🚀 go-pugleaf

Bert Hyman <bert@iphouse.com> wrote
> rod_speed@yahoo.com (Rod Speed) wrote
>> Bert Hyman <bert@iphouse.com> wrote
>>> rod_speed@yahoo.com (Rod Speed) wrote

>>>> It isnt even likely that the price of oil would make
>>>> driving prohibitively expensive, that would just see
>>>> natural gas and even hydrogen used instead.

>>> You're assuming that it's merely the price
>>> of oil that would drive up the cost of driving.

>> Nope, because no politicians in a real democracy would
>> be stupid enough to jack up the cost of driving deliberately
>> when its increased dramatically due to the price of oil.

> I don't understand your reference to a "real democracy".

Basically one where, if the voters are sufficiently pissed off about
what their elected politicians have done, say deliberately jacking up
the cost of driving, when its just increased dramatically due to the
price of gasoline, they can give them the bums rush at the ballot box.

And they dont actually need to vote either, its because
they can do that that even the stupidest politicians
wont be stupid enough to do something that stupid.

> The peoples states of Europe are as much "real" democracies
> as the US and they've voted themselves high gas taxes,

Not just after the price of gasoline has just increased dramatically.

> high auto registration taxes

Not just after the price of gasoline has just increased dramatically.

> and automobile free cities.

There's fuck all of those in europe. And that is only seen when
there is already a decent public transport system in place. That
is only true of a few places in America like New York, and even
that wouldnt work if all cars were banned, including the taxis.

Its only places like Singapore that have actually done much in
the way of drastically increasing the cost of driving to discourage
car use, and they can only get away with it because there isnt
the slightest possibility of getting voted out of office there.