The Cost of Oil

[Duncan Frissell]

At 03:22 PM 10/25/01 -0400, Declan McCullagh wrote:
>Though the article was somewhat silly, or partisan, or both, in places.
>Excerpt:
>
> >The Republicans oppose it as they oppose all taxes, especially ones
> >that could harm the key industries--and important political
> >contributors.
>
>Republicans opposing "all taxes?" Right. Whatever.
>
>-Declan
>
>
>On Thu, Oct 25, 2001 at 11:15:56AM -0700, Steve Schear wrote:
> > [Forbes catches up to cypherpunks]
> >
> > Americans are paying a bigger price than they know for cheap gas.
> > Charles Dubow
> >
> > http://www.forbes.com/2001/10/22/1022oilcosts.html


Likewise stupid quote:

Congress has decided that basic fundamentals of energy policy as practiced 
by virtually every other nation are off-limits," says Pietro Nivola, a 
senior fellow at Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. "Where is it 
written that Americans have a Constitutional right to dollar-a-gallon 
gasoline?"


Gas taxes were high in Europe before anyone thought of having an energy 
policy.  They were a luxury tax on cars - driven only by "the rich" in 
Europe at the time.  A better question is why, if we are going to have 
taxes at all, should some goods and services be taxed more than 
others.  And don't feed me that "neighborhood effects" bullshit or I'll 
suggest punishingly high taxes on Congresscritters so that their antisocial 
activities can be discouraged.  [Concept stolen from Heinlein - TMIAHM]

Why have an energy policy in any case if we don't  have a Pokemon Card policy?

DCF

----
"In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which 
was right in his own eyes." -- The Book of Judges, Chapter 17, Verse 6.