Just when it seems like the Democrats have exhausted their playbook — just when it looks as if the left has attempted every trick in the liberal agenda — it turns out that they have.
The Congressional Budget Office released a report detailing a Democratic proposal to implement a tax on the number of miles driven by motorists.
How original — a new tax!
In addition to the current taxes on gasoline, which have driven the prices well beyond the control of the marketplace, and the ever-increasing number of toll roads operated by the government, this new tax would require every motorist to pay for every mile driven.
The most obvious problem with this is that the current state of the economy has already altered the lifestyle of most Americans. Higher gasoline prices have prompted most people to significantly decrease their travel. This has had a drastic effect on the travel industry and on the local economies of tourist-centric areas. Further costs would have an even greater influence on the number of trips taken, which likely would place most such economies in dire straits.
Recreational driving aside, this would also affect the daily travel expenses of working commuters, stay-at-home moms and students. With many families hit hard by unemployment and reduced wages, this would create another hole in the budget of even the most fiscally responsible citizens.
Of course, this is not a problem for the proponents of the tax. The CBO report calls for the installation of meters in all registered vehicles that would report mileage figures to the government as they are driven.
“Judging from estimates of the costs of highway use, a system that charged for all such costs would have most if not all motorists paying substantially more than they do now — perhaps several times more,” the report said. “Such a system would maximize the efficiency of highway use by discouraging trips for which costs exceed benefits.”
It is not the job of the United States federal government to “discourage trips.” The number of miles people choose to drive is none of the government’s business. This statement reveals the true motives of this measure.
This is not about raising revenue. It is not about covering the costs of highway maintenance and repair. It is about control. Like most aspects of the modern liberal agenda, it is about restricting the freedom that every American has learned to take for granted. The Democrats in Washington want to change the way you live your life, and they are coming up with measures like this to insert obstacles into even the most mundane facets of the American dream.
This goes way beyond the problem of unintended consequences. All evidence suggests that the very worst thing that can be done to a hurting economy is to raise or introduce new taxes. This proposal, which seeks to do exactly that, suggests that there are leaders in Washington who would seek to do intentional harm to this country, its citizens and its economy for the sake of increased control and political gain.
There once was a time when the American people were fairly certain that the government was on their side. They could wake up every morning without having to worry about what phony statesmen in Washington would do that day to harm their freedom, property or income.
If those days are to return, the enemies of freedom in Washington must be stopped cold.
Bob Minchin is a fourth-year electrical engineering major. His column appears on Fridays.
