Sorry If there's another thread about this. I did a cursory search and didn't find anything.
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The economic state of the United States and the world as a whole is in dire need of a punch to the balls.
The real estate market is in shambles, we are starting to see alarming global shortages in food (rice), and the price of crude oil has inflated gas prices to record levels.
Some say there's a solution. The senile delusions of John McCain have instilled a false sense of hope in half of the country.
The uninspired stance of Barack Obama has done nothing but lead the other half to think John McCain is senile.
There is a solution. It's certainly quite inconvenient, and it would require a bit of a national movement, but it exists, and this solution alone can right the national economy within the next decade, if it were implemented tomorrow.
If the United States government imposed a minimum gas price of 5 or 6 dollars a gallon and taxed that up to $8/gallon, not only would we increase federal income by an unprecedented amount, but because of the price, people would be less dependent on gas, thus lowering demand, and in turn, lowering the price of gas. So sure, we would have to deal with gas being at 8 dollars per gallon for 3 to 5 years, but the price would be far more stable than it is now, and we may actually see it decrease as demand lightens.
I think the best way to convince people that this would work is through a problems/answers section:
PROBLEM: I need my car to get to work/school/home. Without my car, I am stuck, and I certainly can't afford these gas prices.
SOLUTION: The amount that would be taxed per gallon would be so astronomical that the government's ability to spend on improving mass transit would quickly make us forget about our transportation problems. If buses, light rail, organized and sponsored carpools, subways and taxis were invested in to the degree that they COULD BE with that sort of money, we would have no problem going from place to place.
PROBLEM: Still, I don't have enough money. The economy is in shambles and I simply can't afford a bus pass, taxi ride or ticket... all which will cost more money as the companies are forced to spend more on your ridiculously price gas!
SOLUTION: When you begin spending less money on gas (because you will be driving less), you will start to spend more on domestic, "little-guy" products and luxuries. Money spent on gas redirects away from the country. Because of our dependence on foreign oil, the already ridiculous amount we're spending on gas is going into the pockets of the Saudi royal family and other middle-eastern capitalists. Wonder why our economy is bad? Because we're giving away all our cash. So, when you stop driving, you'll have more money to spend on restaurants, movies, etc. Then that money will be in the pockets of other Americans who can spend it on other things. Eventually, that money will come back around to you in the form of better wages, higher tax returns, or gas prices that actually get lower!
PROBLEM: Uh... I won't have more money, because as I JUST SAID... I'll be spending it on expensive mass transportation.
SOLUTION: With federal sponsorship of mass transportation, the price of bus passes, taxi rides and train tickets should stay consistent with what it's currently at. The money the gov't is making in taxes will be used to keep transportation efficient and cheap. This will ensure the lasting integrity of America's infrastructure. Once gas prices start to even out and the economy begins to repair itself, you will notice more cash in your pockets.
PROBLEM: So what you're saying is that I should be fine with $8 gas and having to take a bus everywhere (meaning diminished freedom)? No thanks, I'd rather just pay 4 bucks a gallon...
RESPONSE: Well that 4 dollars will inflate to 6 bucks within the next 3 years. However, if we tax gas to 8/gallon, within the decade the diminished reliance on oil will force the price down to about 6 bucks per gallon. The difference is that of those 6 dollars, 2 of them go toward the government improving our infrastructure, and because of the ease of taking a bus or other form of mass transportation, and its relatively inexpensive price, we'll be keeping more money inside the United States and away from foreign oil tycoons. You will be spending less on travel, the same on gas (so your personal freedom won't be limited), and more on the welfare of the country.
PROBLEM: So you honestly think Bush will go for this?
SOLUTION: Bush is almost done, baby.
PROBLEM: So you honestly think McCain will go for this?
SOLUTION: You honestly think McCain will win?
PROBLEM: So you honestly think Barack Obama will go for this?
RESPONSE: No way in hell. Nor will 80 percent of Americans. We're too goddamn stubborn to ever let this fly. Nobody would agree to doubling gas prices! That's the crippling short-sightedness that makes America such a fun place to live. This will never happen... it won't ever happen as long as Americans are unwilling to shift how they live, and have a leader audacious enough to try and persuade the masses. Obama's a crowd-pleaser, not a revolutionary. Though, being a smart guy I think maybe sometime during his 8 years (oh yeah he'll win again... Bush did... so can Obama) he'll suggest it. But I'll be damned if anyone agrees.
PROBLEM: So even if this does end up happening... there's no way it will all come together to work...
SOLUTION: There will be a transition period. It will be a trying time for people, but look at France. A country with staggering gas prices (10/gallon), extremely efficient mass transportation, minute poverty levels, and - historically a reliable indicator of economic state - a flourishing restaurant business.
The economic state of the country, and the steep decline we face if things continue as they are, leave us only strands of hope, which we lazily grasp at from our couches. If only the crippling political apathy and infectious lethargy could be overcome by the people of this country, we could accept this requisite transition into an age where oil must not be relied upon. The whining voices of millions could go from a pompous pout which reeks of entitlement to a mutual, accepting - if begrudging - voice of assurance.
There is no future in how we live today. Our selfishness will only force us from our freedoms.
