Another Bad Idea from Washington
I am constantly amazed at how many bad ideas can be generated in Washington D.C. I like to say that its 17 square miles of logic free environment and the latest idea is just more proof.
The Administration wants to study alternative ideas for funding transportation projects like taxing the owners of a vehicle for every mile that they drive. In order to figure out how many miles each vehicle was driven, an electronic device would be installed to keep track.
The proposal includes $200 million in funding for a new bureaucracy to study the tax and a public relations effort to convince people it's needed. I'm not sure there is any amount of money that can turn this lemon into lemonade.
People who live in a rural or suburban area commute to a job every day or travel long distances just to see a doctor or just to find a grocery store. In an already tough economy, a new tax on middle-class families and small businesses makes no sense. Yet, that is exactly what this tax scheme would do.
There is also the issue of privacy. Placing a mileage tracking device in every vehicle raises concerns about what kind of data is kept and who has access to it. This is the type of big government program that makes most Americans skeptical.
The proposal is just in draft form right now. I will work to make sure that it is the latest bad idea to be defeated by common sense.
Sincerely,
