Demagogue

The post I made yesterday that slammed Bush's budget impact on the working poor ended with this tongue-in-check comment:

What will this innovative White House think of next? Perhaps a higher gasoline tax for owners of hybrid vehicles?

Well, it turns out that my sarcastic poke at Bush wasn't far from reality -- a similar proposal is being floated in California. Thanks to fellow blogger Rambuncle, who sent me a link to this article:

California drivers are accustomed to paying the highest prices at the gasoline pump in the continental United States, but a proposal that their cars be outfitted with transponders to collect state taxes by the mile has stirred deep-rooted privacy fears.

The policy idea is a response to the growing popularity of gas-electric hybrid cars and concern that as more fuel-efficient vehicles clog the California’s highways, a tax on gasoline consumption will no longer be the best way to finance road maintenance.

It is true that hybrid cars, like other vehicles, contribute to the wear and tear on roadways. But I hope environmental groups, Dems and their allies will attack this proposal as short-sighted.

There are better ways to enhance revenues without taxing hybrid-car owners on the same basis as owners of non-hybrid cars.