I haven't posted to the list for a while, so I thought I'd share a thought I
had while reading the BMW crowd's complaints about SUVs on the freeway.
I have the solution to the crowded freeways and the rising cost of gasoline.
Since we all pay a tax to the state every year for the privilege of using
the roads we pay a tax to build, why don't we tax a different way? I think
the worldwide auto industry could make a comfortable, gas-efficient car that
weighed about 2000 pounds. Let the governments tax by weight, a dollar a
pound a year over 2000 pounds. Motorcycles would be free of tax unless they
were Harleys, and they would have a double tax. A 5000 pound SUV would pay
$3000 per year in taxes. A tricked out BMW would also pay about that much,
but the owner could probably afford it. A nice 2000 would be almost tax
free. Use the taxes to buy busses for free transportation. Put on a window
sticker with a bar code reading car weight and read the sticker as you drive
over a scale to keep cheaters from taking out the air conditioning and spare
tire at tax time. If you still want to test emissions, require two pounds of
car weight for every point over an arbitrary emissions level, and tax
accordingly. Don't have a pass-fail emissions test. That way my Trabant
would be legal to drive in the USA, even though it weighed 9000 pounds. I
can't see any down side to this. Can you?
By the way, there will be a veritible plethora of automotive events on the
2nd, 3rd and 4th of May at Texas Motor Speedway north of Fort Worth. The
infield track will be full of SCCA road racers, the bus lot will be full of
autocrossers running a Divisional event, and I think there will be a car
show and/or swap meet in another of the large parking lots on the premises.
The Texas Motor Speedway web site has the events online. Andy and I will be
at the autocross. He has probably the fastest EP car around these parts.
He is driving Tetanus this time, and sometime during the year he will have
Brucephalus ready to go. It has been painted and needs to be bolted
together. You TDROC people in North Texas need to come and say hello.
If you can't make the May event, we will also be at an autocross at
Pennington Field (HEB school stadium) on April 27th. write for directions.
Leisure Suit Terry
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