals more the older I get.
Currently, all vehicles are taxed, not just gasoline fueled cars. In a couple of months when I put new plates on my car I will be paying a tax. When I bought the thing, I paid tax.
The fact that gasoline taxes help pay for roads is beside the point. So do tire taxes. So do trucks.
Alcohol and tobacco are taxed. Use ’em if you like and pay the tax. I don’t use either so I don’t pay tax.
I’m not sure if forcing people to install or use a GPS would be Constitutional. There are too many areas in this country where a person requires a motor vehicle to survive, thus they would not have a choice.
I don’t see any problem with reading the odometer between fillups. But, what if I wanted some gas for my ATV, boat, mower, or chainsaw?
#19 bobbo
That’s funny, I don’t recall saying any of the words you are crediting me with.
The truth is that your insinuations fit your arrogant views more than anyone else. It’s just you are too much of a coward to lay claim.
Of course adding a few cents to the gas tax would get exactly the same result but that’s too simple. Waste a few million dollars for nothing and prove you are smart. That’s American government in action.
This is the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard.
Shitty idea.
In New Zealand, they tax diesel by requiring diesel vehicles to pre-pay for a window sticker allowing them X kilometers on the odometer. If you get pulled over, and your odometer exceeds your sticker, then you get fined big time.
A similar system would work for any fuel: electricity, petrol, diesel, fuel cell, etc. And it doesn’t require any tracking system. And the fuel efficiency doesn’t matter since it taxes on the distance driven, not the fuel volume consumed.
Bobbo – Why is cutting spending in government a bad idea? You want to keep and even increase it?
Bottom line is we need roads. Gas taxes pay for a lot (not all). So as gas is used less, we must find alternatives.
Penalizing energy efficient cars is not right. Having different rates, breaks or subsidies for different cars just adds to bureaucracy and loop holes.
But the GPS angle is Extreme Big Brother. Even if no nefarious uses are intended, inevitably someone with access to the data will be tempted. And the first time a criminal could have been caught and prosecuted with the GPS data but gets out because it won’t be used, laws will change and take even more liberties away.
#15 – Liberty Loser
>>Another idea is to sell the major roads to private
>>entities and turn them into toll roads –
Yeah,that privatization thing worked out pretty well with fighting the war in Iraq, and running prisons, huh? Besides, everybody loves a toll road. Just look at the Garden State Parkway.
Why not just abolish the government? If you don’t have enough canned tuna and rifles buried in your back yard, fuck ya.