Reply #91: Unfortunately, the "asshole" has the right idea

[fed_up_mother]

His price of ten dollars is just too high. IMO, we need to be promoting things like:

a) Tax the profits of the oil companies at much higher levels
b) Mantain gas prices at around four to five dollars a gallon (ouch!) to force consumers to drive efficient automobiles. (The poor could receive vouchers for gas, or we could think of something that would alleviate the damage higher gas prices are doing to them.)
c) Give tax credits for fuel efficient cars to the purchasers - good tax credits at time of purchase. No need to file income tax, etc.
d) Heavily penalize the auto industry for making and penalize the consumer for purchasing new, less fuel efficient automobiles.
e) Subsidize home utility bills for the poor.
f) And the taxes on the oil companies, auto companies, purchasers of new gas guzzlers should go DIRECTLY into a fund to develop renewable clean energies.
g) AND go directly into a fund to build and maintain better public transit.
h) Homes with large carbon footprints should be taxed - like property taxes - at higher levels than smaller homes. I'm not advocating tiny houses, but the wealthy who own three mansions should be paying a penalty for using more energy. No one NEEDS a five thousand square foot house.

Otherwise, we will be living with the neocons' wars for the next few decades as we make war and exploit the oil-producing countries around us, and in the end, we're still going to run out of oil, and the price will continue to rise anyway.