-----
The economic state of the United States and the world as a whole is in dire need of a punch to the balls.
The real estate market is in shambles, we are starting to see alarming global shortages in food (rice), and the price of crude oil has inflated gas prices to record levels.
Some say there's a solution. The senile delusions of John McCain have instilled a false sense of hope in half of the country.
The uninspired stance of Barack Obama has done nothing but lead the other half to think John McCain is senile.
There is a solution. It's certainly quite inconvenient, and it would require a bit of a national movement, but it exists, and this solution alone can right the national economy within the next decade, if it were implemented tomorrow.
If the United States government imposed a minimum gas price of 5 or 6 dollars a gallon and taxed that up to $8/gallon, not only would we increase federal income by an unprecedented amount, but because of the price, people would be less dependent on gas, thus lowering demand, and in turn, lowering the price of gas. So sure, we would have to deal with gas being at 8 dollars per gallon for 3 to 5 years, but the price would be far more stable than it is now, and we may actually see it decrease as demand lightens.
I think the best way to convince people that this would work is through a problems/answers section:
PROBLEM: I need my car to get to work/school/home. Without my car, I am stuck, and I certainly can't afford these gas prices.
SOLUTION: The amount that would be taxed per gallon would be so astronomical that the government's ability to spend on improving mass transit would quickly make us forget about our transportation problems. If buses, light rail, organized and sponsored carpools, subways and taxis were invested in to the degree that they COULD BE with that sort of money, we would have no problem going from place to place.
PROBLEM: Still, I don't have enough money. The economy is in shambles and I simply can't afford a bus pass, taxi ride or ticket... all which will cost more money as the companies are forced to spend more on your ridiculously price gas!
SOLUTION: When you begin spending less money on gas (because you will be driving less), you will start to spend more on domestic, "little-guy" products and luxuries. Money spent on gas redirects away from the country. Because of our dependence on foreign oil, the already ridiculous amount we're spending on gas is going into the pockets of the Saudi royal family and other middle-eastern capitalists. Wonder why our economy is bad? Because we're giving away all our cash. So, when you stop driving, you'll have more money to spend on restaurants, movies, etc. Then that money will be in the pockets of other Americans who can spend it on other things. Eventually, that money will come back around to you in the form of better wages, higher tax returns, or gas prices that actually get lower!
PROBLEM: Uh... I won't have more money, because as I JUST SAID... I'll be spending it on expensive mass transportation.
SOLUTION: With federal sponsorship of mass transportation, the price of bus passes, taxi rides and train tickets should stay consistent with what it's currently at. The money the gov't is making in taxes will be used to keep transportation efficient and cheap. This will ensure the lasting integrity of America's infrastructure. Once gas prices start to even out and the economy begins to repair itself, you will notice more cash in your pockets.
PROBLEM: So what you're saying is that I should be fine with $8 gas and having to take a bus everywhere (meaning diminished freedom)? No thanks, I'd rather just pay 4 bucks a gallon...
RESPONSE: Well that 4 dollars will inflate to 6 bucks within the next 3 years. However, if we tax gas to 8/gallon, within the decade the diminished reliance on oil will force the price down to about 6 bucks per gallon. The difference is that of those 6 dollars, 2 of them go toward the government improving our infrastructure, and because of the ease of taking a bus or other form of mass transportation, and its relatively inexpensive price, we'll be keeping more money inside the United States and away from foreign oil tycoons. You will be spending less on travel, the same on gas (so your personal freedom won't be limited), and more on the welfare of the country.
PROBLEM: So you honestly think Bush will go for this?
SOLUTION: Bush is almost done, baby.
PROBLEM: So you honestly think McCain will go for this?
SOLUTION: You honestly think McCain will win?
PROBLEM: So you honestly think Barack Obama will go for this?
RESPONSE: No way in hell. Nor will 80 percent of Americans. We're too goddamn stubborn to ever let this fly. Nobody would agree to doubling gas prices! That's the crippling short-sightedness that makes America such a fun place to live. This will never happen... it won't ever happen as long as Americans are unwilling to shift how they live, and have a leader audacious enough to try and persuade the masses. Obama's a crowd-pleaser, not a revolutionary. Though, being a smart guy I think maybe sometime during his 8 years (oh yeah he'll win again... Bush did... so can Obama) he'll suggest it. But I'll be damned if anyone agrees.
PROBLEM: So even if this does end up happening... there's no way it will all come together to work...
SOLUTION: There will be a transition period. It will be a trying time for people, but look at France. A country with staggering gas prices (10/gallon), extremely efficient mass transportation, minute poverty levels, and - historically a reliable indicator of economic state - a flourishing restaurant business.
The economic state of the country, and the steep decline we face if things continue as they are, leave us only strands of hope, which we lazily grasp at from our couches. If only the crippling political apathy and infectious lethargy could be overcome by the people of this country, we could accept this requisite transition into an age where oil must not be relied upon. The whining voices of millions could go from a pompous pout which reeks of entitlement to a mutual, accepting - if begrudging - voice of assurance.
There is no future in how we live today. Our selfishness will only force us from our freedoms.
