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Joined 3 years ago
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Cake day: June 15th, 2023

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  • I didn’t read the article, fwiw. EVs should be taxed.

    I’m already taxed on my EV at the state level. The article you didn’t read would add additional federal taxes. I’m not opposed to paying my fair share to maintain roads. The problem is these EV tax levels are WAY OVER the fair share for EV drivers.

    US infrastucture is paid for by taxes on fuel at the pump, so all EVs do is destroy roads.

    The problem is proportion. The EV, lets call them “road taxes”, are a static number, and that number is VERY HIGH.

    Lets assume the average car gets 30 miles/gallon. My current state EV tax is $200/year. The total fuel tax (state and federal) where I live is 38.5 cents/gallon. If we do the math EVs are paying the tax on the equivalent driving of 15,584 miles/year.

    The article you didn’t read talks about the GOP wanting to put an additional $250/year tax on EVs at the federal level. So using the same metrics as in the example before an EV would be paying the tax on the equivalent driving of 36,065 miles/year.

    To add insult to injury, I drive less than 9k miles a year.

    Because these are static taxes and not based on actual use, actual road damage, there’s nothing a consumer can change in behavior to lower the tax except to buy a gasoline car instead.

    This also says nothing to the argument that while, yes “all vehicles destroy roads”, a passenger vehicle does a tiny fraction of the damage of a giant 18-wheeler (HGV). While those big shipping trucks certainly use more fuel, they damage they do to roads far exceeds the tax they pay in fuel*.

    So again, I’m fine paying my fair share of road taxes, but the current and proposed additonal EV road taxes are disproportionally high compared to both gasoline vehicles and giant 18-wheeler trucks.

    Repeal the gas tax and tax the weight of the vehicle is a sane option. I am sure that isn’t what the oil-backed GOP wants, though.

    I’d be fine with that.

    However, my original reply stands. The GOP, in the face of high oil costs, are making EV adoption even harder.





  • The gas price increases are what will doom Trump.

    I’m going to say its “energy prices in general” that will sink him. Gasoline is certainly one of the biggest ones. However, Americans are being squeezed on energy prices in all areas. This winter just ending has been pretty cold and natural gas prices have been higher. Electricity prices too with the double whammy of increased demand from data centers and the decline in supply. Supply is not keeping up because of trump’s war on commercial solar and wind generation, and pissing off our wonderful neighbors to the north that have abundant electricity from hydropower for export.

    Worse, consumers, hit with high home and car energy prices, will seek substitutions. Home PV solar and EVs are pretty good solutions to this. Then consumers will see that trump canceled PV solar and EV tax credits in his signature BBB.

    In June we’ll see the next auction rates for electricity generation. I think its going to be even worse than the last auction rates. With climate change increasing heat during the summers, we’re going have months of eye-popping electricity bills at the retail level right as the November elections are getting underway.










  • In reality, it means having to show a valid passport (which is a massive pain in the ass to obtain) or having a copy of your birth certificate (also a huge pain in the butt to get).

    And for people that have changed their name since birth (either marriage or other reasons), the birth certificate isn’t valid under this proposed bill. So passport book ($130+$10 for a photo), or passport card only ($30+$10 for a photo). And since passport book/card requirement doesn’t apply to every American, this is effectively a selective tax targeting largely married women.

    How is this anything else besides a violation of the 24th Amendment to the Constitution:

    Twenty-Fourth Amendment:

    Section 1

    The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.

    Section 2

    The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.





  • They were not a thing like they are today

    I disagree with your statement.

    Do I need to point to obvious examples such as the US Declaration of Independence in 1776?

    “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”

    And human rights have always been a thing only respected by democracies. But nowhere as much as in EU where it is a requirement.

    Even ancient Rome had a number of things legally protected that we call “human rights” today. I think you’re conveniently cherry picking conditions and a time to make your statement true ignoring history. You’re welcome to do that, but I believe that’s intellectually dishonest. You’re free to your opinion and your position though, so I’ll leave you to it. Thank you for conversing up to now. I hope you have a great day.