The State of Virginia is currently facing quite a dilemma in regards to its transportation system, a situation that some argue has reached the crisis point. Indeed, crumbling and heavily congested roadways, and a lack of funding for road maintenance have made for a sorry and embarrassing state of affairs.
In response to this, Gov. Tim Kaine (D) has proposed a great solution, one that makes perfect sense: increase the gas tax, among other fees, to raise funds for transportation. In other words, have those who use the roads pay for them.
Predictably, the "anti-tax party" in Virginia's legislature, otherwise known as Republicans, have once again dusted off their stale old rallying cry, "No new taxes!", and they're shouting it at anyone who will listen. Of course, this empty rhetoric offers no sloution to the problem at hand, as is usually the case, and is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt by Republicans to gain re-election to the office they prize above all else. Ironically, the Republicans claim that their opposition to the governor's proposal is rooted in their desire to save taxpayers money, yet they stood as obstacles to progress (nothing new about that) during a fruitless six-day special legislative session on transportation recently that cost the taxpayers $117,000.
What the anti-tax crowd fails to realize is that raising taxes is justified and, in most cases, good practice if no other feasible solution is presented and the money goes toward doing something for the common good. Last time I checked, a good reliable transportation system benefits everyone.
Gov. Kaine is not only taking unnecessary heat from stubborn Republicans, but also from consumers who make the questionable claim that raising the gas tax will hurt them when they're already struggling at the pump. Struggling? Actually, it doesn't seem that there are many people who are really being pinched by high gas prices. Otherwise, parking lots like those at movie theaters, grocery stores, restaurants, and Wal-Mart wouldn't be as packed as I often notice. If gas prices are truly hurting your budget, here's an idea: Stop driving so much! Hail a cab to the grocery store or pay a friend to drive you. Instead of driving to the store around the corner, walk or ride a bike. Take the bus to the movie theater and your other leisure activites. If, for some reason, you think you're "too special" or "too high-class" to ride the bus or take a cab, then stop whining. By all means, go fill up your tank and keep forking over the cash to Big Oil.
The point here is if people can afford to drive around on leisure trips, I don't see how Gov. Kaine's proposal of a few extra cents per gallon will cause them any financial trauma, so what's their complaint? That's right, they don't have one. At least not a legitimate one, anyway. Besides, you think gas is expensive here? How would you like to pay seven or eight bucks a gallon? No? In that case, you better thank whatever god you pray to that you don’t live in Europe.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
27 ways to improve America
1. End the war in Iraq and withdraw the troops within a time frame that will allow it to be done safely. 2. Make going to war without provocation, credible intelligence, congressional approval, and a formal declaration of war an impeachable offense. 3. Provide optional universal health care and equal access to health services and treatments. 4. Provide tax breaks/refunds to people who purchase hybrid cars. 5. Increase funding for AIDS, cancer, and Alzheimer's research. 6. Provide funding for stem cell research. 7. Dramatically improve care of veterans. 8. Require licencing for procreation. 9. Legalize prostitution. 10. Legalize gay marriage. 11. End the "war on drugs" 12. Legalize the sale of packaged marijuana cigarettes in state-run ABC stores to collect revenue and taxes. 13. Ban smoking in all outdoor public areas and inside public buildings. 14. Provide full funeral and burial benefits to all veterans and active soldiers killed in action. 15. Make talking/texting on a cell phone while driving a criminal offense, punishable by fines and/or suspension of driver's licence. 16. Require all cars manufactured in the U.S. to be hybrid within 10 years. 17. Full prescription drug insurance for the elderly. 18. Ban the use of pre-existing medical conditions as a reason to deny health/life insurance. 19. Require spaying and neutering of pets. 20. Make animal cruelty a felony. 21. Order life imprisonment for first time convicted child molesters. 22. Abolish capital punishment. 23. Ban wasteful spending (anything that doesn't benefit the common good, like bridges to nowhere, the Woodstock Museum, and all that jazz.) 24. Ban affirmative action. 25. Legalize human euthanasia 26. Impose a "windfall profits" tax on Big Oil. 27. Repeal the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
The 4th of July: its lost meaning
Two hundred and thirty-two years ago yesterday, 56 men from all walks of life gathered together in a hot, stuffy room in what is now Independence Hall in Philadelphia to adopt what is the cornerstone of American freedom, the Declaration of Independence. Laying the groundwork for what would become the greatest civilization in the history of the world, these men did what some then were and many today are afraid of doing. They stood tall when it counted and spoke up in defense of their principles and what they believed in. The tyrant king whom they spoke against considered their act of defiance to be an act of treason. Knowing this, these brave patriots literally risked their lives so that future generations could know the joys of freedom from opression, persecution, and tyranny.
