President Obama, to many motorists relief, will NOT adopt the policy to tax people based on how many miles they drive. Here are some arguments in favor of continuing to tax the gas and not the mileage:
• The best reason is that it will get rid of the incentive of people to drive more fuel-efficient cars. People are concerned about global-warming, the environment, and drilling for oil, but not everyone is. The people who aren’t would probably not even consider fuel-efficient cars if gas was no longer taxed.
• In order to know how many miles someone has driven to be able to tax them the correct amount, GPS chips would have to be installed in cars. The cars movements could then be tracked. Some feel that this is a violation of their privacy.
I like the first argument, but the second one I don’t think holds up that well. Some cars already have GPS chips in them, and most new ones will anyways. I also doubt that the government is going to sit there watching your car’s every move as indicated to them by the little blinking red dot on the screen in front of them. And so what if they do? I mean, if you aren’t doing anything illegal in the first place, what’s it to you if they watch you go to the grocery store? And even if you were doing something illegal, you would obviously be aware of the chip in your car and take the necessary precautions before driving your car somewhere, such as taking the chip out and sticking it on another car, or just leaving it in your garage.
7 comments:
Uh have you read 1984?
I don't think that this "chip" will necessarily be obvious, or look like a USB port that can just be removed and then re-installed.
But I would definitely feel like the government knowing exactly where I go and how long it takes to get there would be a violation of my privacy...they would have information that could be used against me in a court of law! And this sounds a lot like the USA PATRIOT Act...
I don't think that's an illegtimate argument, but I do think it would entirely be possible to do. If the Bush Administration could wiretap pur phones, then I'm sure they could find a loophole in the constitution say that it is ok to trace our cars.
Yes, I have read 1984. But I feel like everyone is so paranoid about the government! I don't know, maybe I'm off living in la-la land, which is entirely possible, but I just can't see the government actively keeping track of everyone that closely. Maybe you have read too much into the book. I agree that the government has crossed privacy lines before, but I don't think putting a GPS chip in cars is one of them. And if you are so worried about GPS chips, you better get rid of your cellphone, because oh no! the government may be watching you...
Oh, and with all the paranoia about government intrusiveness, people should be more concerned about private entities such as: facebook, myspace, and google to name a few. Facebook does targeted adds based on criteria in your profile. Google does targeted adds based on your search criteria. The google suggest feature on its home page shows that they record your previous searches. Have you bought anything from Amazon.com? or checked anything out from Netflix? They obviously keep track of what you like in order to make suggestions. The latter two have very powerful heuristic algorithms, but the key point is that all of them have databases that enable them to track your personal data online. Employers routinely check Facebook as an unofficial pre-employment screening. Credit cards record what you have purchased and where. You fear government violating your privacy, but the majority of people have already given up their privacy to private corporations.
Yeah but you gave up that privacy voluntarily when you made a facebook account or whatever.
I'm just saying that the government knowing where you are all the time is not something to be taken lightly. That's some pretty scary stuff. Serious question: Would you be ok with having telescreens in every house?
I just think that these kinds of things put us on the road to totalitarianism.
And so did you when you made an account on google so you could blog.
I am assuming that by telescreens you are referring to the ones in 1984, and if that is the case, then my answer is no. I would not be okay with having those in every household. BUT, those telescreens were devised by a totalitarian government for the sole purpose of being able to watch over people and invade their privacy. Our government is not monolithic like the one in 1984. (the Constitution and the Bill of Rights makes this so).
These GPS chips in cars were not designed by "Big Brother", and their purpose is not to keep an eye on us. They would be used to measure the number of miles one traveled so they could be taxed appropriately.
But they could be used that way...
it's a slippery slope... I don't want the government to have that kind of power regardless.
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