12 cent federal gas tax increase coming?

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

The U.S. uses more fuel than ever and the air has been getting cleaner and cleaner over the last 30 years.

Couldn't be more wrong. 30 years ago the atmospheric CO2 was approximately 345 ppm, now it's about 395 ppm.

As for the other stuff, while some really bad spots (like the LA Basin) have been cleaned up somewhat, there's been a corresponding decrease outside those places. Though I will grant that it's hard to separate what's 'Made in USA' from the stuff that blows in from China and elsewhere.

[Hersbird]

The new healthcare law is also designed to take money from the poorest group, the young, who hardly use the heath care, and transfer it to the wealthiest group, the old, who are the ones driving up the costs. We live in backwards land.

[gone-ot]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

We live in backwards land.

Bass...ackwards ! ?

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Couldn't be more wrong. 30 years ago the atmospheric CO2 was approximately 345 ppm, now it's about 395 ppm.

That is not enough to effect any ones health.
CO2 is a wonderful substance. I would be worried if levels were decreasing.

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

The new healthcare law is also designed to take money from the poorest group, the young, who hardly use the heath care, and transfer it to the wealthiest group, the old, who are the ones driving up the costs. We live in backwards land.

The man him self said on national TV that the system depends on lots of young people who dont need health care of in any form most of the time to pay into the system or it will never work.
Typical government plan, it just needs billions of dollars of other poeples money to work.

[Frank Lee]

The higher cost consumers get subsidized by the lower cost consumers- isn't that true of all insurance? Those who have never caused a claim should have darn near free insurance premiums vs those who wreck on a regular basis should be paying for their own repairs and the repairs for those they've wrecked into... right? But that isn't how it is.

[Hersbird]

Except most unused insurance plans don't cost $1000/month. Also young dangerous drivers do pay much higher premiums, many times higher, then old safe drivers yet in the new heath world everybody pays the same. Also you can't buy car insurance to cover an accident after the fact but you can health insurance. Health insurance is not insurance it's welfare.

[Frank Lee]

It's welfare in that it enables our top-heavy medical industry to continue to have too many overpaid executives. Old days: doctor, patient, and darn little else. Patient paid for doctor and darn little else. Now: doctors, patient, the machine that goes "bing", and 5,000 support staff. Somebody has to pay...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arCITMfxvEc&feature=kp

[Fat Charlie]

You forgot to get the most expensive machine in the whole hospital.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by NoD~

Horsebrass Pub is a winner.

A round of Scotch Eggs for everyone

Originally Posted by Hersbird

The new healthcare law is also designed to take money from the poorest group, the young, who hardly use the heath care, and transfer it to the wealthiest group, the old, who are the ones driving up the costs. We live in backwards land.

My worthless anecdote; wife's catastrophic insurance plan ($5k deductible) went from $98/mo to $211/mo. She makes $20k/yr. If her income was not supplemented by mine, she would go from paying 6% of gross income for health insurance she will never use, to 12% of gross income. It is illegal for her to not have insurance (although this is not constitutional), and at her income level (not poor enough), there is no subsidy.

I understand the need of insurance to spread risk over the whole population, but the system we have now contains all of the worst aspects of Capitalism and Socialism.

What does all this have to do with increasing gas tax? It reduces individual ability to find their own way to succeed, 12 cents or 200 bucks at a time.