Today, Independence Day has sadly lost its true meaning, much like Christmas and Thanksgiving. It has been reduced to an excuse for Americans to reward themselves for nothing, and for retailers to have "4th of July sales" in an attempt to lure consumers into shopping malls to buy junk that they don't need. They all forget about the men and that simple piece of parchment paper that makes all this possible. Yes, the majority of the American people have become selfish, greedy, materialistic, and ungrateful, and as such, when they're at Wal-Mart lavishing money on themselves or standing in line at an amusement park, they're not thinking about the real reason for this wasted day off. No, they're thinking about instant gratification and of ways to spoil themselves even more than they've already been.
The current economic situation has exposed just how self-centered and ungrateful Americans have become. Case in point, there have been a number of so-called "news" stories about how families had to cut back on their vacation plans for the 4th, and in some cases, scrap plans altogether due to high gas prices and an economy in the hole. These "news" pieces went onto show interviews with families who whined about how instead of going to Disney World or the beach, they had to "settle for a cook-out, a ball game, and some fireworks". These people forget about the freedom that allows them to have that cook-out, go to that ball game, to a movie theater, video arcade, or anywhere they chose. In thinking only of themselves, they forget about the starving people in this country and around the world who, I'm quite certain, would love and appriciate nothing more than to "settle for a cook-out". What's even sadder is that they lose sight of the fact that it's not what you do that's important, but that you do something together with friends and family. You can't get anymore ungrateful than that.
I love this country so much. It's because I live in America that I'm able to freely express my feelings, as I'm doing right now, no matter what those feelings are. That freedom is a wonderful gift that I'll always cherish and never take for granted, because I know that there are so many people in this world who don't have that freedom. So although my love for America has never wavered, my love for the American people certainly has. The American people and their ungratefulness amd self-centeredness have caused me to shake my head in anger, fustration, and disbelief, and on a day like yesterday, have made me sick.
Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Adams, Mr. Hancock, Mr. Franklin, and the others who risked everything for the hope of freedom, please know that your brave actions have not been entirely forgotten. Please know that there are still some of us who are forever grateful for the gift you have given us. Please know that there are still some of us who recognize and appriciate what the 4th of July truly means. For your courage, for your sacrifices, and for risking having your necks in a noose, on behalf of those true Americans who feel as I do, I thank you.
Today, Independence Day has sadly lost its true meaning, much like Christmas and Thanksgiving. It has been reduced to an excuse for Americans to reward themselves for nothing, and for retailers to have "4th of July sales" in an attempt to lure consumers into shopping malls to buy junk that they don't need. They all forget about the men and that simple piece of parchment paper that makes all this possible. Yes, the majority of the American people have become selfish, greedy, materialistic, and ungrateful, and as such, when they're at Wal-Mart lavishing money on themselves or standing in line at an amusement park, they're not thinking about the real reason for this wasted day off. No, they're thinking about instant gratification and of ways to spoil themselves even more than they've already been.
The current economic situation has exposed just how self-centered and ungrateful Americans have become. Case in point, there have been a number of so-called "news" stories about how families had to cut back on their vacation plans for the 4th, and in some cases, scrap plans altogether due to high gas prices and an economy in the hole. These "news" pieces went onto show interviews with families who whined about how instead of going to Disney World or the beach, they had to "settle for a cook-out, a ball game, and some fireworks". These people forget about the freedom that allows them to have that cook-out, go to that ball game, to a movie theater, video arcade, or anywhere they chose. In thinking only of themselves, they forget about the starving people in this country and around the world who, I'm quite certain, would love and appriciate nothing more than to "settle for a cook-out". What's even sadder is that they lose sight of the fact that it's not what you do that's important, but that you do something together with friends and family. You can't get anymore ungrateful than that.
I love this country so much. It's because I live in America that I'm able to freely express my feelings, as I'm doing right now, no matter what those feelings are. That freedom is a wonderful gift that I'll always cherish and never take for granted, because I know that there are so many people in this world who don't have that freedom. So although my love for America has never wavered, my love for the American people certainly has. The American people and their ungratefulness amd self-centeredness have caused me to shake my head in anger, fustration, and disbelief, and on a day like yesterday, have made me sick.
Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Adams, Mr. Hancock, Mr. Franklin, and the others who risked everything for the hope of freedom, please know that your brave actions have not been entirely forgotten. Please know that there are still some of us who are forever grateful for the gift you have given us. Please know that there are still some of us who recognize and appriciate what the 4th of July truly means. For your courage, for your sacrifices, and for risking having your necks in a noose, on behalf of those true Americans who feel as I do, I thank you.
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